Last night, having gone through the trouble of going out specifically to pick up some fresh steaks for dinner, I returned to discover that my BBQ’s would not work. I think some spiders set up a home in the gas (Venturi?) tubes again and I’ll have to take it apart and clean it out. Oh well, the burner looks like it needs replacing anyway…
So, grilling being out of the question, we elected to saute the steaks instead. So here is my point… coincidentally, chefs Jacque(?) Pepine and Julia Rothchild agree with me… sauted steaks are far tastier than grilled.
Why? Well, because:
- The burnt taste that the grill invariably imparts is kind of harsh on the taste buds.
- If you don’t like your meat raw, a well done steak on the grill invariably gets charred around the edges. Not to mention quite dry.
- I’m pretty sure that all that blackened stuff on grilled food is carcinogenic.
While on the other hand:
- Sauted steak can be pan seared to lock in the juices.
- Steak sauted in garlic butter with chives is heavenly.
- Sauted meat is rarely burnt - unless you forget about it.
- You need not be exposed to outdoor elements when cooking food (i.e. It very rarely rains in one’s kitchen)
My wife, however, still prefers grilled steaks over pan fried despite the overwhelming evidence against grilling. Hmmmmm… maybe I’ll let the BBQ stay in-operative a while longer…
I do them either way, tho I prefer grilled. Of course, I rarely get mine well done, so they don’t get burned. 
As of late, I prefer a hybrid of the two. Basically you sear each side of a coarsly peppered steak in a pan for precisely two minutes a side in a very hot pan, as hot as you can get it. This will sear the steak, keeping the juices inside.
Cook in the usual way, over a hardwood fire, preferably. Anyone who’s cooked over a hardwood fire knows it beats pan cooking or propane all hollow. Hickory is good, and fruitwoods even better. I like Apple wood.
A garlic-herb butter goes nicely with the steak, and a side of fried potatoes and a salad. Guten Apetit!
If the steak is thick I sear it in the pan and put pan and all into the oven to complete the cooking process. That is if I don’t have any charcoal for my grill. I don’t have a gas grill. I do the same with thick cut pork chops. I rarely buy a thin steak anymore because my kids and I like our steaks rare to medium rare.
Needs2know
Is it still called “saute” if you don’t have any liquid in the pan? I dunno, but it sure is good that way.
Hubby likes his steaks well-done (he’s fine in other respects, so I overlook this one flaw), and he loves to grill. He’s finally been trained to leave my steak off the flame until his is almost done, so we can sit down and eat at the same time.
But the one time I fixed a ribeye in a hot dry pan – shoot, that was the best I’ve had in a long time. But you’re right, it probably works best if you like it rare.
Pssst… I’m gonna tell y’all a little secret I learned in culinary school.
Ever wonder how a grilled steak ordered medium well or well still looks really nice–not burnt, like it usually does when you’ve had it on the grill for 15 minutes?
What we do to give that steak the beautiful grilled look without scorching it beyond recognition, is we do put it on a grill, briefly. Just long enough to leave the markings on the surface. After that, we put it in a pan, and finish the cooking in a hot oven. We do the same thing for pan-seared steaks, too. It frees up the grill/range for more orders, and, there’s an added benefit–some of the juices will be in the pan for making a sauce to go with your steak.
I prefer to grill mine–but, I like mine black & blue, all I do is the initial cooking on the grill, then eat. Yum.
There is nothing better in the world than a grilled steak.
The steak should only be on the grill long enough to get the grill marks.
mmmmmmmmmm, steak.