Steak on a Pellet Grill
On July 17, 2023 (Updated July 24, 2023)
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One of my favorite ways to enjoy beef is by cooking steak on a pellet grill. The flavor of this steak is simply amazing, and you can change up the flavor by experimenting with different wood in your grill.
Steak on Pellet Grill
Cooking a steak on a pellet grill is, in my opinion, one of the tastiest ways to prepare a tasty backyard steak. After a decade of cooking steaks on every type of grill imaginable, I still love the flavor and ease of cooking the perfect steak on a pellet grill. You get just the right amount of smoke and a decent sear on the outside. I always finish them with a little bit of butter while they’re resting just to take them to another level.
Ingredients for Pellet Grill Steak
This recipe only requires 3 ingredients. Good steak doesn’t need a lot of added ingredients. The smoke from the pellet grill will impart a lot of amazing flavor to this steak, so we’re keeping it extremely simple today. Here’s what you need to make this steak.
- 2 12-16 ounce ribeye steaks
- 1 Tablespoon Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub (or equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
Beef Rub can be purchased from the Hey Grill Hey Store, and it’s available at many retailers across the U.S. If you don’t have any Beef Rub on hand, you can go as basic as seasoning your steak with salt and pepper.
How to Cook Steak on a Pellet Grill
Once you have your steak purchased and your seasoning and butter ready to go, it’s time to make a tasty steak. Here’s how to cook steak on a pellet grill.
- Preheat and season. Fire up the grill to 225 degrees F. I’ve found that a mix of oak and cherry is delicious when cooking steak on a pellet grill, but you can use your favorite wood. While the pellet grill preheats, season the steaks with Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub.
- Cook. Place the steaks on the grill and cook them until they reach an internal temperature 10 degrees lower than your target temperature. For information on temperatures for steak, check out my post on Internal Temperatures for Meat.
- Sear. Remove the steaks from the pellet grill and increase the temperature on your to High (around 400-450 degrees F). Return the steaks to the hot grill and sear for 2-3 minutes per side or until they reach your final target temperature.
- Rest and dig in. Remove the steaks from the grill, and top with a tablespoon of butter on each steak. Rest for 5-10 minutes then enjoy.
How Long to Cook Steak on a Pellet Grill
It takes just over an hour to cook steak on a pellet grill (if cooking the steak to medium rare). This includes 1 hour for the initial cooking followed by 4-6 minutes to sear the steak.
This time will vary depending on how done you prefer your steaks. Be sure to have a reliable instant-read meat thermometer handy to monitor the temperature of the meat while it is on the grill. A temperature will give you a more accurate gauge of doneness versus time alone.
Tips for Cooking Steak on a Pellet Grill
Here are some tips for cooking steaks on a pellet grill.
- Start with cold steaks. Cold meat attracts smoke better than warm meat. Where your grill is at a low temperature to start, you don’t have to worry about overcooking the outside of the steaks while the inside remains rare. The steaks will slowly rise in temperature and give you a perfect cook from edge to edge.
- Let your grill preheat before searing. Pellet grills are not the most renowned for their high heat-searing abilities, but there are a few workarounds:
- First, give your grill plenty of time to get hot after the first step of smoking the steaks.
- Second, know your hot spots and use them. Most pellet grills are hotter around the edges of the deflector plates. Use this to your advantage and do your searing on those spots of your grates.
- Finally, if this isn’t enough of a sear for you, look into buying some GrillGrates. They are made of high-heat conducting metal that gives you a hotter sear and pretty grill marks.
More BBQ Steak Recipes
Once you have this process for cooking steak on a pellet grill mastered, try out these other techniques to fully master grilling steak over any open flame.
Steak on Pellet Grill Recipe
Follow the recipe, and let’s make some really good food! If you loved this recipe, please leave it a 5-star review and sound off in the comments section below!
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Steak on Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 2 ribeye steaks 12-16 ounces each
- 1 Tablespoon Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your pellet smoker to 225 degrees F using your favorite hardwood. I like a mix of oak and cherry wood for beef.
- Season. Season your steaks with the Beef Rub or equal parts kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Make sure to press the seasonings into the meat with the flat of your hand as opposed to just sprinkling them on.
- Grill. Place the steaks on the pellet grill and close the lid. Cook the steaks at 225 until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 10 degrees lower than your target finished temperature (115 degrees F for rare, 125 for medium rare, 135 for medium, 145 for medium well, or 155 for well done). Use an internal thermometer to check the temperature. It will take approximately 1 hour for 1.5-inch thick steaks to hit 120 degrees (for medium rare steaks).
- Sear. Once your steaks reach their target temperature for the first cook, it is time for the sear. Remove the steaks from the grill to a cutting board, close the lid, and increase the temperature to High. Once heated, return the steaks to the hottest part of your grill. Leave the lid open and sear each side of your steak for approximately 2-3 minutes. Cook your steaks to the following temperature for your desired doneness:120 degrees F for rare, 130 for medium rare, 140 for medium, 150 for medium well, or 160 for well done.
- Rest and serve. Move the steaks to your serving platter and top with a tablespoon of butter on each. Rest the steaks for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hey grill hey never disappoints
My fav except I finish in a sear box.
Sounds great and I am excited to try it! Quick question – I have a pit boss and the temp is always a little (OK a lot) warmer directly over the fire pit than spots on the rest of the grill. Do you recommend putting the steaks over the covered fire pit or on the sides before I crank the heat, open the sliding door and sear the steaks at the end?