Thread by @csswizardry

You WILL need a cast iron pan[1], a quick-read meat thermometer, and a high smoke point cooking oil[2]. Do not attempt this until you have all of these items. It will not work and you will be disappointed.

1. Cast iron can be heated up to crazy-high temps, and holds/spreads heat well. Mine was dirt cheap and I absolutely adore it. nisbets.co.uk/vogue-round-ca…
2. Do NOT attempt this with olive oil. It will burn before you can even get started. Avocado oil, beef fat, or clarified butter.

Making your own clarified butter is easy. Slowly melt butter in a heavy pan; discard the white bits that sink and keep the clear liquid. Done.

Understandably, you want high quality meat. Ribeye is perfect for the reverse sear. Lots of fat to render and stacks of flavour. Ribeye or nothing. The best steak I ever cooked was bone-in ribeye but it was £28 for the cut. This cut was £10.

Wait! What even is a reverse sear anyway?! To cook steak, you normally have to stick it in a super-hot pan long enough that the centre warms up. On thicker cuts, this takes a long time and ultimately overcooks the outer.

With the reverse sear, you BAKE the meat at a low temperature first, this cooks it through, but then smash it in a scary-hot pan last to char the very outside. Evenly cooked inner; crispy delicious outer.

You may notice the surface of the steak is a little… sweaty. Wrap it in kitchen towel and leave for like an hour or so. It also wants to get up to room temperature.

Preheat an oven to 150°C.

Now you season it. Cover it in good quality salt and pepper. Cover. It. As much as you think is enough, and then double it.

Place the steak on a preheated wire rack like so, and into the oven it goes. A piece this thick takes about 20 minutes at 150°C, so set your timer for 15 minutes. Better safe than sorry.

At the same time, put your cast iron, empty, on the bottom shelf to begin warming.

You’re looking for about 45°C internal. Always err on the side of caution—check early and often. At this point the steak looks really unappetising. It’s meant to. You just baked it! Leave it to rest for about 10–15 minutes.

Another benefit of the reverse sear is that you rest the meat halfway through, rather than at the end, so by the time it hits your plate later it’s still hot!

Leave your cast iron in the oven and crank it up to like 250°C.

After the meat has rested, carefully take your cast iron out of the oven, place it on your hottest ring/burner, and add your oil. You need to get this pan so hot that you’re honestly scared to go near. I’m serious. Fling open all the windows and crank up your fans.

Bam! Stick that steak in there! This moment should be smokey and scary. I cannot overstate the importance of heat here. However hot your pan is, it probably needs to be hotter.

Resist the temptation to move and flip the meat. Let it really, really char (Maillard Reaction). Once it’s started to crust, it will release itself from the pan with ease. After a minute or two, flip it.

Ohhhhhh wow! It’s happening! At this point I’m afraid it’s time to use your judgement. A couple of minutes each side is a good place to start, but I don’t have the numbers. Err on the side of caution, but don’t panic. It’s a big piece of meat so you have lots of margin.

Alright! At this point, for the last minute or so, I like to add a knob of butter just to baste the steak a little. Adding garlic and rosemary along with the butter is also a great idea, but today, just butter.

She’s ready. It doesn’t need to stand at all at this point. It’s good to go.

Pre-slicing steak is a pretty contentious topic. It looks pretty but, naturally, it will cool faster. Entirely up to you. I like it, but I am showing off the inside right now.

Served up with some crispy kale and some blue cheese sauce (left to the side—never cover your steak in sauce!). Oooooh wee. Enjoy!

Any questions at all, just ask. I take my steak very seriously 😋