Like most other Americans, I love a great steak grilled to perfection. But once I also prepare a tasty side salad and some delicious baked potatoes, I can’t always finish off my entire sirloin or rib-eye in one sitting. So into the fridge it goes, ready and waiting for me to reheat leftover steak and enjoy that thick, juicy cut of meat another day.
If you’ve tried to reheat leftover steak before, though, you’re aware of what a beast it is to warm while preserving that same taste and texture you enjoyed the first time.
Well, I decided it was finally time to stop settling for sub-par steak reheated in the microwave and test out all the methods I could manage in a single afternoon.
What We Used & How We Prepared It
Although I would have loved to try these reheating recipes out with a cut of grass-fed beef from Butcher Box, I needed enough steak to try out several methods and make a few mistakes. So I just purchased a large sirloin steak from my local grocery store and prepared it using Alton Brown’s pan-seared steak recipe (with a slight change in the time to account for my cut of meat and desired doneness).
After I enjoyed some of the steak the first time around, I wrapped the leftovers in aluminum foil and stored it in my fridge for approximately 48 hours. Then, one afternoon, I got busy trying out all of the reheating methods you’re about to read below.
Oven Reheating
Best For: Maintaining Flavor
Total Time Required: 20-30 minutes
If you want your leftover steak to maintain a warm pink center and hold all of its flavor, you should definitely try out this oven reheating method! I know 20 minutes seems like an eternity when you’re just reheating leftovers, but trust me, this is well worth the wait.
How to Reheat Steak in the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place steak in an oven-safe dish or on a cookie sheet
- Once the oven is preheated, put your steak into the oven and heat for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, carefully flip the steak and repeat Step 3.
- After 20 minutes, check to verify that your steak is warm. If not, continue heating in 5 minute intervals.
- Once your steak is warm throughout, remove from the oven and enjoy!
Don’t Do This!
- Don’t cheat the system by setting your oven to a higher temperature — it will dry out the meat and overcook it.
- Don’t forget to flip the steak halfway through. This ensures your meat heats evenly.
End Result
I honestly couldn’t believe how great this steak tasted after spending 20 minutes in the oven. Not only did it maintain a pink center, but it didn’t taste like leftovers at all. I enjoyed this piece of meat more than all of the other reheating methods by far, and I used the oven time to unload my dishwasher — win-win!
Stove Top Reheating
Best For: Small Amounts of Steak
Total Time Required: 7-10 minutes
Maybe you’re impatient. Maybe you have something else warming up in the oven. Either way, if you don’t want to reheat your steak in the oven, you can test out one of these two stove top methods! For both of them, I used a non-stick frying pan to make cleanup easier. However, if you prefer cast iron, you can do that — just take the difference into consideration when adding olive oil or choosing a heat setting.
I found lots of variations of stove top reheating online, but out of all the suggested methods, these two versions worked the best. They both follow the same basic directions; one just uses olive oil whereas the other calls for beef broth. The broth changed the flavor of the steak slightly, but the olive oil changed the texture. It just depends on what you think sounds the best.
How to Reheat Leftover Steak on the Stove Top (Version 1)
- Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan and warm over medium-low heat.
- Once the pan seems warm, carefully add your steak and cover.
- Allow steak to cook for 2-4 minutes (depending on thickness), then carefully flip.
- Repeat Step 3 with the other side of the steak.
- Once warmed on both sides, remove from the pan and enjoy!
Don’t Do This!
- Don’t overpour on the olive oil! You’ll end up with a very greasy piece of meat.
- Don’t crank the heat up too high — it will dry out the meat and overcook it.
- Don’t let the steak sit on one side for too long unless you want blackened sirloin!
End Result
Although this method cooked the steak a bit more than the oven method, it still provided a nice piece of meat with decent flavor. However, I think it’s worth noting that my sirloin was a fairly thin piece of beef, so results may vary for thicker cuts.
How to Reheat Leftover Steak on the Stove Top (Version 2)
- Place 2 tablespoons of beef broth in a small frying pan and warm over medium-low heat.
- Once the broth starts to simmer, carefully add your steak and cover.
- Allow steak to cook for 2-4 minutes (depending on thickness), then carefully flip.
- Repeat Step 3 with the other side of the steak.
- Once warmed on both sides, remove from the pan and enjoy!
Don’t Do This!
- Don’t crank the heat up too high — it will dry out the meat and overcook it.
- Don’t let the steak sit on one side for too long unless you want blackened sirloin!
End Result
As I mentioned above, the beef broth definitely transferred into the steak and somewhat changed the flavor. With that being said, it did keep the meat very moist, which helped prevent it from drying out or overcooking on the outside. I feel like this may work well for thick cuts since the broth will help buy you more cooking time.
Microwave Reheating
Best For: Quick Heating
Total Time Required: 2 minutes
Finally, if the stove top method isn’t quick enough or you just don’t have the resources available, there’s always the microwave! Although microwaving meat is hard to accomplish, these instructions help avoid some of the overcooking that frequently happens when you microwave leftovers.
How to Reheat Steak in the Microwave
- Place your steak on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel.
- Heat your steak in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds.
- Remove steak, flip, and recover.
- Repeat Step 2 with the other side of the steak.
- Repeat steps 2-4 again, (twice if needed) until steak appears warmed throughout.
- Once warmed throughout, remove from the microwave and enjoy!
Don’t Do This!
- Don’t microwave on full power! You’ll end up with tough steak that tastes terrible.
- Don’t skip the paper towel — it really does help prevent the steak from drying out.
- For the best even heating, don’t forget to flip as directed!
End Result
Obviously, no matter what magic you do, when you use a microwave to reheat leftover steak, it’s still microwaved steak. However, the paper towel definitely made a difference in the end result, as did the power setting and frequent flipping.
Reheating Methods We Didn’t Try (But Other Websites Recommend)
Although we tried several renditions of reheating, the internet is obviously full of new and different ideas. Here are a few reheating methods we decided to skip for various reasons.
Sous Vide-Style
I don’t personally own a Sous Vide, but a few websites recommended cooking or reheating the steak using one. If you want to try this method, the directions recommended that you top your leftover steak with some salted butter and let it sit out in a Ziplock bag for 30 minutes before reheating. Then you fill a stock pot with water, attach the Sous Vide, and heat the water to 130 degrees. Place the Ziplock bag in the pot (away from the edge) and cook for approximately 5-8 minutes until your beef is warmed all the way through.
Oven Roasting
I didn’t have a roasting pan either, but apparently some people swear by this method! Like the Sous Vide method, you’re supposed to let your steak rest until it reaches room temperature again and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil water, carefully place the boiling water into your roasting pan so that it gets near (but not over) the rack. Then place your steak on the rack, cover with a pan lid or aluminum foil, and place the roasting pan into the oven. Heat for 7-10 minutes, depending on the cut of meat, and supposedly it’s good to go!
Don’t Reheat It at All
If you’re just going to throw the leftover steak into a salad or slick it and make a sandwich, some websites suggested just eating it cold. This preserves the flavor and doesn’t cause the steak to become overdone, but it also means your steak is cold. Didn’t try it, but as long as your steak was cooked to a safe temperature the first time, it might be good?
What We Learned About Reheating Steak
Throughout this process, we learned this: Reheating steak is a tricky thing to do! If you’re up to the task, though, these methods all provided a decent cut of meat for our lunch of leftovers. Regardless of which method you choose, keep an eye on the steak so that it doesn’t overcook and turn tough.
Enjoy!