Cooking Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet

By Addie

You’ll never grill steak again!

I’m afraid I’ve been spoiled by cooking my steak in a cast iron skillet. So much so that I can’t even remember the last time I threw one on the grill. The cast iron skillet allows a steak to be seared and then cooked in its own juices under the broiler.

Ingredients

• First, the pan:
• to are two key parts to the equation;
• 1 1 1 . Preparing the pan and
• 2 2 2 . Seasoning the meat.
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• Now the steak:
• to to are heating the pan, make sure your steak has been taken out of the refrigerator and allowed to warm up to room temperature. Season the steak with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper (this is my steak rub).

Preparation

Step 1

Now the grand finale:
1. Place your steak, oiled side down, in the heated pan while still on the burner. DO NOT touch the steak for at least 1 1/2 to 2 minutes while it is searing. The meat and seasonings will form a crust and the steak with slightly separate from the pan.

2. With a pair of tongs, flip the steak once and allow the other side to sear for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

3. After searing the second side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, remove the pan from the stovetop and place under the pre-heated broiler. The time you leave it under the broiler depends on how well done you want your steak. Five to six minutes should be adequate for a 1 1/2 inch steak to be cooked medium rare. Cook it longer or shorter to your liking.

The drippings in the pan make a great base for a red wine sauce, but I tend to enjoy my steaks plain or with my bleu cheese butter. A close second is chimi churri sauce.
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REVIEWS:

I tried your recipe for the S in a CIS. Being an improvisational cook I modified slightly (marinated steak in EVOO and spices while bringing it to room temp), plus my steaks were about 1″ thick so I cut the time a bit. I got a very tender medium steak, I like med rare, but hey for a first try, not bad at all! I have only tried searing really thick lamb chops prior to broiling prior to this searing and broiling technique in a CIS.

OMG! This is so good! I am emailing you as my husband and I eat this delicious meal. Thank you so much for the inspiration.

I stumbled across your site yesterday when I was looking for a good Steak Recipe. I never have heard of using the cast iron skillet to cook a steak. I will admit that I will be using your method from here on out. It was beyond words and the wife and kids loved it.

I happened on your site while looking for instructions on cooking a steak on top of the stove. I tried your recommendations, and the steak was fabulous!!

My wife bought me a iron skillet today and I tried out your recipe. It will be the last time I grill a steak ever. It came out better than I expected. Thanks so much for your posting.

I’ve tried your method a few times but I get a lot of smoke when I do it (I’ve set off the smoke detectors every time) Do you have any tips?

Hey, I’ve got a lot of smoke in my apartment as well! One time the whole building was set off. The first time I did it was my brand new cast iron p[an it was fine, but then after that it was very very very smokey and the steak burnt, any advice?\

SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!!!! Yes, smokey, but definitely worth it. You can clean your cast iron skillet with oil and salt while it’s warm.

Followed your instructions to a “T”. Hot skillet, steak rub, olive oil spray. Steak was great. Did not return to oven as I like mine on the rare side. The only problem was when I tossed that slab of cow into the skillet. Holly Molley. Alabama wild fire. No fire but enought smoke to supply the whole neighborhood with bug spray for a year. Turned the attic fan on super high and yanked the battery out of the smoke detector. Didn’t really mind the smoke that much but will be washing curtains for days. What itty bitty fact did I overlook?

This is a great recipe! Both I and my boyfriend (who’s family is originally from Chalmette) love this recipe. I’m from the Midwest, and we like our steaks there. BUT this is the easiest and tastiest way to prepare a steak.

We also tried a similar technique with chicken and got an amazing result.

Hey guys, unfortunately the smoke is a necessary side effect of the process and cannot be prevented. I guess it means you did it right. When I lived in a shotgun house uptown, it was easy – open the front and back doors and let nature take its course. In my home now, it means opening doors and windows. The other option is to use a propane burner and do it outside, which will keep the smoke out of your house (like the burner you use for your turkey fryer or crawfish pot). Just heat up the cast iron skillet on the burner, sear your steak and then transfer it to a sheet pan and finish in the oven or under the broiler. That’s it!

Love this recipe! And you’re right about the smoke in a shotgun- works perfectly!! Anyway, I was just wondering if you’d mind posting the recipe for your rub? I can’t consistently get a good mix, and was hoping you’d share yours… :)

Your recipe is right on. I have been cooking steaks in a CIS for sometime and they are so good. I too, have not used my grill in a long time. I add a stick of butter to the skillet just as I put it in the oven. After the steaks are done, I add a little garlic powder to the melted butter and meat drippings to make a great sauce for the steak. I never knew what I was missing until I started cooking steaks using the CIS.

One of the best steak I have ever cooked !!!!!

I have been cooking steaks on a cast iron skillet for a while but I have a little different twist that I’ve added. I cook on my Weber Grill. Initially I place my skillet directly over hot charcoal during the searing stage. Then I move the skillet to the side of the grill (away from the direct charcoal flame) and place the cover on the grill so the steak is able to “bake” and get smoked by the charcoal until it is done. The advantages would be that you don’t have to suffer from smoke in your house plus that steak has that great charcoal flavor (without getting burned, as they usually would when cooking on a charcoal grill) The steak is flavorful and much more moist than I’ve ever experienced. If your standard of a good steak is Ruth Chris, I think this is better (just add butter).

I just made this with an electric stove! We just moved and wil be replacing it with a gas stove eventually, but this worked fine. Thanks for the recipe! I put a bit of Worcestershire sauce on the steak for a marinade, then used sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and some Creole seasoning for a rub. Used olive oil and butter in the pan; it was delicious! A bit smoky, but that’s what the fan is for…nice alternative for when the grill is not an option (it is pouring rain out). Thanks again.

I also made this tonight using an electric stove – first time I’ve ever tried cooking a steak in a skillet. Marvelous; I may never order one out again. Thanks so much!

Very good steak as the searing locks in juices and flavor. Careful not to salt too soon as salt will draw moisture out of the meat. As far as the smoke, try using peanut oil as it has a higher tolerance for heat. LIGHTLY coat the pan before and after each use to keep it fairly non-stick as the oil “soaks” into the iron making it “seasoned”. Hope this helps. Thanks for the recipe and keep in mind that once that skillet is hot and has all those juicy flavors it is a great place to sear vegetables or wilt some greens.

I’ve always wanted to grill steaks since I came from Ruth Chris & this works great… The only problem is the smoke, but I make sure I remove the smoke detector, open the sliding door, & turn on all my fans…

What’s the distance between your broiler and the steak? Mine is pretty close so I’m concerned about it being crisped while under.

For those who are having problems with smoke it is probably because you are using too high a heat for olive oil. Every oil has a “smoke point.” Either cook it at a lower temperature or use a different oil. If you do a search on youtube for the Good Eats Season 1 Episode 1 (Part 2), Alton Brown discusses the smoke points relative to different oils.

Great recipe! tried last night, (T-Bones) and was perfect. wife enjoyed a lot! Thanks for a great and lasting lesson!

Sweeeeeeeet! Me and my wife are never paying for expensive steaks at restaurants again. We got $4 New York steaks at the grocery store and this tasted amazing. Thanks so much for this!

So good! Thanks for posting we will never grill a steak again!!!

Thanks to you, I’ve made another CIS masterpiece tonight. Four years ago, I found your life-changing (okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but still true) recipe for “Cooking Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet.” Since then, I’ve made countless restaurant-quality steaks and porkchops in my humble little kitchen – smoke ‘n all. Not only are they delicious, they’re beautiful to look at. On the outside, the searing gives the meat that wonderful crusty seared look. Inside, the meat is deliciously juicy and tender. Mastro’s couldn’t do a better job. Thank you so much for posting your priceless recipe.

I have been using this method of cooking steaks & filets, for years. I have replaced olive oil, and have been using avocado oil that has a smoke point of 500 degrees F, and always cook at 475 degrees F, I don’t use the broiler at all, just sear 2 min each side, then bake for app. 5 to 6 minutes, at 475 F. I then plate on warmed plate and let rest 5 minutes. During this resting time I make a wine sauce , using the uncleaned pan used from cooking with all the drippings, and add beef stock, red wine, and the key ingredient, beef Demi-Glace ->>> available at wegmans, or online. I scrape the bits of beef from the bottom of the pan left from searing, and bring to a light boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.I then drizzle the sauce over the top of the beef. This sauce will add a gourmet touch to your steak, the taste will be greatly enhanced by the Demi -Glace sauce.It will be that of a top notch restaurant.

I made this tonight with my new CIS. I thought it was great. I wish I added a little more spice - I was cautious bc I didnt want to overpower the steak. Did have a lot of smoke. Still there after quite some time - I’m trying to SEE, Lol

I’m a little hesitant to try this. I’m worried about the thermal shock of putting a 500″ cast iron skillet on my glass, smooth-top range. I don’t know that it can handle a sudden 500 degree thermal gradient. Well, 430 degree gradient considering the ambient. Anyone try this on a glass top? - Ok, tried my own experiment last night. Instead of heating the skillet to 500 degrees, I put it on the larger burner on high for 10-15 minutes to come to temperature and heated the oven to 500F. I seared the steaks. Learn from my mistakes–I wouldn’t use a marinade such as Montreal Steak Marinade. My whole house was full of pea soup-think smoke. With the marinade, 2 minutes per side was too long. Then I threw them in the oven. I had 3 steaks and I checked every several minutes with a quick read temperature probe as we had 3 requests for doneness. The medium rare I took out when it measured 125F. Medium rare is really 130 but the core continues to heat up by about 5 degrees so watch the overshoot. The medium I took at out at 130. The well done I took out at 145. I haven’t cooked steaks since I got my probe thermometer but I’ve never made such perfectly done steaks. Nice crust. The cast iron skillet was a mess though, thick char. I poured a little vegetable oil and salt into it, set it on a warm burner and scoured with a paper towel. Did this 6-8 times to get it clean. Some of the thick char, I had to scrape off with a metal utensil.

I can’t believe how great this recipe was. I am a 31 yo male and my wife is vegetarian. I love steak and its a rarity in the house. No bbq since real good ones are a pain and hastle to work. Went and got a big cast iron skillet, bought 5.99 worth of tri tip. and did the deed. Came out bloody so I doubled time in broiler, think thats why it came out a little tough. Awesome anyway. Looking forward to such a quick way to make steakhouse food!

For those having issues with smoke – try canola or vegetable oil instead of olive oil. Olive oil has a low flash point and starts to smoke at much lower temperatures than the other oils. You can even try omitting the oil altogether.