Smoked Traeger Ribeye
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Grilling a ribeye steak is great – but smoking your ribeye on the Traeger doesn’t take much more time than in a cast iron skillet and gives you so much more flavor!!! Smoked Traeger ribeye is a delicious way to enhance those natural beef flavors and you still have a tender and perfect steak!
What You Will Love About Smoking a Ribeye in your Traeger
Ribeye is my absolute favorite cut of meat – it’s juicy and meaty and the most tender cut – and yes a little fatty! It’s almost hard to screw up a ribeye – it’s a very forgiving cut and is easy to cook.
I’ve cooked a ribeye many different ways – normally at a higher temp and get it done quickly (only 3-4 minutes per side) – but I wanted to smoke it and get a more flavor than a gas grill can give you. And it worked! VICTORY!
If you’re not a fan of the fattiness of a ribeye, try a New York Strip – just as tasty but a leaner cut of meat.
Ingredients for the perfectly smoked ribeye
This is simple – truly – a good ribeye is delicious on it’s own with NOTHING – so you only need a little seasoning to enhance the flavor.
- 2 bone-in ribeyes
- 1/4 cup steak seasoning – use whatever you dry rub have and what you like – but this is my favorite recipe – you could even just use a little minced garlic, kosher salt & black pepper
I’ll also share my favorite “sauce” to put on a ribeye – Worcestershire Sauce! Just a dash and you will not regret it!!!
How to Make a Ribeye on the Traeger
Traeger Grills are so simple to use!!! Turn it on and go – no watching the grill for flare-up.
We’re going to smoke at 225º and then turn the Traeger up to maximum heat for a short time so we get that perfect crust on our ribeye!
- Remove your ribeyes from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
- While steaks are sitting out, season with steak seasoning on both sides and let steak rest.
- Turn your Traeger onto the Smoke setting and open the lid. Once the smoke dissipates, shut the lid and set the temp to 225º.
- Place your steaks on the grill grate and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 120º degrees, about 45 minutes. (Use an instant read meat thermometer)
- Remove the steaks and set aside. Increase the temperature to 450º (that is as high heat as my Traeger will go). Preheat for 10-15 minutes with the lid closed.
- When the temp has reached 450º, return the steaks to the grill and cook until desired doneness (130 degrees for medium-rare), approximately 6 minutes (3 minutes on each side).
- Remove steaks from grill and rest for 5-10 minutes so the juices will absorb back into the steak.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve with Worcestershire sauce and enjoy the perfection!!
20 Must-Have Traeger Accessories
I absolutely love my Traeger Pellet Grill and you can pretty much use it right out of the box! But over the years I’ve definitely found that there are some Traeger smoker accessories that make everything a lot easier!
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
For this method, it took about an hour. I usually smoke at 225º – so that’s where we left the ribeye and then finished with a higher temp at the end to get a bit of a crust on the steak.
This took 45 minutes to come up to 120º internal temperature – smoking at 225º. I then bumped up the temp to 450º to finish at a higher temp for a sear on the outside.
You don’t need to – unless you love those grill marks. I did turn the steak when I bumped up the temperature. I try and leave the meat alone when the lid is shut – let it cook!
There are many flavors of wood pellets that work in your Traeger pellet grill. I keep it simple and always use the Traeger Signature Blend pellets which are a blend of Maple and Cherry. That said if you’re looking for something specific when smoking beef – the best choices are Hickory, Mesquite, Oak and Pecan. Beef has a strong flavor – so you want to use strong flavored pellets.
My friend Nick introduced me to the wonderment of a smoke tube! It’s a metal tube with holes – fill that tube with Traeger pellets and then light it with a butane lighter. Once the pellets catch fire – let them get started – then blow the flames out. Set them in the grill and shut the lid. The smoke flavor is all those tubes will leave behind!
Store leftovers in airtight containers and refrigerate up to a week – or freeze up to three months. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes.
What to serve with Smoked Ribeyes
Here are some great side dishes and the Traeger ones work in the same time frame as the steak!
- Smoked Asparagus
- Grilled Corn on the Cob (put on when you turn the temp up)
- Traeger Grilled Vegetables
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
More Steak Recipes
More Traeger Beef Recipes
Traeger Smoked Ribeye
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in ribeyes
- 1/4 cup steak seasoning
Instructions
- Remove your ribeyes from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.2 bone-in ribeyes
- While steaks are sitting out, season with steak seasoning on both sides and let steak rest.1/4 cup steak seasoning
- Turn your Traeger onto the Smoke setting and open the lid. Once the smoke dissipates, shut the lid and set the temp to 225º.
- Place your steaks on the grill grate and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 120º degrees, about 45 minutes. (Use an instant read meat thermometer)
- Remove the steaks and set aside. Increase the temperature to 450º (that is as high heat as my Traeger will go). Preheat for 10-15 minutes with the lid closed.
- When the temp has reached 450º, return the steaks to the grill and cook until desired doneness (130 degrees for medium-rare), approximately 6 minutes (3 minutes on each side).
- Remove steaks from grill and rest for 5-10 minutes so the juices will absorb back into the steak.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve with Worcestershire sauce and enjoy the perfection!!
