I love a good steak, and one of my favorites is a New York Strip. In this post, I'll tell you everything you need to know to prepare smoked New York Strip steak.
Table of Contents
What is the New York Strip Steak?
The New York strip is cut from the beef short loin. It has a more intense flavor than filet mignon, and it's not quite as tender. People love it because of how it bites, and the New York Strip tends to have more marbling than other cuts because of where it's located, adding additional flavor.
I get Wagyu Grade New York Strips, but you can easily get these at your local butcher too. If you want to give Wagyu a try - it's some of the best-tasting beef you can buy.
How to Cook a New York Strip
There are a few different ways to cook a New York strip. One of the more popular methods is to cook it hot and fast on the grill. That is certainly a good method, but I'd like to introduce a better way to you, the reverse sear. This is what I do to make smoked New York Strip Steak
Reverse searing a steak is my favorite way to smoke a steak. Following this method produces a tender bite, with some amazing smoky flavor. It takes a little longer than the traditional hot and fast method many are so familiar with, but I promise you, it's worth it!
What You Need to make Smoked New York Strip Steak
There are just a few things you need to really knock this cook out of the park.
- Kosher Salt - I like to season my steaks liberally with kosher salt about 30 minutes before they hit the smoker.
- Leave in temperature probe - One of the keys to a perfectly cooked new york strip is cooking to temp, not to time. Using a good leave-in temperature probe during the cook like a Thermoworks Smoke helps you stay on top of the temp with incredible accuracy.
- Instant Read Thermometer - After smoking the steak you'll be searing it. During this time you'll be checking the temperature and pulling when it reaches 5 degrees below your desired doneness. Utilizing a great meat thermometer like the Thermapen One helps you spot check the temperature of your steak while it's getting a good sear.
How to Smoke a New York Strip Steak
Earlier I mentioned salting the steak. This is an important step to make sure your New York Steak has the ultimate flavor. 30 minutes prior to putting the steak on your smoker liberally salt both sides. Place the steak on a plate and put it in your refrigerator until it's time to smoke.
Set up your smoker to smoke at 180 degrees. I like pecan or oak wood with beef. When the smoker is up to temp dust both sides of your steak with a good beef rub, and then place the steaks on your grill.
Insert your Thermoworks Smoke in one of the steaks to monitor the temp, and set an alarm to go off when the steak reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees. If you don't have a Smoke plan on the steaks smoking for at least 45 minutes. The 45-minute mark is when I would make my first check-in if I didn't have a Smoke.
When the internal temperature of the New York Strips hit 120 pull them from your smoker. You have a few options at this point. If you can get your smoker up to a high temp adjust it and do so. Alternatively, you can place a cast-iron skillet on your stove over high heat. Be warned that if you do this method you could get the house a little smoky - open the windows and turn on that stove fan. Don't ask me how I know... If I'm searing the steaks on the smoker I place the cast iron skillet on the grill grates.
When the cast iron is HOT, drop a tablespoon of oil in the skillet - vegetable, grape seed, or avocado oil all work well here. Let the steaks sear for about 2 minutes and then flip them. Let them sear for an additional two minutes and then check the temp with your Thermapen. I like some pink in my steaks, and pull them when the internal temp hits 130 degrees.
Let the steaks rest for about 10 minutes with a pat of butter on top before serving.
This is hands down my favorite way to make smoked New York strip steak. I hope you give this method a try and let me know what you think!
Smoked New York Strip Steak
Ingredients
- 2 16 ounce New York Strip Steaks
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp BBQ Rub
- 1 Tbsp Grape Seed Oil
- 2 Tbsp Butter
Instructions
- Liberally salt both sides of the steaks 30 minutes prior to placing in the smoker
- Rub the steaks with your favorite bbq rub
- Smoke the steaks at 180 degrees until the internal temperature hits 120 degrees.
- Sear the steaks over high heat in a cast-iron skillet with oil. Pull from the skillet when the internal temperature hits 130 degrees.
- Place a pat of butter on each steak and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Jeremiah says
Just used this method today and it came out so amazing. Can't chips in an electric smoker and seared on the stove in a cast iron pan. One of the best steaks I've ever had!
Jeremiah says
Pecan*
????
Marge says
OMG this was delicious!
Alex says
Waaaaaaay too salty. Rubbing with kosher salt and not rinsing afterward is a big mistake unless you fancy the country ham at Waffle House. Otherwise this is a very good process, need to just dial in how to brine without turning it into a salt lick.
Chris Riley says
You never would want to rinse a steak before cooking it, if your preference is no salt then just don't add salt. This method itself will not be too salty, if anything, it's a little low. The main purpose of the salt before hand is to draw out moisture. I need to adjust the recipe as I don't feel 30 minutes is enough, it should be a minimum of 40 minutes(up to overnight) so the meat has time to reabsorb the salt.
Gavin says
Have to agree. Way to salty. I couldn't decide to rinse them or wipe them off. Needless to say they were inedible and very dissapointed.
Sean says
Your other run must have had more salt in it. Gotta make sure of that and if it does, skip the kosher salt part.
James says
Did you use a rub and did it also have salt in it? If you do the separate kosher salt, make sure you use a rub with no salt— or you end up with double salt jeopardy.
Jess Thomas says
This was absolutely delicious!!!
Ken Sheppard says
OMG! I like to think I am good with a BBQ. I just did these on my Smoker and they were like HEAVEN and better than I have ever had!! So good and done perfectly!
Thank you! KS
Paul H says
Worked out quite nice!
I used a higher temp for the smoking process, between 230-250 degrees F, with an offset charcoal tray and a basic kettle charcoal grill. Ended up using about a Tbsp of salt per steak about 30 mins ahead, then dusted with one of my pork rubs just before throwing them on.
Used a probe in the smaller of two 1.5-2 inch NY Strips. Pulled them off when it read 125 (~40 mins) per your instructions and seared them in a cast iron on the same grill about 10 minutes later.
Thanks for the great write-up.
Rick Gutierrez says
I use a reverse sear process like this and it is IMHO the absolute best way to cook a steak hands down. I don’t use a rub, though that would be good also, instead, I marinade. It’s just my preference. I think it tenderizes the meat so you end up with a steak you can cut with a butter knife or the edge of your fork even. My marinade has Montreal steak seasoning in it but I make my own so I don’t have salt in there for the marinade. You can look up the recipe for that mix.
Here is the marinade recipe I use in case anyone is interested:
Steak marinade
Ingredients for 2-2.5# of steak
* ½ cup olive oil
* ⅓ cup soy sauce
* ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
* ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
* 3 tablespoons dried basil
* 1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 1/2 tablespoons of onion powder
* 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley flakes
* 1 tbs of Montreal steak seasoning
* 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic (Optional)
* ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Optional)
Enjoy!