Cooking a steak?

R

RyanUTAustin

1,000+ Posts
I usually make pan cook chicken and pasta but I wanted your opinion on steaks.

I don't have a grill (live in an apt) and I dont have a George Foreman grill. I was thinking about getting one but wanted some opinions first.

I want to cook a Filet much like they do in Italian Restaurants.
My favorite steak is at Ruth's Chris.
But I also like the Macaroni Grill Filet with that cheese on top.

How can I do this at home without a grill or a GF?

Can I pan cook it in a skillet or should I broil it in the oven?
What should I put to season? Garlic, Salt, Pepper, any thing else?

Help is appreciated!
Thanks
 
Cast iron skillet

I would just use sea salt and ground pepper...If you like Ruth Chris (which sucks btw) then melt some butter with the steak.

Also, in an apt it will smoke a lot so turn your vent on high and maybe open a window or two.
 
As far as cooking, you will get some deviation in responses here, but most will be something like this:

Searing a steak is easy.

Generous pinch of salt (preferably kosher salt), fresh ground pepper onto the surface of a steak that has been sitting out just long enough to be near-room temperature. Light coat of canola or other high-smoke point oil if you need it to help the seasoning stick. It's not necessary to sear the meat, the proteins take care of that. Season five minutes before cooking.

Cast iron skillet on the stove at medium high-high, (not past medium high if it is electric). Or heat the skillet up in an oven at 400-500 degrees beforehand.

Place the steak on the skillet one end and then the other to get as much contact with the heat as possible.

Sear from 1-3 minutes per side depending on how hot the skillet is. This sears the outside to a gorgeous flavorful crust. But the inside is raw, so unless you have kobe beef, you want to put the skillet back in the oven for four or five minutes to finish cooking. More if you don't want blood.

Remove steak and place on a plate with a foil dome over it for five minutes to rest.

This will all vary with the thickness and cut of meat.

Also, if you do this with a tough cut of meat like sirloin or flank, or one that isn't choice, you might want to try salting it heavily an hour before hand and then rinsing the excess off and drying before cooking it. I find that method makes it a little more tender. Searing isn't really the best method for these kinds of meats, though.

If you like additional seasoning on your steak, try them out. I've never needed anything more than salt and pepper to satisfy me. It just needs to taste a little more like beef, really.

If you have a gas oven, you could try just broiling them, that would be pretty much the same as using a gas grill.

Seriously, get this method down after several attempts with different combinations of searing times, seasoning, temperatures, and then go splurge on a chateau tenderloin filet, or a wagyu ribeye, or some expensive choice meat at Central Market or Whole Foods. It will be better than any steak you've ever had at Ruth Chris or other similarly priced steak places.
 
Fanny nailed it. The cast iron is key. I also throw some butter in with the oil as it's going in the oven to finish. It is important to get the steaks to room temperature before they hit the pan. Also, buy good meat. That is always a good start.
 
So this is what I have gotten so far:

1) Things I will need:
a. cast iron skillet
b. Pepper
c. Salt
d. Cooking Oil
e.Quality cut meat
f. Butter

2) Season steaks and place them in room temp area until around room temp

3) Place skillet in HOT oven with cooking oil on it?
Then place the skillet on the stove top that is medium heat, put the seasoned steak on there and let the tops of both sides sear in the oil / seasonings.

4) Turn oven on Broil: place the steak into the oven and cook until it is done the way you like...I like medium rare

5) Take out of oven and off skillet. Cover with foil for a couple minutes.

Ready to go after that?

4)
 
LOL@ Fanny. Made me picture Kathy Griffin's mother.


My suggestion is:
Pre-heat your oven to 450-475.
A cast iron skillet, heated dry over a medium-high setting for 3-5 mins.
Season both sides of steak with S&P.
Put a very small amount of olive oil in the skillet and tilt the pan to distribute evenly.
Add your steak immediately and DON'T MOVE IT for about 1 1/2 mins.
Turn and repeat.
Take skillet off the heat and add the following:
1 thick pat of butter
2 minced cloves garlic
about 1 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
about 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1/2 jigger of wine. White's best, but red would be ok too.
Finish the steak in the oven, depending on thickness, for 6-8 minutes for a 1 1/2 - 1 1/4" steak.
Open the oven once and shake the handle. If it looks dry, add pinch of butter and dash of wine.
If you want it crispy on top, turn on the broiler and let it go with the door cracked while you watch it.
 
My first comment is: How can you NOT know how go fix a steak? I am going to go ahead and assume that you didn't grow up in Texas. Secondly, I agree with those who have mentioned cast iron. I also want to ask that when you cook that steak, how do you plan on cooking it? Please tell me you aren't going to cook it past Medium Rare.
 
I'm not sure I'd take olive oil to 475 F inside. That's a recipe for a very smoky house, and perhaps even a fire. Most oils, including olive oil and canola oil will smoke at or below 420 F.
 
I will repeat what I have said on here many times. Do not use cooking oil; do not use butter. Use clarified butter. Clarified butter is just butter that has had the fat solids removed and won't burn. You can heat it to much much hotter temperatures than you can regular butter or cooking oil. That is key to cooking a good steak at home. You have to make sure your pan is hotter than hell to make a good steak. With some practice, you'll be able to make a steak at home every bit as good as you can get at some of the best steakhouses and a damn-sight better than what you can get at Ruth's Chris.

In my opinion, a steak cooked properly in a cast iron skillet is better than anything you can do on a grill. Also, you only need to season it with salt and pepper.

Here are some detailed instructions on how to clarify butter: The Link
 
My uncle is a caterer and he told me Saturday he always rubs vinegar on the meat as part of a marinade to help tenderize. He claims it helps break down the muscle as well as seal the outside to hold in the juices while cooking, frying, grilling, etc.
 
Let's not forget the key component... a good cut of meat.

No matter how good your cooking method and ingredients, a crappy cut is going to result in a crappy steak. My advice, buy the best steak that you can feasibly afford... and try not to screw it up. Always err on the side of rare. You can always throw a rare steak back on to make it medium or (gasp) medium-well. You just can't throw a well-done steak in the fridge to bring it back to medium.

I know it's not always an option, but I'm a sucker for a steak grilled directly over searing hot oak coals. Cast iron skillets are nice, but a good hot bed of coals is tough to beat.
 
I have a cast iron skillet that is a grill pan.
It has the ridges in the bottom so you are not cooking on direct heat. It works great for steaks, burgers and chicken.
 
i tried doing the steak in a cast iron a few months back in my apartment..... did a helluva job smoking the apt.
 
New cast iron cookware has a coating of paraffin to keep it from rusting. You need to bake that **** off of there. I tried to do it in an oven but it really smoked the house up. Now I throw it on a hot grill for an hour to bake that wax off. I guess you will have to deal with a smoky apartment though.
 
The filets are Central Market are expensive and worth it. Not for everyday use, but if you do it right, someone at the table will tell you that it's the best steak he or she ever had. The cost is offset by the fact that they are trimmed completely, so you get all usable, tender meat that is mouthwatering. I have tried specialty meat markets and butchers, but it's not as good and the trimming is not as precise. I have never tried the rib eyes or anythign else at CM, but I would be they are allsome too.

And the thought of putting vinegar on of those nice steaks makes me sad.
 
Steak is my favorite meal and we usually cook it outside on the grill with salt, pepper, and a light sprinkle of garlic powder.

I did not think the French had a clue about cooking steak until we tried this fast-moving little recipe.

Put equal amounts, 1.5 Tb, of butter and peanut oil in a heavy bottomed pan over moderate heat; when the foam subsides, saute the 2+ pounds of 1" thick steaks (strip, filet, or ribeye) for 3+ minutes a side. Put the steaks on a hot platter and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the fat out of the pan and add 1 Tb of butter and stir in 3 Tb of minced shallots and cook them slowly for a minute. Add 1/2 cup of dry white (yes WHITE!) wine and reduce this quickly almost to a syrup, getting all the good bits from the bottom of the pan (Fond). Take the pan off the heat and whip into the syrup, a spoonful at a time, 4 Tb of softened butter (nuke it for a little bit). Beat the spoons of butter in with a whisk until they are all absorbed in the syrup, add some salt and pepper to taste, then stir in 2+ Tb of minced parsley.

Spread this over the steak and serve.

It can be made with red wine, but I think the white version is, oddly, much better.
 
Costco and Sam's have awesome meat. I don't have a membership to either, but my grandparents gave me a tenderloin filet they got at Sam's this past weekend. I cooked it in my skillet on Tuesday and it was awesome. Crispy on the outside, red and melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside.

For those of you worried about smoking up an apartment, see my post above. Clarified butter won't smoke.
 
For a tough peice of meat drop the steak into a giant freezer bag and bring it over night.
I use roasted garlic when cooking my steaks, cut the top off several whole garlic heads, drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt, roast for an hour at 250 degrees. Roasted garlic makes a great steak.
 
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