Reverse Seared Top Sirloin Filet with Smoked Butter

After all the years that I've been eating steak, it's my personal opinion that you don't need a giant ribeye or a perfectly cut filet mignon to have one of the best steaks of your life.

One of the best steaks that you can cook that flies a little bit under the radar is the top sirloin filet. They are absolutely fantastic and we're going to talk about that more, especially when they come from Omaha Steaks.

If you want a steak that eats like you're at a high-end steakhouse and goes overtime on flavor, keep reading below!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This cooking method is perfect if you want to have total control over the doneness of your steak and add huge flavor into every single bite of this tender top sirloin filet.

While the steak is absolutely amazing, it does have a little help from the smoked garlic and herb butter. This is not something to be missed and will end up in your steak rotation every single time, I guarantee it. The top sirloin filet from Omaha Steaks is leaner than most other steaks, but still very tender, which makes it perfect for a reverse sear. 

The process of the reverse sear is an important one because you smoke or bring the temperature of the steak up slowly to relax the meat, and that leaves it even more tender when you finish it off for that beautiful slice.

What is a Top Sirloin Filet?

The top sirloin filet from Omaha Steaks is a beautifully hand-carved piece of meat by their expert butchers. It's certified USDA tender, and they're aged for over 35 days for a tender, bold, and robust steak.

One of the things I love about the Top Sirloin Filet from Omaha Steaks is that it brings the huge beef flavor that I love without the price tag of a ribeye or a filet mignon.

It also brings an unexpected level of tenderness due to the premium meat selection and the aging process. Many people think that a sirloin has to be a tough or dry cut of steak. When you start with a quality piece of meat like the Omaha Steak's Top Sirloin Filet and cook it correctly, it's one of the best steaks you'll ever have.

Ingredients And Tools

Aside from the amazing taste of the high quality beef, you don't really need a huge grocery list of ingredients or an entire backyard full of tools to make this recipe work.

For example, if you don't have a smoker, you can do a reverse sear in the oven. You can even drop a couple drops of liquid smoke into your herb butter to bring out that flavor.  Caution though, a couple drops goes a long way. Don't overdo it.

You can use whatever seasoning you like best on the steak. I prefer to stick to kosher salt and coarse black pepper to really bring out the sirloin flavor. Then, of course, you've got the smoked herb butter with rosemary, thyme, crushed garlic, and the melted butter.

From a tools standpoint, all you really need to be effective is a good cast iron skillet or heavy-duty pan and a meat thermometer, in addition to your heat source.

How To Make Smoked Top Sirloin Filet

As mentioned previously, this recipe uses the reverse sear steak cooking method, which means we slowly bring the temp up, letting the steak fibers relax as they cook slowly. Then we finish it off on the high heat skillet for that beautiful crust and sear.

Prep

Preheat your smoker to 225°F and with oak or your preferred cooking wood. As for the steaks, make sure to keep the seasoning even on the top and bottom, and don't forget about the sides. Pro tip for the sides, season your board, then roll the steak onto it.

Once the steak is seasoned, now it's time to prepare your smoked herb butter. Grab a small pan or cast iron, put in your butter, smashed garlic cloves, rosemary, and thyme, and then place into the preheated smoker.

Smoke

I like oak-flavored smoke because it's fairly mellow yet adds a classic flavor that I really like. You can feel free to use whatever you want. Leave the steaks on the smoker until you get an internal temperature of about 105F. This is the place that I like to eat my steaks for that finish that ends up between medium-rare to medium once you've done the searing on the cast iron.

One of the beauties of this cook is your control over the doneness of the steak when it's finished. For example, if you want more of a medium-well finish on it, cook the steaks in the smoker to about 125 before you sear.

Once your steaks have had about 15 or 20 minutes to absorb the salt and pepper into the meat, place them directly onto the smoker grates next to the pan of herb butter that you've got on there smoking and melting at the same time.

While the steak is in the smoker it's time to get ready for the sear, preheat your cast iron skillet. Use a little avocado oil (or your favorite high-heat oil) to put down as an initial non-stick barrier for the steak.

Sear

When the steak hits 105F degrees, remove it from the smoker. One word of caution here is to keep an eye on the temperature of the steak, don't guess. We never cook to time, as cooking times will vary based on a number of different factors, and that’s a really easy way to ruin a good steak.

Place the steaks flat down on the skillet, ensuring that the most amount of contact is happening. Press down with your hand or even a steak press to ensure a good sear. Let the steak sear for about 90 seconds, then flip over. Pour on the melted smoked herb butter. Brush a little bit more on with your rosemary or thyme, if desired. Then place the herbs and garlic in the pan to cook with the steak.

Serve

Let the steaks rest for about 10 minutes under foil before slicing. This allows the juices to stay where they are supposed to be inside the meat instead of spilling all over the cutting board, leaving you with a dry steak after the fact.

If desired, spoon a little more of the smoked butter over the steak after slicing, or add a pinch of kosher salt on top of the sliced steak to bring out the additional flavor.

Serving Tips And Variations

The beauty of the Omaha Steak's Top Sirloin Filet is that it can stand on its own as the centerpiece of any meal. It doesn't matter if you're serving steakhouse sides or just some quick steamed broccoli or a white salad to go along with it. This steak is one you're going to love and will be cooking on repeat.

A quick word of caution and a warning not to overdo it. Avoid any thick or heavy creamy type sauces with this steak. Trust me, the smoked herb butter is all you're going to want with this.

Pro Tips And Recipe Notes

For best flavor, don't overdo the smoke on your steak. You don't want a thick gray or dark heavy smoke going on there. You'd only want a thin light blue looking smoke.

In theory, you can cook the smoker portion at whatever temperature you like. The rule of thumb, though, is the lower the temperature and the longer that it takes to get up to temp, the more tender your steak is going to be.

For the sear portion of the cook, make sure you're not heating your skillet above the smoke point of the oil that you use. Typically, an avocado oil will have a smoke point of around 450 degrees, which being just under that, will perfectly sear your steak.

Wrapping Up

This recipe goes to show that you don't need an entire pantry full of spices and ingredients to make an outstanding meal. Simply start with a great cut of meat, like the top sirloin filet from Omaha Steaks, a little salt, pepper, butter, a couple herbs, and you're ready to produce the best meal you've ever had.

If you're looking for a recipe to elevate your steak game, I suggest giving this one a try. While you're at it, grab the top sirloin filets from Omaha Steaks and check out all of their other options as well.