Looking to really take your next grilled steak over the top?  If so, you'll love this recipe for a reverse seared strip steak with bacon and blue cheese butter!

It all begins with 16-ounce bone-in strip steaks that are drizzled with olive oil before seasoning them all over with a very simple dry rub mixture.  While normally I would cook the steaks hot-and-fast over a roaring fire, I wanted to really bring out the smoke flavor so I employed a method known as the reverse sear.  Instead of starting the steak out over high heat, it is slowly brought to temperature over indirect heat, thus allowing the smoke to really permeate the meat.  Once it nears the finish point (which for me is always medium-rare), it is then moved over the fire to give it a nice crust.

Now comes the real secret to an amazing steak -- compound butter filled with Maytag blue cheese and Omaha Steaks bacon.  Serve that along with a couple non-salad sides like a baked potato and a fire roasted tomato and suddenly you have a truly unforgettable dish. 

REVERSE SEARED STRIP STEAKS WITH BACON AND BLUE CHEESE BUTTER

Ingredients

2 (16oz.) bone-in strip steaks

½ tbsp. Kosher salt

2 tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. mustard powder

1 tbsp. olive oil

Bacon and blue cheese butter (recipe follows)

Instructions

Prepare grill for two-zone cooking, placing pre-heated charcoal briquets on one half of the bottom grate to create a hot and a cool cooking zone. 

As the grill comes to temperature, combine salt, smoked paprika, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and mustard powder in a small bowl and blend well. 

Coat steaks with olive oil then season liberally with the dry rub seasoning mixture.  Add 2-3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the ashed over charcoal briquettes. 

Once the wood starts smoking, place steaks on the cool side of the grill as far from the charcoal as possible.  Cover the grill and allow the steaks to smoke until they reach an internal temperature of 115 degrees.  Move steaks directly above the charcoal and sear them on both sides until they reach an internal temperature of 128 degrees for medium-rare.  Remove the steaks from the grill and allow them to rest for 5 minutes then top with bacon and blue cheese butter and serve immediately.

BACON AND BLUE CHEESE BUTTER

Ingredients

2 tbsp. lightly salted butter, room temperature

1 slice thick cut bacon, crisped and crumbled

1 oz. Maytag blue cheese crumbles

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and blend well.  Use immediately or cover and refrigerate.