I like to cook out, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it. Unlike some people I know, however, I am definitely not hearty enough to get out and fire up the grill in the dead of Chicago Winter.
I got some fine-looking frozen filet mignons as a Christmas gift, and I was looking forward to Spring so I could grill 'em up nice. But, an impending cross-country move has changed all that. We’re moving 2000 miles next month, and the contents of our freezer will not be making the trip with us.
But I’d still like to enjoy these steaks. What do you suggest?
I use a La Crueset enameled cast iron skillet under the broiler. I put the skillet under the broiler to preheat for a few minutes until it is good and hot, then throw in the steak (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and worcestershire sauce) on the top shelf under the broiler for about five minutes, then turn for five minutes (or longer, depending on how well done you want it). The ribs on the skillet make great grill marks, and the steak stays very juicy because it cooks fast. Works well with ribeye, haven’t tried it with leaner steaks like sirloin.
I have a very good steak about once a month. How I do it:
Bring thick steak to room temperature.* Like Fear Itself, I like ribeye. Or T-bone. Press coarse-ground pepper and a little coarse salt into the steak until it’s fairly well-coated. Preheat cast iron pan with just the lightest schmear of olive oil. (Skip this step if using an enamelled pan.) Preheat broiler. Preheat skillet on high, then quickly sear the steak, 20-30 seconds each side, and put under the broiler. Two-three minutes each side under the broiler and done, for a fairly rare steak.
*You can probably skip this step if you don’t want raw meat sitting out for an hour or two.
I don’t believe in the bringing it to room temperature thing.
If I were doing the oven first then searing, I would want to start with the steak at room temp, but when searing first, I feel that it’s easier to get a good sear on the outside without overcooking the inside if it’s right-out-of-the-fridge cold.
Just a basic assortment of pots & pans and bakeware, none of them cast iron.
My broiler has one of those zig-zaggy pressed metal (aluminum?) surfaces. I think it’s been used once in 13 years!
I’m willing to experiment, but I was sort of picturing something involving a teflon skillet on the stove top. Or is that a recipe for disaster?
I’ve just started cooking tenderloin indoors because I like to make a pan sauce with the drippings.
I use a heavy stainless steel pan. I season the steak with whatever, put it in a lightly oiled pan and cook on high heat for a couple of minutes per side which gives it a nice char. Then I put the pan into a 425 degree oven for about 8 minutes. I use an instant read thermometer in the meat and pull when the temp is between 120 - 125 so the 8 minutes is just a guess. After coasting that brings it to medium rare which is where I like it.
After the steak is cooked I put some shallots in the pan and cook until they turn transluscent - then I put in an equal amount of beef stock and red wine. I cook that down by half - at some point during this step I pour any juices that came off the steak back into the pan as well. Once it’s reduced and starts to thicken I put in some tarragon and butter. Simple and delicious.
I agree with all this: room temp steak, cast iron skillet brought to very hot on range, then cook steak a few minutes each side (depending on thickness).
Comes out great every time.
Edit: damn, missed the part about no CI skillet. I highly recommend them over any other pan out there. A good 10 3/4" one from Lodge (at Target and Walmart) will run under $20 (preseasoned). Again, they are really great to have.
For normal steaks (~1/2" thick) I do them entirely on the stove top in a skillet with the range set to high (8) and cook each side about 2.5 minutes for medium rare.
Teflon isn’t well suited to high cooking temperatures and you actually damage the teflon coating when you cook on high heat. Teflon also isn’t well suited for browning so you won’t get the same flavor on the outside of the steak in a teflon pan as you would in a pan that allows the meat to stick to it a little. That’s not to say teflon is bad at all, but it’s a good idea to have one heavy stainless steel or cast iron pan in your collection for high heat food like this.
Actually, I do the reverse sear method, and I do it straight-from-fridge. Read the explanation of the method here. It’s basically taken from Cook’s Illustrated, but I can’t find a link to the Cook’s Illustrated article that is not subscription-only.
Basically, you liberally salt the steak, and put it in the fridge for about half an hour. Preheat oven to 275. Place steak (straight from fridge) in oven at 275 for about 25 minutes (until it reaches about 95 for medium rare.) Meanwhile, heat a cast iron pan until very hot (I wait until it just starts smoking, then I turn down the heat very slightly), and sear for two minutes a side. Don’t fiddle with it, down poke it, don’t move it around on the pan, just plain don’t touch it for two minutes until you flip it, and then the same for two minutes more. Transfer to plate, let rest 5 minutes or so, and serve.
That’s the way I do it, and it makes absolutely perfect steak every time. I dare say I like this method as much as grilling. Grilling imparts a lovely charcoal/fire flavor, but this method imparts lots of a tasty browned crust (via the Malliard reaction).
Oh, and if they’re filet mignons, really, you should make steak au poivre. One recipe here. It’s a sauce of peppercorns, cream, and brandy that is just lovely with a tender filet.
I was going to post that same steak au poivre recipe too - it’s amazing. But for a steak like a ribeye, I prefer a simple recipe. Another good one that I used to make for the ex because he loved mushrooms and it works with less-marbled steaks: Steak of choice sauteed with a minimum of oil at medium or medium-high heat. No salt, maybe pepper. Remove when done, then quickly add chopped mushrooms, maybe some sliced onion, salt and a little Worcestershire sauce to deglaze pan. Scrape over steak. Eat.
Wheelz, I went without a cast iron skillet for years, then recently got another one - a plain Lodge. (Search CS for my thread asking about curing it, wherein I got lots of great suggestions and links to the spendier enamelled ones.)
Your pan needs to be hotter. That’s the only reason that not warming it up makes much sense.
My method:
Prep: Rinse off the steak, pat dry. Liberally salt and season (whatever herbs and spices float your boat. I’m partial to thyme and pepper). Let sit until room temp- usually an hour or so. Rinse off excess salt, pat dry. Oil up with olive oil.
I typically heat the cast iron skillet up in the oven set at 500, then put it over the stove flame turned up to high. Add a small squirt of oil, and put the steak in.
Sear over high heat for roughly 3 minutes. Flip, and put under oven broiler for another 4-5 minutes. There’s some skill in knowing how to cook a particular steak to your own taste.
Remove, tent with foil, let rest for 15 mins. Remove & serve.
I have had good luck with a leave-in probe thermometer though- they work well if you’re really picky about where your steak should cook to.
Liberally salt and pepper each side of a steak.
Stick the steaks in a 275 degree over for 15 minute on a rack above a sheet pan then flip and cook for 15 more minutes. Then 1.5 minutes in a very hot cast iron skillet flip and cook for another 1.5 minutes then rest for 5 minutes.
This turns out great for steaks about 1.5 inches think.
