How to Smoke a Steak

How to smoke a steak so it’s medium or well done on the inside with an amazing dry rub on the outside. Great ready for the ultimate beef dinner tonight. 

Smoked Steak

With any cuts of meat you’ll love the bold flavors. Choose a T-bone, Filet Mignon or other type of smoked steak at grocery stores or your local butcher. We usually have a lot on hand since we buy half a cow at the beginning of every year.

Of course I love a filet over any other but financially that isn’t always what I can afford. You can make an otherwise okay steak into something amazing when you put it into your Traeger though. You must give this a try.

Can you smoke a steak in a smoker?

You can use whatever type you like, yes. I do enjoy using pieces that have some fat in them so it gets a great flavor to it and stays really nice and moist. Another personal preference is no bone, it is just easier to eat when done, I’m hangry and I want to just dig in.

• Yes! We will show you how.
• It’s one of the easiest and best meats to smoke ever.

We started our smoking meats journey with our electric smoker, and now own a pellet smoker / grill too.

Choose good cuts of meat is tip number one. The next is to print out our what temperature to cook steak chart so you can remove it once it’s perfect for you!

Traeger Steak

We got our filets from ButcherBox (you can get free bacon + $15 off your order here). It’s a great way to have quality meats delivered right to your door and they’re great! 

The other steaks came from a cow we bought actually. 😉 So, it’s organic and grass fed right here in Idaho. The best kind. We have smoked New York strip and rib eyes and they’re wonderful too.

What kind of beef can you smoke?

The best types are those with a higher fat content like brisket, otherwise they can get dried out.

• Done for a shorter amount of time though + a great rub all steaks can come out delicious. Even smoked pork steaks!

What spices go well with steak?

We will share 2 different steak dry rub recipes with you so you can choose.

• When we made smoked filet mignon I had my husband put a very basic salt and pepper rub on them.

How to smoke a steak with dry rub

First add wood chips or pellets into your smoker. We used mesquite, it creates delicious flavors. Now, preheat your smoker to 250 and rub seasonings on your steaks on both sides. Then, place them inside and let them soak up the smoky flavor.

But stay close! It won’t take an hour of smoking unless your cuts are REALLY thick. Typically 45 minutes is plenty of time.

For the T bone pieces I wanted a bit of sweetness and less pepper. We share that recipe below in the printable recipe card. You can use either depending on your preference.

How long do you leave dry rub on a steak?

• How much rub you put on a steak depends on your tastebuds. We put a generous helping on both sides prior to laying them on the grill grates.
• I like BOLD flavors so this and the smoke creates a steak you’ll be raving about for a long time.

How long does it take to cook a steak at 250 degrees?

It depends on how well done or rare you want it.

• We found that with the thickness of ours 30 minutes was perfect for medium.
• 45 minutes was just right for medium well. You can see the inside of both cuts above in photos.
• Medium rare would be less than 30 min but we haven’t done that. Use instant read thermometer at the end.

You could set it at a lower temp for slow smoking for longer if you wanted.

What is the best way to reheat steak?

For best results let it reach room temperature. Place on a cooling rack on top a baking sheet. Bake in oven at 300 F for 30 minutes flipping after 15 min. Brush with olive oil a bit to keep it moist. Enjoy once warmed.

Smoked Steaks

We of course have a lot of other easy smoker recipes you will love but a few of our favorites are below. What is something you MUST make on your Traeger or electric smoker during the summertime?

• Smoked hamburgers and this best grilled steak recipe are great for the summertime.
• Try smoking bacon in the morning for an out of this world taste.
  • we used this inside our meatloaf recipe with cheese and OH MY.
• Easter ham is great with hickory pellets.
• Smoke pulled beef sometime and serve it on little buns as fun sliders!

Throw some smoked corn on the cob on the grill while you’re at it too! Make sure you use a food thermometer to ensure internal temperature is at least 125 degrees, that would be rare.

I typically use my meat smoking chart for reference. That is where I got the optimal temperature, everyone likes their protein a particular “doneness” so check often. Remember meat will increase in temp 2-3 degrees when resting too.