How to Reheat Steak in 3 Different Ways

I love that first mouthful of tender and freshly-prepared steak that is simply bursting with the flavorful goodness of meat.

In fact, to me, there’s no dish that can top a hearty helping of juicy steak with sweet yet tangy BBQ sauce and creamy mashed potatoes.

However, leftover or reheated steak is a different story altogether. If you don’t know how to reheat steak, the reheated slab of meat can end up becoming too rubbery, dry, and even flavorless – you definitely don’t want that to happen!

Read on if you want to learn the best ways to reheat steak so that it retains its juiciness and tenderness.

The methods to reheat steak that I have mentioned here will help you reheat cooked steak so that it tastes just as good as the day that you actually cooked it.

How to Reheat Steak

There are three simple ways in which you can reheat steak– in a microwave, in an oven, and on a stovetop.

Whichever method you choose to follow depends on your personal preference.

With that said, I prefer reheating it in an oven as that is the best way to end up with the juiciest reheated steak.

How to Reheat Steak in the Microwave

Although reheating steak in a microwave is not the ideal way to go about reheating it, it sure is the quickest way. So, if you’re in a time crunch, then there’s no better way than this.

Here’s how you can reheat steak in a microwave:

Things You Will Need

• Steak
• Steak sauce
• A microwave-safe dish

Instructions

1. Put the steak in a deep-bottomed microwave-safe dish.
2. Take the leftover steak juices and drizzle them over the steak.
3. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or a microwave-safe lid.
4. Microwave the steak on low to medium power in increments of 30 seconds until the steak is heated through.

Pro Tip: The steak juices help the leftover steak taste as good as new as they add some much-needed moisture to the dish to keep the reheated steak from drying out.

How to Reheat Steak in the Oven

Reheating steak in the oven is considerably more time consuming than the other methods.

However, if you want your steak to be tender, juicy, and teeming with flavor, then this is definitely the ideal way to go about reheating it.

So, here’s how you can reheat steak in an oven:

Things You Will Need

• A large skillet
• Steak
• A tablespoon of oil or butter
• A baking sheet
• A wire rack

Instructions

1. The first step is to preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Take a baking sheet and put a durable wire rack inside it.
3. Place the steak on top of the wire rack and put the baking sheet into your preheated oven.
4. Let the steak cook until its internal temperature reaches around 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It will take around 20 minutes.
5. While the steak is heating in the oven, heat up a skillet with a tiny amount of oil or butter over high heat.
6. Once the steak has heated up in the oven, remove it from the oven and put it directly into the heated skillet.
7. Let the steak sear on each side until it turns brown. This will take around 30 seconds for each side.

Pro Tip: Once the oil is hot enough on high heat, lower the heat before putting the steak in the skillet. This will help you avoid the risk of overheating the meat and drying it out. 

How to Reheat Steak on the stovetop

If you want your steak to have the same tenderness that it did the day it was cooked, then your best bet is to reheat it on the stovetop.

So, here’s how you can reheat steak on the stovetop:

Things You Will Need

• A pot of water
• A heavy-duty freezer bag
• A skillet
• A tablespoon of oil or butter

Instructions

1. Let the stored steak come to room temperature. This will take around 30 minutes outside of the fridge.
2. Heat up a pot of water on low heat (around 130 degrees Fahrenheit).
3. Put the steak in a heavy-duty freezer bag and seal it close.
4. Plunge the freezer bag into the water and make sure that the steak is not touching the edge of the pot.
5. Let the steak cook until it is warmed through. This will take around 5 minutes.
6. While the steak is warming up, put a tablespoon of oil or butter in a skillet and heat it up.
7. Once the steak has warmed, take it out of the bag and sear it on the warmed skillet. Searing it will help give the steak the ideal charred texture.
8. Let the reheated steak rest for a few minutes before serving it.

Pro Tip: When warming up the steak in a freezer bag, you can even add chopped-up veggies such as onions, carrots, or shallots, and even add some seasoning of your choice to give the meat some more flavor.

How to Store a Steak

For raw and unopened steak, make sure to store it in the fridge in its original packaging, until you’re ready to use it.

However, if there’s a gap in the packaging from where air can enter, make sure to replace the steak in an airtight glass container.

If you want to extend its life, place raw steak in your freezer. Make sure to overwrap the original packaging with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or freezer paper to prevent freezer burn.

If stored properly, raw steak will retain its quality and taste for around 6 to 12 months.

As for cooked steak, refrigerate it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly with a heavy-duty plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It will easily last for about 3 to 4 days in your fridge, if stored properly.

To extend its life even further, make sure to freeze cooked steak.

Put it in a freezer bag or an airtight container and place it in the freezer. If stored properly, it will retain its taste and quality for around 2 to 3 months.

How to Reheat Steak Without Drying It Out

The trick to ending up with juicy reheated steak instead of a dry slab of meat is to warm up the steak slowly rather than quickly reheating it on high flame.

In fact, the best way to reheat steak without drying it out is to slowly warm it up in the oven and then sear it in a skillet for a few minutes.

You can even use this method to cook your steak.

When reheating steak via this method, the steak retains its juiciness and also has a nice charred and crispy exterior.

Another good way of reheating steak so that it retains its juiciness is to reheat it with beef broth. All you really need for this method is steak, a nonstick pan, and some beef broth.

Just place the pan on medium flame and add a little beef broth to the pan. Allow the broth to heat up so that it starts simmering.

Place the steak into the pan and cook the meat for a few minutes and voila, you can devour juicy reheated steak.

The bottom line

I hope you enjoyed this guide on how to reheat steak. Make sure to try the three methods I’ve mentioned above to reheat leftover steak and eat it as is or add it to your freshly-prepared salads.

Additionally, take proper care to store your steak the right way and discard refrigerated cooked steak if you haven’t eaten it within 3 to 4 days of preparing it.