How to Make a Perfectly Cooked Steak Using a Cast Iron Skillet

Byamazingfoodstv


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Recipe for Cast Iron Steaks with Herb Butter:

To pan-sear a thick-cut steak, we turned to a cast-iron skillet since its heat-retention properties are ideal for a perfect sear. We chose the moderately expensive boneless strip steak for its big, beefy flavor. But when we tried preheating the skillet on the stovetop, cast iron’s uneven heat distribution properties created an equally uneven sear on our steaks. As a result, we ended up preheating the skillet in the oven. To get a perfectly even sear, we used quite a large amount (2 tablespoons) of oil, since this meant that the steaks’ surfaces remained in contact with the heat even as the steaks unevenly contracted during cooking. We started out flipping our steaks only once, halfway through cooking. But we found that flipping the steaks more often led to a shorter cooking time and a smaller gray band of dry, overcooked meat just under the surface of the steaks. After testing different flipping techniques and heating levels, we found that flipping the steaks every 2 minutes and transitioning from medium-high to medium-low heat partway through cooking resulted in a perfectly browned, crisp crust and a juicy, evenly cooked interior every time.

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40 Comments

  2. A super hot skillet will burn the steak which tastes bad. Also, I’ve found that 122 degrees is much too hot for medium rare. 100-105 is about right if you’re measuring the center of the steak. Lastly, add garlic powder. It’s much more important than black pepper in terms of improving the flavor profile.

  12. I typically grill my steaks outside, but one day the weather was bad and I started looking for a different way to cook them. I found this recipe and WOW. Best "indoor" steak I've ever made. Fantastic recipe. Thanks.

  15. I guess it's the nature of cooking to tweak someone else's recipe, but I find it odd that people think they can one-up this recipe from the get-go. I made it the way it was shown and had an incredible steak. My guests actually thought I knew how to cook.

  22. The skillet won't reach 500 degrees preheating it that way for that length of time (basic physics and limits come into play here) nor do you want it to reach 500 degrees. The skillet is somewhere between 300 and 350 degrees when you're searing the steak.

  23. What a great, concise recipe! Is 122 degrees a safe temp? I do not know that yet. I thought 160 was a minimum for beef. looks so good though! I think I would skip a few of the top-bottom flippings and set them on edge to cook the sides too. Looks so good and so simple!!! And yes, in the end, it did look a little more toward medium. If it wasn't the lighting, perhaps one could take it off a tad sooner if it will cook some more as it rests, if med-rare is the desired finished doneness. Thank you!

  31. You say nothing about the grease that is getting splattered all over the stove top with uncovered frying at high heat. I use a cover and have adjusted the time to about 5=6 minutes without turning, depending on the thickness of the cut.

  36. I just went to the store today to get skirt steak, but I accidentally said strip. Guy came back with two giant steaks just like these and I shrugged and said what the hell. Then this video shows up at the top of YouTube. How nice. 😊

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