Have ever seen the big Bone in Ribeye at the butcher counter and wondered how can I cook it? It is easier than you think. Best of all you get a dino rib as a bonus.
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Reverse Sear Steak
The answer I have found to cooking this thick “Cowboy Cut” Angus ribeye is to reverse sear the steak. It is ideal for this. If you cook more than one, you can vary the level of doneness for each much easier. Now while I was at it, I thought why not smoke this cowboy ribeye as well?
This Angus ribeye cowboy cut is a meal for one very hungry cowboy. For us, it was for me and my daughters. I used a huck of maple wood soaked overnight to add sweetness to the low-temperature smoke. Reverse searing a steak is just simply cooking it at a lower temperature than when you grill it. You just wait until the ribeye reaches your level of doneness, rest it, and put the steak back on the grill to sear it. Since it has already rested, you can serve it immediately.
I did two reverse sear steaks a few weeks ago. I’ll be honest, I didn’t trust the thermometer and went past medium rare. They still turned out great. So today is redemption. Karina found a beautiful Angus ribeye at the grocery. It is a time like this I love my job!
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Ingredients
The star of the show is the Angus bone in ribeye. Our seasoning is going to bring a bit of sweetness and tang with the lemon pepper. The mustard is actually going to tenderize the steak even more.
- 2 ¼ pounds Angus, bone in ribeye (cowboy cut)
- Brown sugar
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Lemon Pepper
- Paprika
- Ground mustard
Head down to the recipe card for quantities and instructions.
How to Reverse Sear a Steak
I have come to really enjoy this method of cooking a thick steak. You only need to wait for your desired internal temperature and then rest. I cook at 225 – 250 degrees F. for the first part of the reverse sear, depending on the meat. The rest works perfectly to allow the BBQ coals to heat up for the sear. Head down to the recipe card for detailed step-by-step instructions and ingredient amounts.
1. Preparing Bone in Ribeye – Mix all the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Unpack the steak and coat with the seasoning, then place it in the refrigerator.
2. Cooking – After 4 hours or longer in the fridge, prepare the BBQ for indirect cooking. Bring the cowboy cut steak out to the BBQ. Place the bone in ribeye, bone down, on the griddle/pan, and cook for approximately 1 hour.
3. Rest – Pull the Angus steak once it reaches 115 degrees F. (medium rare) and rest. Set up the BBQ for direct cooking.
4. Sear – It is just 2 minutes on each side. My cowboy cut ribeye was indicating 128 degrees F. when I pulled it. You can cut right into it. If you’re HUNGRY enjoy it by yourself. I shared it with my 2 daughters.
Substitutions
I enjoy using this method for thicker cuts of meat.
- Porterhouse– Depending on the thickness you may be able to put them on their sides. If not, arrange them on a pan during the low and slow.
- Filet Mignon – You got to give this a go. Especially with the addition of your favorite smoking wood.
- Tomahawk – Check that it is going to fit in your BBQ. More importantly, it needs to be towards the middle for the best indirect heat.
Variations
The great thing about reverse searing a bone in ribeye is the variations you can do.
- Seasoning/Rub– Go classic with just salt and pepper, your favorite rub, or give our seasoning from the Smoked Chicken Thighs a try. It has a nice zip from the Cayenne pepper.
- Griddle/Pan– You can surely use a griddle/pan instead of the BBQ grate for the sear, maybe use some butter too…
- No Smoke – Of course, if you are not a fan of smoking wood just omit that.
Remember the ribeye is going to continue to cook as you rest it. I find it raises around 10 degrees F. So, for my preferred medium-rare, I pulled it at 115 degrees F.
Equipment
For this cook, I used an 18-inch Kamado-Style BBQ. You will need a remote meat thermometer. A griddle/pan to place the Angus bone in ribeye on. Optional, butcher’s twine, I find it helps the steak keep its shape while cooking.
Storage / Leftovers / Rewarm
- Storage: You can store it in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days.
- Use the leftovers in our Quesadillas or Street Tacos and of course, you can leave some meat on the bone and enjoy the dino rib a few days later.
- Rewarm: I like using the air fryer for this at 330 degrees F. for around 4 -5 minutes, depending on how big the piece is. If you are rewarming the rib, I find putting the bone down helps to keep the meat more tender.
FAQ
Yes. I have done it for around 8 hours.
Yes. You will be doing it, the “Old-School” method. This Angus bone in ribeye was 2 ¼ pounds and it was 115 degrees F. after an hour. You will have to rely on the feel of the steak or a regular meat thermometer to find your level of doneness.
Great question, I have found by changing the initial cooking temperature gives me more options on how the meat will turn out. I go lower with smoke to increase the aromatics from the wood. I have also found it can increase the tenderness as well. Additionally, the lower temperature can help, if you are concerned about the tenderness of the cut of meat you are reverse searing. The higher temperature is great to pick the pace up or maybe you want to develop a crust around a larger cut of meat sooner.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Side dish with steak
Okay, you are going to want a side dish with this ribeye. Here are a few ideas:
Wasn’t that fun? What did you think about your big dino bone?
Now you need to give our Smoked Pork Butt a try.
Bone in Ribeye
Equipment
- 8-inch Kamado-Style BBQ
- Remote meat thermometer
- Griddle/pan
- Butcher's twine (Optional)
- Maple wood (Optional)
- BBQ spatula
- BBQ tongs
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ pounds Angus, bone in ribeye (Cowboy cut)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
Instructions
Preparing Bone in Ribeye
- In a bowl, place the brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, Lemon Pepper, Paprika, and ground mustard mix until combined.
- Unpack the bone in ribeye cowboy cut and place it on a tray.
- (Optional) Tie the steak with the butcher's twine. I find that doing this with a thick cut helps for a more even cook and keeps the ribeye's shape. Having that nice even shape makes the searing easier as well.
- Coat the Angus ribeye with the seasoning and place it in the refrigerator. We did ours for 4 hours.
Cooking
- After 4 hours or longer, prepare the BBQ for indirect cooking at 250 degrees F.NOTE: If smoking I like to soak the wood overnight. once the BBQ is stable at the temperature I add the smoking wood.
- Oil the cast iron griddle/pan and place it in the BBQ while it is preheating.
- Bring the cowboy cut steak out to the BBQ and insert a remote meat thermometer.
- Place the bone in ribeye, bone down, on the griddle. Close the BBQ lid and cook for approximately 1 hour. Your time may vary by the size of your steak(s).
Rest
- Pull the Angus bone in ribeye once it reaches 115 degrees F. and rest for 10 minutes.NOTE: If you did not get the internal temperature you wanted but you are close, you can still rest the steak. A trick I have found that works is to use a lower temperature, 350 degrees F., for the sear. Just go longer on each side. 3 minutes, should increase a rare to medium rare.
- Set up the BBQ for direct cooking. I find that the resting gives the BBQ plenty of time to get up to 450 degrees F. The fire box should have a good even layer of burning coal across it.
Sear
- Time to sear. It is just 2 minutes on each side. I left the remote thermometer in to ensure a perfect medium rare. My cowboy cut ribeye was indicating 128 degrees when I pulled it.
- Remove the bone in ribeye and serve. Okay, you can enjoy it yourself if you are really HUNGRY.
- Sharing the cowboy cut: I cut the bone off with a good bit of meat still on it and divided the rest for my 2 daughters to have.
Notes
Food safety
You will be working with raw beef and may need to do some trimming, so please be careful. Take all the standard precautions, like washing your hands and avoiding cross-contamination. We prefer our steak medium-rare. If this is not your preferred doneness, just increase the temperature to your preference. As always USDA has more food safety information if you need it.
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