A great steak is a wonderful thing, but for years I could only get one at a restaurant or from my backyard grill - whenever I tried to cook one indoors I would first way undercook it and then end up overcooking it - finally!! I can repeatedly cook steak inside and get it mouthwateringly perfect everytime - I learned to use both the stove top for searing and the oven for cooking to get my steak done right.
This technique works best with a thick cut, 1.5 - 2 inches.I like porterhouse or filet mignon,organic if possible, grass fed if possible, kobe if i could - the higher the quality of beef the better the end result.
First, preheat your oven to 400 F. Next get the meat out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Salt and pepper it all over if you choose. Now get a cast iron skillet very very hot and add a thin coating of olive oil to the pan. The steaks should fit in the pan without touching and ideally a few inches of empty space around each. Sear the meat on both sides. This takes about 2-3 minutes per side - try not to move it around - do NOT press it with a spatula, and turn it only once. Next put the steaks into the oven - 7 minutes for 1.5 inch medium rare steak - 1 minutes for medium.. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure -
Finally, let the meat rest for 5 minutes loosly covered with foil to keep it hot - this keeps the juices in the meat and not on the cutting board!
Happy eating!
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Comments: 11
about 1 minute after I flip the steak over in the hot cast iron skillet, I turn the heat on the skillet down to about medium and put a cover over it and let the steak cook for about 3-4 more minutes. I then flip the steak one more time (i.e., back onto the side I seared first), put the cover back on the skillet and let it cook another 3-4 minutes.
I get great results with this little technique. It probably somewhat simulates what you're doing with the oven.
I like the idea of using a cast iron skillet or one of those cast iron grill pans for searing. They do an excellent job and do so at a reduced heat. The use of olive oil as indicated will cause smoke if the range heat is too high. If you are using electric for cooking they do get hotter than a gas range and I would choose a temperature that will sear and brown rather than char.
Brian Malam mentioned "Grape Seed" oil which is an alternative. In the industry, Canola oil is neutral in taste and has a higher smoke point.
I would not season the steaks with anything until they were about ready to be plated. The reason for this is what ever you season the steaks may burn during the searing especially the pepper. This along with burned garlic powder is a rather unsavory presentation.
Finishing the steaks in the oven under a broiler is similar to finishing them in a salamander. Of course professionals have all the toys.