Steaks in the oven

[leechlake]

I know most guys love taking charge when it's time to grill steaks. Even those that really don't cook much in the kitchen take pride in their grilling skills. This Winter it was really cold out and we didn't feel like shoveling a path to the grill at the cabin. A buddy of mine introduced me to the following steak preparation and frankly I think it ends up better than steaks on the grill but I'd wager I won't use it much until it's pouring rain or really cold:

Preheat oven to 275. Using 1" or thicker ribeye or NY Strip put in oven for 12 minutes (I take steaks out about an hour before to get closer to room temp). Take the steaks out of the oven and sear in a pan for 90 seconds or so on each side on medium high heat(use your eyeballs to make sure they get an attractive brown to them). Let rest a bit under foil 3-5 minutes. Serve.

They turn out fantastic. When you pull from oven you will be less than impressed. They are an ugly gray color. When you cut into them they will be a more uniform pink throughout. Supposedly the low temp does a miniature version of aging the steak breaking down collagen, whether this is true or not I don't know but the texture would suggest it does.

Obviously if you like them medium leave them in oven 3-4 minutes longer.

[acroman]

My first wife used to bake steaks and I thought it was disgusting. But to be fair you are doing it different than she did. Also finishing off a WELL seared steak in the oven is a pretty common thing in reasturants with thick steaks.

[pushbutton]

Mrs pushbutton does that as well.....kind of....sears it first though. It does turn out good. Think she saw it on some food channel show.

[RK]

My mom used to put them under the broiler and cook the bejeezus out of them. they were done when the smoke alarm went off. It was almost criminal...

Here's how I do it:

Take the steaks out and set them on the counter to come to room temp before you cook them. Cold steaks make it harder to get even cooking.

Brush the steaks with canola oil, and add whatever seasonings you want. Montreal steak seasoning is good, but I usually just do a mix of garlic powder, pepper and a little cayenne, and plenty of kosher salt.

Put a cast iron skillet in the oven, and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Take the pan out of the oven (I use welding gloves), and put it over a high burner for 5 minutes. The pan will be HOT...

Place the steak in the pan, and sear for 30 seconds (use a timer) then flip and sear the other side for 30 seconds. There will be some smoke....

Place the pan in the oven, and cook for 2 minutes, then flip the steak and cook another 2 minutes. Adjust the cooking time for how well done you like your steak, but with a 1" thick steak, 2 per side gets you on the rare side of med-rare.

Remove the steak to a resting rig (I put a steel colander over a stainless steel bowl, put the steak in the colander, and cover the colander with foil) and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting. Use the juices to make a simple pan sauce. Cognac and butter works good, as does red wine. I also like board sauces a lot (Google it).

If you can only fit one steak in the pan at a time (don't crowd them) just repeat from heating on the stovetop.

Steaks done this way can be outstanding. Do it all the time.

[Bear55]

Yep I've done it opposite, sear them first and then a short trip to the oven, pretty fool proof and they turn out great.

I kind of do the same thing on the grill now, get some red hot coals and sear the outsides, then slide it to the other side of the grill to "bake" for a bit. Add a few wood chips as well to give it a little extra kick of smoke.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Or move the grill closer to the house and shovel..

[eyeguy 54]

+1

[leechlake]

36 foot deck haven't been there for a month, gas line in that corner of the deck. 30 inches of snow. I'm going with the slow oven method:) or hard boiled eggs.

[SkunkedAgain]

Charcoal - within a step of the back door

[LABS4ME]

or hard boiled eggs.

correction! hard boiled POKED eggs!

Good Luck!

Ken

[eyeguy 54]

just don't poke the steaks...

[LABS4ME]

I've done it both ways EYEGUY... I cannot tell the difference between the steak I poked and the ones I didn't... just a waste of time!

Good Luck!

Ken

[pushbutton]

Ever had a No Name Steak? Get with the times eyeguy, they've been poking steaks for decades

[eyeguy 54]

Ever had a No Name Steak? Get with the times eyeguy, they've been poking steaks for decades

while cooking silly man...

[delcecchi]

One of these days I am going to use a cooler to cook some steaks "sous vide" style. Basically you immerse them (in a ziploc or vacuum sealed) in water at the desired temperature. The whole steak gets to the exact doneness desired.

Then take them out of the bag and sear for a very short time to get a crust on them.

They sell "circulators" for sous vide cooking, but it can also be done with a bunch of water and a thermometer in a cooler.

[thirdeye]

You might try doing everything in reverse... Lightly oil the steak with olive oil (or peanut oil), season with salt and pepper, then put your steak in a 300° or so oven on a rack in a pan. You want to bake the steak until the internal temp gets to 100°. Remove the steak and plate for a 10 minute rest. So far, the low bake temp has caused the proteins to unravel and the rest contributes to the tenderness as it further relaxes the meat.

In the meantime, heat up your cast iron skillet to medium and have some peanut oil ready once it gets warmed up, give it a coating. (Peanut oil can take heat better than other oils). What you are doing next is called an "end sear" or "reverse sear" and the goal is to take your steak from ~100° to it's final temp of 125°, 130°... or wherever you like them. The pan time does not take long, so watch is carefully and keep temping with an instant read thermometer. When the steak is just below your favorite temp, pull and rest another 4 or 5 minutes. Then dig in. (You can add a pat of butter to the upside if you want to). If you follow this method the steak will look like this (I precooked the bacon a bit first and wrapped during the first rest).

This will not only give you better control over your doneness, but you won't get the ugly gray color, you will get a nice caramelized color.

[thirdeye]

One of these days I am going to use a cooler to cook some steaks "sous vide" style. Basically you immerse them (in a ziploc or vacuum sealed) in water at the desired temperature. The whole steak gets to the exact doneness desired.

Then take them out of the bag and sear for a very short time to get a crust on them.

They sell "circulators" for sous vide cooking, but it can also be done with a bunch of water and a thermometer in a cooler.

BINGO! That method is called "hot tub". I use a Corningware dish and fill it with 100° water. Salt your steak and zipper bag it... put it in the hot water for 1 hour. You can change out the water if you want. Your steak will warm to about 80°. When it goes into a cast iron pan or on your grill you are taking it from 80° to 125° or so. That 40° or 50° does not take long, so keep an eye on it.

[Deitz Dittrich]

What are the advantages of a "Hot Tub" over just grilling it?.. I'm always up to try new stuffs!

[leechlake]

I think the advantage is that by cooking them slow, whatever the method, the collagen breaks down and it is a more tender textured hunk of meat. 95% of the time I'm going with the grill but in a pinch or if you don't have a grill this works great.

One negative I've found though is if you're making steak for 6 people or more it's almost impractical to do it my way where you sear at the end. Generally there isn't enough pan space even in a really big cast iron pan unless you're making smaller tenderloins.

Maybe the next topic should be making corn; I've heard many interesting methods from in the bath tub (gross) to in the dishwasher. Let the thread begin...

[delcecchi]

What are the advantages of a "Hot Tub" over just grilling it?.. I'm always up to try new stuffs!

Read up on Sous Vide, very trendy right now. Hot Tub methods are for cheapskates like me.

ONe advantage is that the doneness is controlled exactly, and all the way through. You can hold them at 125 for example for a considerable time and when ready to eat, just give them a quick sear to put a crust on them.

In the traditional method, if you want the middle of a fairly thick piece of steak to be medium, a pretty good layer on each side will be more like well done. In the Sous Vide method that layer will be very thin.

[thirdeye]

What are the advantages of a "Hot Tub" over just grilling it?.. I'm always up to try new stuffs!

In a nutshell... consistent doneness across the cross section, and the fact the steaks cook very fast. Restaurants that do the hot tub method are doing it to save time in the kitchen, and get meals out quicker so they can turn over tables quicker.

Hot tub is not close to sous vide at all, with a circulating water bath you could sous vide a steak for 15 hours, then open the vacuum bag and sear it for 30 seconds and it's ready. A few of my online friends are getting into it, I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[thirdeye]

I think the advantage is that by cooking them slow, whatever the method, the collagen breaks down and it is a more tender textured hunk of meat. 95% of the time I'm going with the grill but in a pinch or if you don't have a grill this works great.

One negative I've found though is if you're making steak for 6 people or more it's almost impractical to do it my way where you sear at the end. Generally there isn't enough pan space even in a really big cast iron pan unless you're making smaller tenderloins.

Maybe the next topic should be making corn; I've heard many interesting methods from in the bath tub (gross) to in the dishwasher. Let the thread begin...

I've had cooler corn and it's good. The silk comes off easier than you think and I think the hot water had been salted too. The cool thing was they had a 1 gallon jar of hot water with a few sticks of butter melted in it... you peeled back your husks and dunked the corn in the jar. All the butter had risen to the top and when you pulled the ear out it got a perfect coating of butter.

[RK]

Check out this take on Sous Vide... The best part of this: duck fat. There is no better cooking fat on the planet...

Sous Vide Slide Show

[LindellProStaf]

I bought one of those electric element type of indoor grills years ago. When it is really cold and windy outside I set it up on the counter top and grill on it. Actually works pretty darn good. Does not get that smoky in the kitchen like I was worried about. I put a little water in the drip pan so it cleans up easy too. I usually use it for a few days in a row when I get it out so I get more meals in per cleaning.

[deerminator]

I prefer the grill but I've tried the method the fancy steak houses method where they sear it in a cast iron pan quickly on both sides, pop it in the oven for around 10-12 minutes, pull it out and baste it in butter in the pan with various herbs for a few minutes on top of the stove. That's good stuff too. A little tougher to do, though for big crowds versus the grill.