Now that you’ve uncovered the beauty of smoking steaks, you must know how long to cook them at 250°F if you’re going to make them at home.
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Should I Sear My Steak Before or After Smoking?
To sear or not to sear before or after smoking depends on your preference. If you sear the steak before smoking it, it will seal in moisture.
Reverse searing involves cooking steaks at a low temperature. Next, the steak is seared at a high temperature to give it a rich, crisp crust. If you reverse sear the steak, it will have a juicy inside and a beautiful dark crust.
Tips for Smoking Steaks
Purchase thick steaks. Porterhouse, T-Bone, sirloin, Ribeye, and Tomahawk steaks are best for smoking. These steaks are thick. They will not dry out during the long smoking process.
Choose steaks that have a healthy amount of marbling. Marbling is the white flecks of intramuscular fat running throughout the steak. The marbling will melt as the steak cooks giving it a juicy texture. In contrast, don’t go overboard and buy steaks with excessive marbling. Choose steaks that have a good meat-to-fat ratio.
There should be no fat pockets around the perimeter of the steak. The steak should also be trimmed well.
If your steak is less than 2 inches thick, marinate it. You can marinate 1 1/2-inch thick steak overnight for best results.
Marinating the stick will add moisture and prevent it from overcooking as it smokes.
Let your steak sit at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes before you smoke it. Letting the steak come to room temperature helps it smoke more evenly.
The longer the steaks cook, the more they will dry out. So, check the steak’s temperature periodically.
Season the steaks before you smoke them and after you remove them from the smoker. This will give the steaks the perfect balance of flavor.
Let your steaks rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before you slice them. The juice will be evaporated from the steak if you cut into it the minute it comes off the smoker instead of staying in the meat. So wait 15 minutes before carving and serving them.
Lastly, Always slice the steak against the grain. Slicing it against the grain creates a tender bite. Slicing the steak with the grain creates a chewy bite.
How Long to Smoke a Steak at 250
At 250°F, the steak will take 30-45 minutes per pound. However, the smoking time depends on the steak’s size, thickness, and degree of doneness.
Generally, steaks are almost always cooked to medium rare (130°F-140°F). However, steaks can also be smoked to rare( 120°F-125°F), medium (135°F-145°F), medium-well (145°F-155°F), and well done (165+). Since the degree of doneness is the most important thing, you will want to pay attention to the cooking time, not the smoking time.
How Long to Smoke a 1 1/2 Pound Steak at 250
It takes 30 minutes to smoke a 1-pound steak. Therefore, it will take about 45 minutes to smoke a 1 1/2-pound steak at 250°F.
How Long to Smoke a 3 1/2 Pound Tomahawk Steak at 250
3 1/2 pounds is a lot of tomahawk steak. It will take 1 hour and 45 minutes to smoke a 3 1/2-pound tomahawk steak. However, make sure you monitor the steak’s internal temperature. This will help you cook it to your desired degree of doneness.
How Long To Smoke A Ribeye At 250
The average ribeye steak weighs about 8 ounces to a pound. Therefore it will take 30-40 minutes to smoke at 225°F.
How Long To Smoke A Porterhouse Steak At 250
Porterhouse steaks can range from 10 ounces to 30 ounces. A 10 oz. Porterhouse steak will take 30 minutes to cook.
A 16-ounce porterhouse stick will take about 45 minutes to smoke. A 30-ounce of porterhouse steak will take 1 hour and 15 minutes to smoke.
Do You Flip Steak When Smoking?
Whether or not to flip your steak depends on your smoker. For example, if you have a pellet smoker, you may need to flip your steak.
Typically, the firebox is positioned in the center of the pellet smoker. Therefore it’s best to flip the steaks to ensure they cook evenly.
In contrast, if the firebox is on the same side you smoke the steaks on, you do not need to smoke the steaks.
If you are smoking steak in an offset smoker, you do not need to smoke them. The fire is not positioned directly beneath the meat, so heat circulates evenly.
How To Smoke A Steak In An Electric Smoker At 250
Set up your electric smoker and let it preheat to 250°F. Season your steak with salt and pepper.
You can dry brine the steak 24 hours before you smoke it.
Place the steaks into your electric smoker. Cook the steaks for 30 minutes per pound until they reach your desired doneness. Remove the steaks from the smoker and let them rest for 15 minutes before slicing them.
How to Smoke a Steak at 250 Using a Grill
Since we are using the grill as a smoker, soak your wood chips for at least 10 minutes.
Damp wood chips help produce more smoke. They also decrease the chances of a flare-up occurring.
Place the wood chips into a sheet of foil and cover it up to make a foil packet.
Poke a few holes in the foil packet to allow smoke to escape. Place the foil packet directly on top of your grill’s burner.
Next, turn on half of your grill’s burners and let it preheat to 250°F. Do not turn on the remaining burners.
Add the steaks to the cool side of the grill and let them cook for 30 minutes per pound.
During the last few minutes of smoking time, put the steaks on the hot side of your grill. Cook the steaks for 1-2 minutes per side until they are seared.
Remove the smoked steaks from the grill and let them cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how long to smoke steaks at 250°F; you can smoke your steaks to perfection.
I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.