Much like any household chore, there is more than just one way to cook a steak. Some people prefer to do them straight on the grill, others feel that steaks come out best if you broil them in the oven. Then, there are those who believe that pan searing and then finishing in the oven makes for a juicier steak.
In my personal opinion and experience, I would say that ‘reverse searing’ your steaks is the best way to get juicy, perfectly and evenly cooked results every time. Anyone who has come to my house for steak night wants to know my secret to restaurant-quality steaks. And now I am sharing my method with all of you.
Directions
- Heat your oven up to 275°F
- Place a metal oven-safe wire rack in a baking sheet. The rack should provide enough elevation from the baking sheet to allow the heat inside your oven to full envelop the steaks.
- Season steaks with salt and pepper and place on the wire rack and then place the baking sheet in the oven once it is to temp.
- Oven time for your steaks will be heavily dependent upon the size, thickness and cut of steak that you are cooking. You can use a meat thermometer or the good old fashioned touch/spring test to gauge when your steaks are ready to come out of the oven.
- If you elect to go with the touch test I would suggest that you pull the steaks out of the oven when they are one level below your target temperature. For example: if you want a medium-rare steak then I would suggest removing the steaks from the oven when the springiness of the meat indicates it is between rare and medium-rare. The further below your target temp the longer you can sear and crust the steaks.
- If you have and prefer to use a meat thermometer here is a listing of temperatures that you should remove the steaks at depending on your ideal doneness.
- Rare – 115°- 120°
- Medium-Rare – 120° - 125°
- Medium – 130° – 135°
- Medium-Well – 145° - 150°
- Well Done – Why would you do that to your steak?
- Once you have removed the steaks from the oven, tent them with foil to maintain heat and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the steaks are resting, heat a cast iron skillet to very high heat. To tell if your skillet is hot enough sprinkle a couple of drops of water on the pan and they should sizzle and evaporate immediately.
- Once your skillet is good and hot, get your steak in the pan they should sizzle and start to sear as soon as they touch the iron.
- TIP: If you are cooking NY strips start them on the strip of fat (standing on their side basically) for 1-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the fatty strip. This will allow the fat to render into the pan for when you sear the top and bottom of the steaks.
- TIP: For extra flavor, richness and color on your steaks add 2-3 tablespoons of butter to the pan with the steaks along with herbs of your choosing. I typically use fresh rosemary and thyme bound together with some cooking twine. Once the butter is melted tilt your pan and allow the butter to pool then with a spoon baste the steaks with the liquid butter and fat.
- Cook the steaks until each side has developed a nutty brown crust. Typically, this requires 2-3 minutes on one side and then 1 ½ -2 minutes on the other.
- Serve when ready and enjoy! You do not need to rest the steaks again since you rested them between the oven and the skillet.
The beauty of cooking your steaks this way is that the entire steak will be evenly cooked to your preferred temperature from top to bottom. Many of the other methods I mentioned earlier in this post will result in only the center-most portion of the steak being the right temperature while the meat surrounding the center of the steak (approximately 25 percent) is above temp/overcooked.
Give this technique a try next time you have guests over for dinner and prepare to be showered with compliments!
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