Smoked Steak

Why settle for the regular grilled steak when you make a flavorful smoked steak? Follow this easy guide and recipe; soon, you will be smoking steaks on a pellet grill.

smoked steak and fresh parsley on a wood board


Best Smoked Steak Recipe

This is a smoked steak recipe, so let’s examine why you should want to smoke a steak. Smoking meat has long been a popular cooking method and comes with several benefits:

  • Tenderizing – Smoking meat low and slow breaks down collagen and makes the meat more tender. 
  • Flavor – If you are wondering what a smoked steak tastes like, smoking imparts a unique flavor. Smoking melts fat, which combines with tenderized meat for a delicious eating experience. The flavor is also enhanced by the distinct aromas that smoking adds.

What is the best steak to smoke?

The best cuts of meat to smoke are brisket, chuck roast, flank steak, rib, round, rump, and top sirloin. Read more about how to smoke those beef cuts.

This smoked steak recipe uses porterhouse steaks. The porterhouse cut location is the large end of the short loin. It has a bone with tenderloin on one side and strip steak on the other side. The name Porterhouse originated from English pubs that served porter (a type of ale)

Smoked Steak vs Grilled Steak

The most significant difference between smoking and grilling is the cooking time involved.

Smoking is a long and slow process with constant temperature monitoring. It infuses steak with the smoke and gives it a delicious smoky flavor.

Grilling takes far less time, but smoking produces a tender and flavorful steak that’s nearly impossible to replicate. You will not retire your charcoal grill, or your gas grill if you enjoy steaks cooked by an open flame, but if you have very thick cuts of beef, this may be a method you want to try. Read more about the differences between smoked and grilled meat.

What Is a Pellet Smoker?

This smoked steak recipe uses a pellet smoker. Pellet grills or smokers have taken the barbecue world by storm because they make smoking easy and convenient. The primary reason is because of their excellent temperature control.

Traditional smokers tend to have wild temperature swings because the strength of the fire fluctuates as the wood burns. Wood pellet grills insulate and circulate heat more efficiently, and the temperature can be maintained throughout the entire smoking process.

One famous brand of pellet smokers is Traeger Pellet Smoker. For Traeger smoked steak, click on this link if you would like to find the best Traeger grill for your needs.

Smoked Steak Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Porterhouse Steaks
  • Salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • Butter
smoked steak ingredients

How to Smoke Steak

  1. Preheat your pellet smoker to 165°F.
  2. Let steaks come to room temperature.
  3. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides. 
two steaks seasoned with salt and pepper
  1. Place steaks in the smoker and close the lid.
seasoned steaks on a smoker rack
  1. Smoke the steaks for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 110°F.
  2. Increase the temperature of the smoker to 500°F (high heat).
  3. Let it smoke for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 135°F.
  4. Top with a pat of butter, and enjoy!
two smoked steaks on a baking sheet

Recipe Tips

How long it takes to smoke a steak depends on how you like it cooked and whether it is a thin or thick-cut steak. Letting the meat reach an internal temp of 135°F is considered medium rare. Medium would be 145 to 150 degrees. For rare, it would be about 125°F.  You should cook your steak to your personal desired level of doneness, raise the temperature of the steaks to the level of doneness you enjoy the most.

You can salt the steak before letting it come to room temperature, making it extra tender.

Use any seasoning you like, or even dress it with some BBQ sauce when it comes out of the smoker. 

Most pellet smokers come with an attached meat probe, which would be the ideal probe to use, if available.

What Type of Wood Pellets should you use to smoke steak?

Different types of pellets will flavor your meat differently, here are some of the most common wood pellets you can find. My personal preference is to use hickory wood pellets, I love the bold smoke flavor, and hickory works well with beef, pork, and chicken.

Wood Pellet TypeFlavor profile
HickoryIf you want a well-balanced smoke flavor that is milder than hickory or mesquite, this is for you.
MesquiteMesquite is typically associated with Texas barbeque. This gives off a bold flavor that has a touch of pine.
OakIf you want a well-balanced smoke flavor that is milder than hickory or mesquite this is for you.
PecanThis has a bold profile of smoke flavor reminiscent of the smokey flavor of bacon.
smoked steak, parsley, and a fork

What to Serve with Smoked Steak

These are great side dishes to go with a delicious smoky steak:

Check out more of my easy beef recipes and the best summer dinner recipes here on CopyKat!

smoked steak topped with butter and parsley

Pellet Grill Smoked Steak

Why settle for a regular grilled steak when you can enjoy a flavorful smoked steak? Get the easy recipe and find out how to make the best smoked steak for dinner. Smoking adds great flavor to porterhouse, T-bone, filet mignon, ribeye, sirloin, and NY strip steaks without marinade.
5 from 7 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Smoked Steak
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 1107kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 porterhouse steaks You can substitute your favorite cut of steak
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter unsalted is ok to use
  • 2 teaspoons parsley

Instructions

  • Allow your steaks to come to room temperature if not already there. You can salt the steaks before they reach room temperature, as this will make them extra tender.
  • Preheat your pellet smoker to 165 degrees. This usually takes around 15 minutes, depending on the smoker.
  • Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides.
  • Place steaks in the smoker and cook for about 45 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 110 degrees.)
  • Turn the smoker up to 500 degrees and let it smoke for another 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees (for medium-rare steak). See notes if you like your steak less or more cooked.
  • Top with a pat of butter and some parsley. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 1107kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 94g | Fat: 79g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 284mg | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 1406mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 9mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Comments

  1. Baltisraul

    5 stars
    If you are fortunate enough to have a smoker that can reach 500 degrees this sounds like a great recipe. If not, just do the first part of the recipe and remove steaks to a smok-in hot iron skillet with some Kosher salt sprinkled in the bottom of the skillet. Cook steaks 1 min per side. (you should see heat waves coming from the dry skillet) Test for desired doneness and if not to your liking, sear an addition 30 sec per side. Rest, covered for 3-4 min . Don’t forget the butter to top it off. I did 2 NY strip steaks last night, about 1 1/4 ” thick, and it was amazing.

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