Published December 20, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This smoked New York Strip Roast recipe is reverse seared with pecan wood and lightly charred for a beautiful brown outside. The flavors in this roast are seriously mind-blowing, and it’s extremely easy to pull off.
Large cuts of meat can be costly, so when I buy and cook it, I want to ensure it’s spot-on and tasty beyond all belief. If you want foolproof, delicious results every time, you’ve got to try my chuck roast recipe or my tender pork shoulder roast, both are guaranteed to impress!
Smoked Strip Roast
Smoked strip roast is a large cut of beef from the short loin that is smoked to cook it to a certain temperature and infuse smoked flavors into a more delicious taste. I did the reverse sear cooking method to get extremely tender medium-rare beef while still getting a beautiful Maillard crust on the outside.
In addition, I dry-brined the steak, which is a process of seasoning it and then letting it rest uncovered in the fridge so that the salt and pepper could penetrate deeper into the steak. The process will also help dry out the roast’s outside so you can get a better brown crust. It is, quite frankly, the perfect large roast cooking method, especially if you’re looking to get a regulated internal doneness.
Every time I make this Smoked New York Strip Roast for a birthday party or a casual get-together, it steals the show. But the real game-changer? Drizzling it with fresh chimichurri. So good!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef – Any strip sirloin will work for this recipe. I prefer a pasture-raised New York strip roast because of its fat cap and marbling. You can also look into different grades, such as choice, prime, or Wagyu. Expect to pay $14 to $25 per pound.
- Seasonings – Only coarse salt and ground black pepper were used in the seasoning for the roast.
- Alternatives – Feel free to lather on a compound butter such as garlic butter or my homemade bone marrow butter. In addition, you can also rub it with my steak seasoning blend or my BBQ rub.
How to Smoke a New York Strip Roast
Trim the Roast: I carefully trim off excess fat from the top, bottom, and sides, making sure to remove any sinew, silver skin, or tough, stringy fat. However, I always leave about ½ inch of the fat cap on top.
Score the Fat Cap: I take my knife and gently score the fat cap on the top, going about an eighth to a max of one-quarter inch deep in both directions.
Truss the Roast: Next, I truss the beef roast using butcher’s twine.
Season: I place the roast over a sheet tray on a rack and generously season all sides with coarse salt and ground pepper.
Dry Brine the Roast: I put the roast on the rack in the fridge uncovered for 12 to 48 hours.
Let it sit: I remove the roast from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 25-30 minutes to take the chill off it.
Smoke the roast: In the meantime, I preheat the smoker to 225°. Place a thermometer from the top into the center of the roast and reverse sear it on the top rack in the smoker at 225° until it reaches 100° internally, which takes about 2 ½ hours.
Crank Up the Heat: Once the roast hits 100°F internally, I increase the smoker’s heat to 500°F for the final sear. I let it cook until it reaches 118° to 120°F for that perfect rare to medium-rare doneness, which takes about 25 minutes.
Let it rest: I remove the roast and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the Twine: I carefully cut off the butcher’s twine, making sure not to disturb the crust.
Slice & Serve: I carve the roast into thick, juicy slices and serve it up with a generous dollop of herb butter or a drizzle of bordelaise sauce.
Chef Tip + Notes
I highly recommend letting your roast dry brine as long as possible for maximum flavor. Dry brining allows the salt to deeply penetrate the meat, enhancing both flavor and tenderness. If you have the time, let it dry brine for a full 48 hours, you won’t regret it!
- Keep It Simple: I believe smoking large cuts of meat is all about time and simple seasoning – just salt, pepper, and smoke let the beef’s natural flavors shine.
- Maillard reaction: also known as the browning reaction, is an interaction between sugar and amino acids in the steak when heated to 285°and 350° over high heat, browning the meat to enhance the flavor and add more crispness. This is not the same as caramelizing.
- Best Woods for Smoking: My go-to smoking woods are alder, cherry, apple, oak, pecan, and hickory, each adding its own unique depth of flavor to the roast.
- Smoker Options: I used a pellet smoker, but this recipe works just as well on a charcoal grill, offset smoker, smoker pit, or even a digital smoker.
- Bone-In Works Too: This recipe isn’t just for boneless roasts—a bone-in roast smokes beautifully and adds even more richness and depth to the flavor.
- Adjusting Temperature: 250° is also an acceptable temperature to reverse sear the steak in the smoker.
- Thermometer Trick: If you stick a thermometer into the roast from the cut side, you will have a small thermometer in every slice you serve.
- Doneness Guide: For rare, remove the steak from the smoker at 115° to 120°; for medium, 125° to 130°; for medium-well, 135° to 140°; and well-done, 140° to 150°.
- Carryover Cooking: Remember, the roast will increase in temperature from 2 to 5 degrees as it rests covered in foil.
- Resting & Myoglobin: When the meat rests, the myoglobin, the protein responsible for making meat red, will rush back through the beef. I’m just telling you this because it may take a little while for this to occur. If you slice it and it looks medium to well-done, give it a few seconds, as the red and pink colors will come back through.
- Knife Choice Matters: I usually use a boning knife when fabricating any meat, it’s precise, sharp, and makes the job so much easier.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this Smoked New York Strip Roast alongside my garlicky butter glazed broccolini, a simple yet flavorful side my daughter absolutely adores.
If I’m in the mood for something a little sweeter, I pair it with my Hasselback butternut squash, where the caramelized slices and maple-sage glaze bring a delicious contrast to the smoky beef.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it rests.
How to Store: Store it on a platter covered in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 45 days and covered in plastic. Thaw it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or until it is thawed.
How to Reheat: While I never recommend reheating a hunk of beef, I realize you may be unable to eat it all at once. Slice the roast into desired portions and add it to a large sauté or roasting pan with about 1 cup of beef stock. Cover it in foil and cook in the oven at 400° for 12 to 15 minutes. Reheating your steak will 100% cause it to increase in internal temperature, most likely past medium and into medium-well.
More Roast Recipes
Smoked New York Strip Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 pound trimmed New York strip roast
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons ground pepper
Instructions
- Trim the roast from fat on the top, bottom, and sides. All sinew, silver skin, and stringy-like fat should be removed. However, I like keeping a ½” fat cap on the top.
- Using your knife, score the fat cap on the top, going about an eighth to a max of one-quarter inch deep in both directions
- Next, truss the beef roast using butcher’s twine.
- Place the roast on a rack over a sheet tray and generously season all sides with coarse salt and ground pepper.
- Put the roast on the rack in the fridge uncovered for 12 to 48 hours.
- Remove the roast from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 25-30 minutes to take the chill off it.
- In the meantime, preheat the smoker to 225°.
- Place a thermometer from the top into the center of the roast and reverse sear it on the top rack in the smoker at 225° until it reaches 100° internally, which takes about 2 ½ hours.
- Once it hits that temperature turn the smoker heat up to 500°.
- Cook it until it reaches 118° to 120° for rare to medium-rare, which takes about 25 minutes.
- Remove the roast and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes. Cut off the butcher's twine. Slice and serve the roast.
Notes
- Keep It Simple: I believe smoking large cuts of meat is all about time and simple seasoning – just salt, pepper, and smoke let the beef’s natural flavors shine.
- Maillard reaction: also known as the browning reaction, is an interaction between sugar and amino acids in the steak when heated to 285°and 350° over high heat, browning the meat to enhance the flavor and add more crispness. This is not the same as caramelizing.
- Best Woods for Smoking: My go-to smoking woods are alder, cherry, apple, oak, pecan, and hickory, each adding its own unique depth of flavor to the roast.
- Smoker Options: I used a pellet smoker, but this recipe works just as well on a charcoal grill, offset smoker, smoker pit, or even a digital smoker.
- Bone-In Works Too: This recipe isn’t just for boneless roasts—a bone-in roast smokes beautifully and adds even more richness and depth to the flavor.
- Adjusting Temperature: 250° is also an acceptable temperature to reverse sear the steak in the smoker.
- Thermometer Trick: If you stick a thermometer into the roast from the cut side, you will have a small thermometer in every slice you serve.
- Doneness Guide: For rare, remove the steak from the smoker at 115° to 120°; for medium, 125° to 130°; for medium-well, 135° to 140°; and well-done, 140° to 150°.
- Carryover Cooking: Remember, the roast will increase in temperature from 2 to 5 degrees as it rests covered in foil.
- Resting & Myoglobin: When the meat rests, the myoglobin, the protein responsible for making meat red, will rush back through the beef. I’m just telling you this because it may take a little while for this to occur. If you slice it and it looks medium to well-done, give it a few seconds, as the red and pink colors will come back through.
- Knife Choice Matters: I usually use a boning knife when fabricating any meat, it’s precise, sharp, and makes the job so much easier.
Has anybody tried this on a rotisserie instead? I dry aged a prime rib roast for Christmas (12 days salted peppered and wrapped in cheese cloth bottom drawer no humidity) and it was out of this world. Now I have a Kamado Joe smoker and pecan groves all around so that wood is easy to come by.