Steaks thicker than 1.5” present some unique challenges to the home cook - it’s easy to overcook the outside and still have the interior be less cooked than you like. The secret to these thicker steaks is to go slower and lower than you’d think. I took the guesswork out of this for you and cooked this special steak for you every which way so you can nail it in your home oven, on your gas or wood/charcoal grill, on your pellet smoker, and on your stovetop.

Reverse Sear: Oven

Total cook time: 40-50 mins

Preheat oven to 250ºF (no convection – this will dry the surface of the steak)

Remove steak from refrigerator, take out of bag, place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.

Place steak in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the temperature is 10 degrees less than your desired final temperature. For example, if you like your steak at 125ºF, take the internal temp in the oven to 115ºF.

Remove steak from oven and place a cast iron or enamel-ware pan on your stove top on your hottest burner, preheat for 3-5 minutes. Place the steak with the fat cap down into the dry, hot pan. This process will render out fat from the fat cap, which you will then use to cook the rest of the steak. You will need about 1-2 minutes of cooking on the fat cap to render out the fat – this process will also make the fat cap taste better, giving it a nice crust. You might need to hold the steak upright with tongs while you are doing this.

Once the fat cap has released some fat into the pan, cook each face of the steak. Again, about 1-2 minutes per side on high heat. Test internal temp at this time. If your steak is not at your desired internal temp yet, leave the steak in the pan to rest, covered, for 5 minutes and temp again.

No need to rest this steak when cooking with this process – just cut and serve.

Reverse Sear: Traeger

Total cook time: 40-50 mins

Preheat Traeger to 225ºF

Remove steak from refrigerator, take out of bag, place into Traeger and close.

Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the temperature is 10 degrees less than your desired final temperature. For example, if you like your steak at 125ºF, take the internal temp in the Traeger to 115ºF.

Remove steak from Traeger and increase heat to the maximum – this is 450ºF or 500ºF depending on your model. Let the Traeger preheat for 10 minutes. Place the steak back into the Traeger for 5-7 minutes, turning once to ensure both sides are mnicely crusted. Test internal temp at this time. If your steak is not at your desired internal temp yet, keep it in until it is.

No need to rest this steak when cooking with this process – just cut and serve.

Wood Fire or Charcoal

Total cook time: 50 mins

Build a coal bed – either by burning down wood or with charcoal. Once you have an even, medium-hot wood fire source, remove steak from refrigerator, take out of bag. If you have the time and the foresight, you can let the steak come to room temperature in advance – this will reduce overall cooking time.

Place the steak fat-cap down onto the grill and cook 5 minutes, flip it onto the other side (so, the bones are facing the fire) and cook another 5 minutes. This process of cooking the steak standing up will help achieve a consistent cook across the whole steak and it’s worth the extra effort!

Move your grill or coals to maintain that medium-high heat and place the face of the steak on the grill – so, the flat side facing the fire. Cook 15 minutes on each side, keeping an eye on it so it does not burn. Start temping your steak once you’ve turned it the second time. If you’re not at the desired temp by the end of the 30 minutes of cooking each side, stand it up on the fat cap and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Let rest for 10 mins before cutting and serving.

Stove Top

Total cook time: 40 -50 mins

Heat a cart iron griddle or enamel pan on your stove top to high heat with no fat in it.

Place the steak fat-cap down onto the pan and cook 5 minutes. This will render out fat for cooking the rest of the steak and will help cook the steak evenly throughout.

Reduce heat to medium and lay the steak down on its face in the pan. Cook each face 8-10 minutes, keeping an eye on it that it does not burn. If it’s browning too much, reduce heat further.

After you have turned the steak to the second side, start checking the temperature every couple mins or so. Unless you like your steak super rare, you will need to finish the cooking with a low and slow final cook on the stove top (some people do this by putting the steak in the oven, it’s also easy to do on the stove top. Turn the heat as low as possible and cover the pan. Cook 3 mins and check temp – unless you’ve already hit your desired internal temperature - turn the steak over and continue with the covered low-heat cook on the steak until you’ve reached desired temperature.

Let rest for 10 mins before cutting and serving.

Gas Grill

Total cook time: 20 -25 mins

Heat the grill to 400-450ºF.

Place the into the grill, cover and cook 6 minutes each side.

Reduce heat to 300ºF and and cook an additional 10-15 minutes, checking the temperature regularly to ensure you reach your desired internal temperature. It’s very easy to overcook these steaks on a gas grill – check that temperature every minute or two.

Let rest for 10 mins before cutting and serving.

Referencer- Steak Internal Temperatures

Steak Doneness	Internal Temperature	Center Color
Rare	120-130 ºF	Red
Medium Rare	130-135ºF	Pink
Medium	135-145ºF	Some Pink
Well	145-155ºF	Sliver of light pink