Is this decent way to cook a steak?

[SaltyNuts]

Having a filet tonight. Here is what I'm thinking:

Heat up a pan as hot as possible. Add a good amount of butter. Add the steak. As soon as one side is nice and seared, flip it over (make sure there is still butter in the pan) and sear the other side. Then throw it in the oven that has been pre-heated as hot as possible. Cook to desired wellness (medium for me).

Thoughts? I tried the above the other day, but finished it on a charcoal grill. It tasted great, but didn't taste like a steakhouse style steak (it tasted great, but just a different taste). I want it to taste like it cam from a fancy restaurant.

The filet came from HEB, prime filet ($20 a pound I believe), so it should be quality.

Thanks!

 

[SaltyNuts]

Oh, and I typically just add salt and pepper to the steak.

 

[purbeast0]

I don't put mine in the oven when I do them, I just sear them for about 2 minutes on high heat in a cast iron skillet and then sear the edges as well. Comes out perfectly medium rare for me most of the time.

 

[soulcougher73]

I do reverse sear method myself. Can youtube vids for that. Get inside temp to 125 degrees in oven. Let rest for 10 mins. Sear each side on cast iron for 1-2 mins each. Enjoy. Salt and Pepper is all you need. A bit of butter doesnt hurt though. Adds pretty good flavor on sear.

 

[SaltyNuts]

I check out youtube when I get home soulcougher (blocked at work), but is a reverse sear where you somehow sear it in the oven? And is 125 degrees accurate? Is that just to warm it up? Seems low to me. Thanks!

 

[Murloc]

I'd put it in the oven first to uniformly bring it to a warm temperature (like 50°C), then sear for a short time.
Then let it rest, it should raise to perfect temperature in the middle.

There's no reason to sear first and heat up last.

I check out youtube when I get home soulcougher (blocked at work), but is a reverse sear where you somehow sear it in the oven? And is 125 degrees accurate? Is that just to warm it up? Seems low to me. Thanks!

you heat it up in the oven and it comes out still raw but warm. Then you sear and then remove and wait for it to reach the correct internal temperature. If you heat it in the oven to the internal temperature you want, it will become overcooked during and after the searing when the heat from the searing reaches the center and the temperature gradient disappears, so it has to be lower. Note that also the internal temperature when you remove it is lower than the final temperature, so it's three different temperatures, the first two control the end result.

The oven at low temperature is very slow in heat transmission so the meat is raw but uniformly warm and the searing part is completely separated from this part.

I'd don't want to put it in a hot as possible oven after searing as this will create a temperature gradient in the meat that is stronger than necessary and adds on to the gradient created with the searing, which results in less pink (or whatever color is your favourite center color) and more overcooked parts, which should be as thin as possible.

50°C to 5°C is a small gradient and the top temperature isn't even a temperature at which the meat is cooked in any way, then you sear by exploiting a high temperature difference which is very easy if you heat up something like an iron pan which has big thermal capacitance and high ability to transmit heat.

Idk for me it makes more sense, you can probably cook decent steaks either way, and searing first and oven later probably makes it easier to avoid mistakes, if you cook on the grill and you leave it on indirect heat for too long, you can't sear it properly afterwards without overcooking it completely, and there's nothing you can do to fix it.

 

[SaltyNuts]

Murloc, when you say "let it rest, it should raise to the perfect temperature in the middle", are you saying put it back in the oven and let it rest, after you sear it on the grill? Or turn down the temp on the grill and let it rest there? Thanks.

 

[child of wonder]

Season with salt then Sous Vide that bitch to exactly 129F, pat dry, rest for 10 minutes, pre-heat cast iron to high with some canola oil, season again with salt and pepper, sear one side, add butter to pan, sear other side, sear sides of steak, and you're done.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I do reverse sear method myself. Can youtube vids for that. Get inside temp to 125 degrees in oven. Let rest for 10 mins. Sear each side on cast iron for 1-2 mins each. Enjoy. Salt and Pepper is all you need. A bit of butter doesnt hurt though. Adds pretty good flavor on sear.

I love reverse sear for thick cuts. Smaller cuts I'd just do pan or sous vide.

 

[soulcougher73]

I check out youtube when I get home soulcougher (blocked at work), but is a reverse sear where you somehow sear it in the oven? And is 125 degrees accurate? Is that just to warm it up? Seems low to me. Thanks!

I set the over to 275 degrees. Takes maybe 30 mins for the steaks to get to 125. But letting them rest for 10mins plus the searing lets them cook up to 135 degrees. Which to me is perfect steak

 

[SaltyNuts]

Thanks so much guys! I understand the reverse sear logic now. So soulcougher, to boil it down, I think you (i) set oven to 275 degrees, (ii) put the steaks in for ~40 min (30 mins for them to get to 125, plus 10 more minutes), then take them out and sear them. Is that right? Thanks!

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Thanks so much guys! I understand the reverse sear logic now. So soulcougher, to boil it down, I think you (i) set oven to 275 degrees, (ii) put the steaks in for ~40 min (30 mins for them to get to 125, plus 10 more minutes), then take them out and sear them. Is that right? Thanks!

Pretty much but use a thermometer. The timing depends on how thick the cut is.

 

[soulcougher73]

Thanks so much guys! I understand the reverse sear logic now. So soulcougher, to boil it down, I think you (i) set oven to 275 degrees, (ii) put the steaks in for ~40 min (30 mins for them to get to 125, plus 10 more minutes), then take them out and sear them. Is that right? Thanks!

I let them rest for 10 mins outside the oven. But yeah that's the gist.

Edit: This was the first vid i saw of this method of cooking a steak. There are others but they are all pretty much the same give or take what they coat the steak with or if they use canola oil or anything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ4xl7XJM08

 

[SaltyNuts]

Ah, I see soulcougher, the 10 mins outside I would guess is to let the heat from the outer portion of the steak travel a bit to the center. Then the sear on the outside. Thanks, will try tonight and report back!

 

[SaltyNuts]

By the way, anyone use any spice or anything else on steak other than salt and pepper? I'd guess I should not if I want it to taste like a fancy restaurant steak. Thanks!

 

[AznAnarchy99]

By the way, anyone use any spice or anything else on steak other than salt and pepper? I'd guess I should not if I want it to taste like a fancy restaurant steak. Thanks!

Salt/Pepper. When searing, baste with butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic.

 

[MrSquished]

if you have a cast iron skillet, Alton Brown's cast iron ribeye recipe is amazing. A filet is usually much thicker than a normal ribeye so you'd have to adjust the times though.

It's heating up the skillet in the oven for 5, then 5 minutes more on the stovetop - sear off the steak on the stovetop then finish it in the oven. It comes out perfect.

 

[SaltyNuts]

Thanks AznAnarchy, will see if I have rosemary, thyme, garlic.

Pixel, I don't understand - heat a skillet in the oven for 5 minutes, then 5 minutes on the stovetop - for a total of 10 minutes? Isn't that a very short amount of time, compared to Soulcougher's method for example? Wouldn't that leave a very rare middle, or burnt outside if you want to get the middle medium?

Thanks!

 

[soulcougher73]

Salt/Pepper. When searing, baste with butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic.

Yeah pretty much these. Good dose of salt/pepper while cooking in the over. Last time i did a filet was first time i added garlic to the butter when searing, but it did turn out amazing.

 

[MrSquished]

Thanks AznAnarchy, will see if I have rosemary, thyme, garlic.

Pixel, I don't understand - heat a skillet in the oven for 5 minutes, then 5 minutes on the stovetop - for a total of 10 minutes? Isn't that a very short amount of time, compared to Soulcougher's method for example? Wouldn't that leave a very rare middle, or burnt outside if you want to get the middle medium?

Thanks!

When you heat a cast iron skillet at 500 degrees for 5 minutes, then over a high flame for 5 more, it gets really hot and holds that heat well. Sets off the smoke alarm in my kitchen every time. It's an oversensitive smoke alarm but there is definitely smoke. Gets a nice crust and it's MR if you get the timing right. The ribeyes from Costco are thicker than what Alton Brown timed for, so I adjusted the cook time until I got it right. At first they were coming out too rare. So it's a risk to go that route until you know the timing or you have a good meat thermometer.

 

[soulcougher73]

When you heat a cast iron skillet at 500 degrees for 5 minutes, then over a high flame for 5 more, it gets really hot and holds that heat well. Sets off the smoke alarm in my kitchen every time. It's an oversensitive smoke alarm but there is definitely smoke. Gets a nice crust and it's MR if you get the timing right. The ribeyes from Costco are thicker than what Alton Brown timed for, so I adjusted the cook time until I got it right. At first they were coming out too rare. So it's a risk to go that route until you know the timing or you have a good meat thermometer.

LOL totally forgot about this. You will get tons of smoke when searing. We had 4 windows open. Luckily last time smoke alarm didnt go off, but it has before in the past.

 

[SaltyNuts]

Haha, ok, thanks guys, probably going to try your method tonight soulcougher, then try and find a cast iron skillet that will work and use Pixel's/Alton Brown's method for my next steak. Will report back! Thanks!

 

[smackababy]

Sous vide it at your desired doneness then finish it with a propane torch. Zero gradient and perfect every time!

 

[ponyo]

When you heat a cast iron skillet at 500 degrees for 5 minutes, then over a high flame for 5 more, it gets really hot and holds that heat well. Sets off the smoke alarm in my kitchen every time. It's an oversensitive smoke alarm but there is definitely smoke. Gets a nice crust and it's MR if you get the timing right. The ribeyes from Costco are thicker than what Alton Brown timed for, so I adjusted the cook time until I got it right. At first they were coming out too rare. So it's a risk to go that route until you know the timing or you have a good meat thermometer.

If you're cooking indoors, forget the oven unless you have really thick cut and just straight pan fry it.

As for the OP, my advice to you is to choose better steak. Filet is for people who don't like steak.

 

[SaltyNuts]

smackababy, sous vide is where you leave it in a bag in medium water like all day while you are at work correct? Then you get home, sear it with a propane torch? Is that right? What temp would you recommend? I actually bout one of those sous vide things per a thread on this forum, haven't tried it yet, but I will!