Intro

You cooked your steak to the perfect temperature, achieved a perfect sear, had a wonderful meal but now you have leftovers! 

We get asked a lot…… “Can you Reheat Steak without overcooking it or drying it out”?

“What's the tastiest, safest way to reheat them”?

How do you reheat steak back up without overcooking them?”

While the debate rages on how to reheat steak across online steak lover forums, we have some simple tips you can apply to bring your juicy steak back to life the following day but first, here are the keys to success.

 

 

 

Reheat Steak: 3 Key Factors For Success

In our experience with how to reheat leftover steak, the problem is not with your Tenderloin or Ribeye, nor is it your New Your Strip or Sirloin or much cheaper steaks,  but that it was reheated the wrong way.  

If you are going to reheat leftover steak, these key factors will determine the method and your ultimate success: 

• The thickness of the steak. Is it thick or sliced steak?
• Never use a high temperature to reheat leftover steak.
• Everything you do in reheating steak must ensure moisture is retained.

You can easily reheat steak without drying it out. With just a little bit of patience and the proper technique your steak can be every bit as juicy and delicious as it was fresh out of the skillet.

Reheat Steak Sous Vide Method

The single best way to reheat steak without overcooking it is to Sous Vide. If you are not already familiar with the sous vide method of cooking, it is a gentle technique of cooking that utilizes a plastic bag that vacuum-seals ingredients and is cooked in a water bath.

If you want to reheat your medium rare steak and keep it that way on day two, the Sous Vide method is by far the most reliable method where all moisture and juices are retained and is the perfect way to reheat sliced steak or thick cuts.

Reheat Steak Oven Method (With Aluminum Foil Pouch)

 

 

Ovens are a nice ‘slow and low’ way to cook but use dry moving air to cook so we combat the risk of dehydrating your steak with a very simple trick used by Chefs to reheat in the oven i.e. An Aluminum Foil Pouch. All you need is foil and olive oil.

• Remove leftover steak from the fridge and let sit to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 250 °F / 120 °C
• Brush Both sides of steak with olive oil.
• Fold foil over the steaks to create a pouch then place in the oven.
• Let steaks reheat for 15 to 20 minutes until internal temperature of 125 °F / 53 °C

This method is great to reheat thin sliced steak as the aluminum foil pouch locks in moisture.

Reheat Steak Oven and Reverse Sear. 

If you have a thick cut steak like a big expensive Filet Mignon and you’re not just happy with reheating a medium rare steak but also want to bring your sear back to life, then you will simply be doing a Reverse Sear method by following the steps above including the aluminum foil pouch.

Then allow to sit on a cooling wire rack for 5 minutes before finishing on a super-hot skillet.

This will ensure your leftover steak is still juicy, tender and makes the outside perfectly crispy again!

 

 

 

How to Reheat Steak in the Microwave – the right way!

Not the best method and a last resort for us but if you are crunched for time, reheating steak in a microwave can be done with a degree of success.  

Here are the ‘3 microwave musts’ to reheating in a microwave:

1. Use a deep microwave safe dish.
2. Add some moisture to the steak eg a few tablespoons of bone broth or meat juices from the pan or butter.
3. Reheat your steak in the microwave in increments of 30 seconds on a medium heat setting.

Reheat Steak in the Microwave using these 3 steps will help you reheat the steak without overcooking or drying out, however, in our experience, the microwave is best used to thaw meat safely.

Another handy way to gently reheat steak and preserve juciness is to use  Air Fryer.  We routinely make air fryer lamb chops and have found its also a great way to reheat chops so steak will be no different.

 

Reheating Different Cuts of Beef – Pan and Stovetop

 

 

How to reheat grilled steak cuts that are naturally thin? It can be tricky and the secret? – just add moisture! Take Flank Steak as an example.

It is a naturally thin piece of lean steak where heat can penetrate the center more easily.

• In this case we first season the steak with salt,
• Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of broth to a skillet and gently reheat to 130°F / 54°C to ensure no drying out and a juicy reheated steak. This also rings true for cooking grass-fed steaks and re-heating grass-fed steaks which are naturally leaner so you really need to add moisture.
• Finally, once target internal temperature of 130F has been reached, dont forget to let steak rest for 10 minutes before diving in.

On the other hand, a large cut like Chuck Roast or Picanha Roast can be reheated with a pan and stovetop to completely change it’s texture and flavor.

Just break off a piece of Chuck Roast, pull it apart with your fingers then onto a hot skillet with butter. Spread the pulled chuck out thinly on the skillet and fry till crisp. Just add salt. Amazing!

Consider Not Reheating It!

Most of our leftover steak recipes are the most foolproof of all – just eat it cold! Sliced thin with a sprinkle of Kosher salt, cold steak makes a superb topping to a salad, great in a sourdough sandwich or just with a few simple sides like cheese and pickles. Our favorite leftover steak recipe is not even a recipe: just steak and blue cheese. A match made in keto / carnivore diet heaven and without the worry of reheating steak, overcooking or loss of flavor.

Reheating Other Leftover Red Meat.

Follow the very same tips and suggetions in this article for reheating other ruminant meat leftover cuts and steaks from bison, elk, mutton, goat and lamb leftovers.

 

How to Reheat Steak: Recap

• Moisture is your friend and dry heat the enemy.
• Never reheat steak on a high heat, it will dry out and become tough.
• Reheat Sous Vide style is best and locks in moisture and tenderness. Sous Vide is Ideal to reheat rare steak also.
• Microwave will dry your steak in a flash without a deep dish, added moisture and reheat at 30 second intervals.
• Pan and Stovetop with Broth – great to reheat thin steaks.
• Pan and Stovetop with Butter – great to fry and crisp big beef cuts like Chuck Roast.