Smoked Sirloin Steak on a Traeger or Any Pellet Grill

Cooking sirloin steak on a Traeger, or on any pellet grill, works best as a reverse sear. Smoke the steak at 225 degrees until the center is 10 to 15 degrees below your target, then sear it over high heat for a minute or two per side. The low stage gives you a gentle smoke flavor and even doneness from edge to center, and the hot finish gives you the crust.

Traeger is one brand of pellet grill, and nothing here depends on it. Any pellet grill that holds 225 degrees will do. Thick steaks work best: at 1 1/2 inches or more, the steak spends long enough in the smoke to pick up its flavor before it is done.

At a glance: serves 4. Prep 10 minutes, cook about 1 1/2 hours including heating the grill twice, rest 5 minutes.

Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, was comparing gas and charcoal grills when he said:

“I like the control of gas, the control of the temperature, the control of the heat.”

Gray Shipley

He was not talking about pellet grills, and this is not a method he described. But control is the reason a pellet grill suits a thick steak. You set it to 225 degrees and it holds there, which lets you bring the steak up slowly and predictably before the sear.

Ingredients

• 2 top sirloin steaks, 14 to 16 ounces each, as thick as you can get
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional, for a skillet sear)

Instructions

1. Pat the steaks dry and season both sides with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. If you have time, do this up to a day ahead and refrigerate the steaks uncovered on a rack.
2. Fill the hopper with hardwood pellets, such as oak, hickory or a blend, and heat the pellet grill to 225 degrees with the lid closed, following the maker's start-up instructions.
3. Put the steaks on the grate and, if you have one, push a probe thermometer into the side of one steak to the center. Close the lid.
4. Smoke until the center reads 10 to 15 degrees below your target. To finish at 145 degrees F, take them out at 130 to 135 degrees F. A 1 1/2-inch steak usually takes about 1 hour, sometimes longer; a 1-inch steak about 40 minutes. Go by the thermometer, not the clock.
5. Move the steaks to a plate and tent them loosely with foil. Turn the pellet grill to its highest setting and let it heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat instead.
6. Brush the steaks lightly with the oil, or add the oil to the hot skillet. Sear for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until well browned, adding the butter to the skillet for the last minute if you are using one. Check that the center has reached your target. USDA FSIS sets 145 degrees F with a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for beef steaks.
7. Rest the steaks for 5 minutes, then slice across the grain and serve.

Add 2 top sirloin steaks to cart

Why a reverse sear suits a pellet grill

A pellet grill is at its most useful at low temperatures, where it holds a steady heat and gives the most smoke. Many pellet grills do not get as hot at the grate as a gas or charcoal grill, which is why a cast-iron skillet is often the better tool for the sear. The low stage also dries the surface of the steak, so it browns quickly when it meets the heat, and the brief rest while the grill heats up for the sear does no harm. The method itself is set out step by step in How to Reverse-Sear Steak.

Cooking a top sirloin steak low and slow: what to expect

Top sirloin is lean and beefy, with less fat than a ribeye, so it takes smoke well but does not need hours of it. The aim is not barbecue tenderness. It is a steak cooked evenly from edge to edge, with a gentle smoke flavor and a dark crust. Do not leave it at 225 until it reaches your final number, because the sear will push it past. And do not bother smoking a thin steak: under an inch, it reaches temperature before it picks up much smoke, and a hot grill or a skillet is the better choice. For cuts that do want hours in the smoker, see Best Beef Cuts for Smoking.

Timing depends on the steak's thickness, how cold it was at the start, the weather and the grill. That is why a probe thermometer that stays in the steak is so useful here: you can watch the number climb without opening the lid.

Which pellets to use

Oak and hickory are the classic woods for beef, with hickory the stronger of the two. Fruit woods such as cherry are milder and add a little color. A blend works well and is easy to find. Whatever you use, keep the pellets dry, since damp pellets burn poorly and can jam the auger.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for beef steaks. Many cooks finish sirloin at 130 to 135 degrees F for medium rare, which means taking it out of the smoke at about 115 to 120. That is below the FSIS figure, and the choice is yours. Check the temperature again with an instant-read thermometer after the sear. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.