Salt the steaks well. I often will salt them all very lightly a day or three beforehand, leaving them in a covered container in the fridge. This acts as a sort of cure and gets the salt all the way into the center of the meat. But at minimum, salt all sides of each steak 1 hour before you start.
Preheat a smoker or oven to about 200°F to 250°F. When I have all the time in the world, I keep the temperature lower because it gives the meat more time in the smoke. If I am using an oven, I will go as high as 275°F because as long as you are under about 300°F, there is no advantage in this case to slowing down the initial cooking. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and put them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Set this in the oven.
Cook the steaks until the internal temperature hits about 120°F, if you want them to ultimately be medium-rare. Lower this by 10 degrees for rare, increase by 10 degrees for medium. Use a probe thermometer to determine internal temperature.
Remove the steaks from the oven or smoker. Turn the oven off and return the rack and sheet pan to the oven. Get a pan hot, then add 1 tablespoon of butter per steak -- usually you will only be able to sear one or two steaks at a time, so you may need to sear in batches. Sear both sides of the steak over high heat just until browned, only about 1 or 2 minutes per side. Move the finished steaks to the cooling rack in the oven while you do the others.
To finish, set the steaks on plates, pour the butter from the pan over them all, then grind black pepper over them. Sprinkle with chives and serve.