How to Reverse Sear Filet Mignon on the BPS Drum Smoker — Big Poppa's Juiciest Method
Big Poppa doesn't just cook filet mignon well — he can explain why his method is the juiciest. A study comparing three cooking techniques weighed meat before and after: oven at 325°F, sear-first then roast, and reverse sear. Reverse sear won. More weight retained means more moisture in the finished steak. On the BPS drum at 275°F with Little Louie's and Double Secret, these fillets smoke to 128°F, rest briefly, then sear with Double Secret butter for the finish. Simple, science-backed, and a get-in-my-belly moment every time.
The Science Behind Reverse Sear: Why It Produces the Juiciest Filet
When you sear first, the outer proteins contract immediately under intense heat and squeeze moisture toward the center. Then when the roasting phase brings the center up to temperature, that moisture cooks out. By the time you slice, you've lost more juice than you needed to. Reverse sear inverts the sequence: the low 275°F cook slowly brings the interior to temperature with proteins relaxing rather than contracting, preserving moisture throughout the steak. Then the sear creates the crust without having to also cook the center — it's already done. The result is more weight retained, more moisture per slice, and more flavour from edge to edge.
How do Little Louie's and Double Secret work together on filet?
Little Louie's is a seasoned salt with garlic pepper — higher salt content, so apply it like a salt rather than a heavy rub. It goes on first as the base. Double Secret Steak Rub goes on top for the pepper, citrus, and coarse sea salt that build the crust. Together they've won national steak cookoffs. Let both sweat into the meat until the surface is visibly shiny before it goes on the drum.
Full Recipe: Reverse Seared Filet Mignon on the BPS Drum
Ingredients:
- 2–4 filet mignon steaks (prime or choice)
- Big Poppa Smokers Little Louie's Seasoned Salt with Garlic Pepper
- Big Poppa Smokers Double Secret Steak Rub
- Double Secret butter (softened butter mixed with Double Secret Steak Rub)
- Season with Little Louie's and Double Secret. Apply Little Louie's as a base layer — use it like a salt, not a rub. Apply Double Secret on top. Let both sweat into the meat until the surface is shiny.
- Set up BPS drum at 275°F. Fire basket at the lower perimeter position for indirect heat. Place filets around the perimeter away from direct flame.
- Smoke to 128°F. Insert a probe. Flip at 12–15 minutes. Pull when internal temp reaches 128°F.
- Move to sear zone. Raise fire basket to the high sear position. Let the drum get to searing temperature.
- Sear with Double Secret butter. Sear filets on both sides. Add Double Secret butter in the final minute — let it melt and foam over the surface.
- Rest 5 minutes and serve. Rest on a plate, not a cutting board. Serve immediately after resting.
Frequently Asked Questions: Reverse Seared Filet Mignon
Cook at low temperature (275°F) first to approximately 80% of target doneness — about 128°F — then sear at high heat for the crust. The low-temp first cook retains more moisture than sear-first methods because the proteins never contract under initial high heat. The sear only has to create the crust, not cook the center.
275°F on the BPS drum with the fire basket at the low perimeter position for indirect heat. Flip at 12–15 minutes and pull at 128°F internal. Then raise the fire basket to sear mode for the crust finish.
Little Louie's first as a base salt layer, then Double Secret Steak Rub on top. Use Little Louie's like a salt — it has a higher salt content than a traditional rub. Let both sweat into the surface until shiny before putting the filets on the drum. This combination has won national steak cookoffs.
A study comparing cooking methods found that reverse sear retained more weight than either oven roasting or sear-first methods. More weight retained equals more moisture in the finished steak. Low-temp first cook lets proteins relax and moisture distribute evenly; the sear then locks in the crust without squeezing moisture out.
Softened unsalted butter mixed with Double Secret Steak Rub. The rub's salt, pepper, garlic, citrus, and sea salt infuse into the butter, which then melts and foams over the steak during the sear phase, basting and caramelizing as it goes. Add it in the final minute of the sear.
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Get the Seasoning That Won National Steak Cookoffs.
Little Louie's and Double Secret — the combination Big Poppa uses on every serious steak cook. Watch this reverse sear on the Big Poppa Smokers YouTube channel.
Reverse Seared Filet Mignon on the Drum Smoker
2-4
20 minutes
30 minutes
57
American
Main Dish, Drum Smoker
Big Poppa's science-backed filet method: a study comparing three cooking techniques found that reverse sear retains the most moisture weight of any method — more weight means juicier steak. On the BPS drum at 275°F with Little Louie's and Double Secret, these fillets smoke to 128°F with the fire basket at the perimeter position, then sear with Double Secret butter at full heat. Rest 5 minutes. The muscle relaxes and reabsorbs every drop of juice.
Ingredients
2–4 filet mignon steaks (prime or choice)
Big Poppa Smokers Little Louie's Seasoned Salt with Garlic Pepper
Big Poppa Smokers Double Secret Steak Rub
Double Secret butter (softened unsalted butter mixed with Double Secret Steak Rub)
Directions
Apply Little Louie's to all sides of the filets as the base salt layer. Apply Double Secret Steak Rub on top. Place in a half pan and let sweat until the surface is shiny — approximately 15–20 minutes.
Set BPS drum to 275°F with fire basket at the low perimeter position for indirect heat. Place filets around the outer ring away from direct flame. Insert probe set to 128°F.
Flip at 12–15 minutes. Pull when internal temp reaches 128°F.
Rest filets briefly while raising drum fire basket to the high sear position.
Sear filets at high heat. Add Double Secret butter in the final minute — let it melt and foam over the surface.
Rest 5 minutes on a plate (not a cutting board). Serve immediately after resting.
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