Our Reverse-Seared Flat Iron Steak Recipe takes high-quality flat iron steaks and smokes them on a pellet grill before being seared at high heat on a gas griddle or in a cast iron pan on the stovetop, for the ultimate in steak crust. 

Reverse Seared Flat Iron Steak

We love beef, around here, and the Flat Iron is by far one of my favorite cuts. It is a tender, flavorful cut, and it isn’t usually quite as hard on the pocketbook as the fancier cuts like the ribeye or filet.

In this version, I am cooking a couple of Flat Irons that marinated overnight in Jeremiah’s Best Steak Marinade (recipe below)

You can skip the marinade and still use this method if you like a more traditional steak flavor, but the marinade is AMAZING so definitely try it out sometime!

More Easy Traeger Recipes here!

What is reverse searing?

This is a cooking method for meat that has you cook the meat with low heat for a long period of time before hitting it at the very end with a blast of heat on a flat surface, ideally, for a final sear. 

It is the opposite of the traditional method where you first season and sear the meat before turning the heat down and roasting until your intended final temp is set.

People like this method because it tends to cook the steak more evenly, and it is easier to get that nice pink center that people are after in a medium-rare steak. 

Get all of my BLACKSTONE RECIPES here!

What type of grill works best for this recipe?

In this recipe, I used a pellet grill for the smoked portion of the cook, and my Blackstone Griddle for the searing. 

We have a Traeger grill, Camp Chef Woodwind, ZGrills Pellet Grill, and Louisiana Vertical Pellet Smoker that have all been used when making a reverse seared steak successfully. Any pellet grill or smoker will work. 

If you don’t have a pellet grill or a smoker, you can still make this by cooking the steak on your gas or charcoal grill over indirect heat. Get some smoke in the mix by using a smoke tube.

You can even cook this in the oven if you’d like. Instead of smoking it at 200°, just roast it in your oven at the same temp.

Try with some Shrimp Brochettes!

Is Flat Iron steak tender?

It sure is! Flat iron steak is cut from the shoulder of the animal and is well-known for being tender and well-marbled. 

It is great for a variety of cooking methods, but my favorite is definitely this one. 

Make this with a Smoked Baked Potato!

Tips for cooking the perfect flat iron steak

Steak is one of the easiest things to cook, and cook well, but it also intimidates some people because it can be an expensive piece of meat to mess up. 

USE A GOOD THERMOMETER

The key to a GREAT steak is to know your temps. Before you get a “feel” for it, you should always utilize a GOOD thermometer. 

We use the Thermapen ONE around here, and I highly recommend them. They are not the least expensive thermometers out there, but they are too busy being amazing to try and be a budget device. 

This is a thermometer that will last and last, and is accurate, sturdy, and LOOKS great too. 

DON’T MESS WITH IT

The biggest mistake that people make with steak is to mess with it too much. You don’t want to flip it too much, squish it at ALL, or overseason it. 

That might seem ironic when this post contains a marinade recipe, but that’s a special case. Most of the time our steaks are shocking simple with just some salt and pepper and heat. 

LET IT REST

With steak, especially, you need to let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it. The more juices you see on the cutting board after it is cut, the less flavor and moisture the steak has. 

Letting a steak rest gives the juices time to redistribute themselves back through the meat so you’ll lose less of that when slicing. 

What else should you serve with flat iron?

When I have steak, I always want potatoes. My Smoked Loaded Bakers would be perfect for this.

If you are more into a rice kind of mood, try our Mushroom Risotto or the Wild Rice Pilaf. 

As far as starters, you can’t go wrong with my Greek Salad and Coconut Shrimp.