Smoked Ribeye Steak

Nothing is better than a perfectly cooked ribeye! This cut of meat has an amazing balance of flavor and texture, making it the king of all steaks. Figuring out how to combine two loves, smoking meat and eating steak, has been an obsession of ours for a while. Turns out our smoked ribeye steak recipe is the perfect marriage.

If you’ve been grilling steaks for a while and you’ve been longing for that smoky flavor you get from hours in smoke, you will want to try our recipe for smoked ribeye. It’s precisely what you want.

While it is slower than the grill or skillet, the ribeye is really fast for smoked meat, finishing in 25-30 minutes. And it doesn’t need a babysitter. Put it in the smoker and leave it alone.

The extra wait (as short as it is) is definitely worth it. Cooking the meat low and slow gives all that beautiful marbling time to break down and infuse the meat with juicy flavor and tenderness.

🥩What Is Ribeye?

Ribeye steaks are small cuts taken from the longissimus dorsal muscle located near the spine of the cow, in the rib primal cut. It comes from the same part of the cow as prime rib, but the latter always includes a bone and is cooked like a roast.

Ribeye delivers intense flavor and a wonderful texture when cooked correctly.

You can find it boneless or bone-in and both versions will taste amazing. Of course, boneless rib eye will cook faster, so take that into account when you make a choice.

Here are some comparison guides that highlight the differences between ribeye and other common beef cuts:

• Filet Mignon vs. Ribeye
• New York Strib vs Ribeye
• Porterhouse vs. Ribeye
• Ribeye vs. Sirloin
• Prime Rib vs Ribeye

Ingredients

Ribeye Steak – If you can afford it, get the prime ribeye. It’s the best for flavor, marbling, and all things yummy. Use boneless or bone-in ribeye, either will work. At the very least, you need to get a Choice ribeye. For more information, check out the different grades of beef.

Steak Seasoning. We chose this classic McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning you can find in any grocery store.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

• Smoker. We enjoy using the Big Green Egg, but any smoker will work.
• BBQ Tongs. To flip your steaks.
• Meat Thermometer. An Instant Read Thermometer makes testing meat fast and easy so that you get the perfect finish.
• Smoking Wood. We used cherry wood this time which is sweet and mild. You can definitely try other types of wood. Feel free to consult our free printable Smoking Wood Chart for a larger array of options.

🔥 Instructions

Step One: Season your steak with your favorite seasoning blend.

Step Two: Set your meat out on the counter to get it to room temperature. While it is relaxing on the counter out of reach of animals, get your smoker heated up and ready, heating it at 225°F to 250°F.

Step Three: Add the smoking wood to the smoker and place the steaks on the grates. Let them to smoke until the internal temperature reaches 110°F.

Step Four: If you want a reverse sear, now is the time to move it to a hot cast iron pan or grill set on high heat for the finish. If, instead, you just want to let it finish in the smoker, that works too.

Step Five: Cook your steaks until they reach the internal temperature coinciding with your finish of choice.

Here is a rough guide to doneness:

• Medium rare: 130°F
• Medium: 135-145°F
• Medium well: 145°F to 155°F
• Well done: over 155°F

Step Six: Let your steaks rest while you bring everything else to the table and call your people to come and eat. Do not skip this step as it will allow the juices inside the steak to redistribute.

❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks

Steak responds well to various types of smoking wood. We used cherry this time, but have used apple, almond, oak, or cherry in the past. Pick your favorite or use what you have on hand. Pecan, hickory, and mesquite are also options but carry a stronger flavor.

If you have some time on your hands, dry brine the meat. Simply apply the seasoning and allow the steaks to rest in the fridge for 2-4 hours before smoking.

Don’t forget that your meat will continue to rise in temperature as much as 5-10º after it is removed from the heat. The hotter your meat when it comes off the grill, the more it will continue cooking off the heat. Remove your steak early to avoid overcooking it.

When you pull the steak off the smoker or skillet to rest, be sure to cover it with foil while you finish up getting the rest of your meal to the table.

🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating

Leftover ribeye can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for three to five days. If you don’t think you will use it up in that time frame, move it to the freezer, where it will keep for up to six months.

You can reheat ribeye quickly in a hot skillet on the stovetop. When it is cooked to medium rare or medium to begin with, it will still taste great reheated and work perfectly for different applications.

🌶️Additions and Substitutions

While I don’t think I will ever get tired of eating ribeye, you can vary this recipe simply by changing up the seasoning blend you use. Simple salt and pepper is always great like we do with the Perfect Tomahawk Steak.

The BBQ rub you use, doesn’t have to be store-bought either. Our all-purpose dry rub for grilling, this homemade dry rub for ribs, and this brisket dry rub recipe all work flawlessly for smoked ribeye steak too!

Or feel free to mix and match classic dry rub ingredients such as salt, black pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ground mustard, and herbs to create your own dry rub recipe.

Other flavoring options include adding sauteed onions or finishing it with a pat of butter (plain or flavored with fresh herbs).

It’s also a good idea to make a beautiful sauce such as this homemade chimichurri to serve on the side. It’s a flavored mixture of Italian parsley, fresh oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and sea salt that will come together in minutes!

Sometimes, we just add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Other times, we go all out with fancy seasoning or we make Bourbon Barrel Smoked Cranberry Sauce to drizzle.

🍴Serving Suggestions

Ribeye goes well with so many BBQ sides!

Serve it up with a classic steak side like smashed potatoes, grilled corn on the cob in the husk, smoked potato salad, grilled baked beans, smoked mac and cheese, or a simple fruit salad. Add a crusty French bread or soft biscuit with butter.

It’s also very convenient to smoke a side dish while your ribeye steaks are in the smoker. Smoked sweet potatoes, smoked baked potatoes, smoked asparagus bundles, and smoked cauliflower pair nicely with steak and will smoke at the same time.

Serve your steaks with some BBQ sauce and I guarantee it will be a welcome addition. Try our honey sriracha BBQ sauce, whiskey BBQ sauce, or smoked pumpkin Bourbon BBQ sauce if you’re looking for some simple homemade options.

🍳Other Ways To Cook A Ribeye Steak

Don’t have a grill or a smoker? That’s OK! There are other ways to cook a ribeye steak and as long as you pay attention to the internal temperature of the meat it will have the perfect texture.

Stovetop

As long as you have a stove and a cast iron skillet or another heavy-based frying pan, you’re good to go.

• Season the steak and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to come up to room temperature.
• Add a few tablespoons of cooking oil to the skillet and preheat it on high heat.
• When it’s sizzling hot, add your steaks.
• Flip the steaks every 30 seconds to 1 minute so they get a nice sear.
• Remove once the internal temperature of the meat reaches your preferred degree of doneness. It will take about 4 minutes for rare, 5-6 minutes for medium, and 8-10 minutes for well-done but my personal recommendation is to use a digital meat thermometer for the most accurate results.

Stovetop To Oven

Your steak will turn out great if you sear it first. This is super easy and has never failed me.

• Season the steak and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Preheat your cast iron skillet or another type of oven-proof pan on the stove, using high heat.
• Sear the ribeye steaks on the stovetop for 2 minutes per side.
• Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and cook until the steaks reach your desired doneness.
• Allow the steaks to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Oven To Stovetop

You also have the option of cooking the steak in the oven and finishing it on the stovetop.

• Prep the steak the same way you would for cooking on the stove, grill, or smoker.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Let the steak roast in the oven until its internal temp is 10 degrees below your target temperature.
• Finish it off in a hot pan, on high heat, until it gets a nice crust on both sides. This method is known as a reverse sear.
• Let the meat rest for 10 minutes and enjoy!

♨️More Ribeye Recipes

We are huge fans of this rich-tasting steak and there are so many wonderful ways to cook it!

The grill will help you enjoy your juicy steak faster and it’s perfect when you’re in a rush to put food on the table. Try our herb butter grilled rib eye steak, reverse seared grilled ribeye, and grilled ribeye cap steaks to add variety to your BBQ cookouts.

❓ Recipe FAQ

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