Pan Seared Steak (From Alton Brown)

By Addie

"This might even be better than grilling and is just as easy! (No joke!) Super tender, super juicy, super flavorful! Can't go wrong with Alton Brown! Note: Cooking time includes time to bring steaks to room temperature."

Ingredients

• 1 rib eye steaks or 2 New York strip steaks, 1 1/2-inch thick
• Vegetable oil, to coat
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Remove steak(s) from fridge and start bringing them to room temperature.

After 30 to 45 minutes, place a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees F.

When oven reaches temperature, remove the pan and place it on a burner over high heat.

Coat steak(s) lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak(s) in the middle of the hot, dry pan. Cook 30 to 60 seconds without moving. Turn the steak(s) with tongs and cook another 30 to 60 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Flip steak(s) and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. (The time in the oven depends on how rare you like your steaks. The time given is for medium, but depends on number of steaks, etc. as well.)

Remove the steak(s) from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes.

Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.
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REVIEWS:

Fantastic! I am a steak SNOB, and only looked this up because it started raining just as I was about to grill. I dont have a cast iron Skillet, so i just used a nonstick pan to sear it, and then put it in a metal pan to put in the oven. PERFECT Medium rare.

Loved it! Had an 8 oz. tenderloin (about 1 inch thick), did the minute on each side, then 1.5 on each side in the oven. Perfect medium rare! DH says best steak I ever made, and I agree.

This is the only way we make our steaks at home. In fact, after doing this for years now, we no longer order steaks out, because they aren't as tender and tasty. Just be prepared for the smoke detectors to go off when you drop the steak into the pan. At least they always do at our house. :)

Perfect steak! This will be my "go-to" steak method from now on. Thanks for posting it here

Very easy. Steak came out perfect.

No apologies here. I love a good steak! I tried this one in a cast iron skillet and was very pleased. Simple prep, simple cook, and great taste. Thanks Dwynnie for a nice keeper.

This worked out just great. I had used another method before, where I did the whole thing on top of the stove and the smoke was terrible. This way, this was there was barely any smoke. I am so proud I can cook steak. Thanks for posting

Fantastic! Plain and simple. This is the way to do a steak!

Just amazing..saw ddpd's review and just had to try this method sice I have a extremely well seasoned cast iron skillet (probabaly a good 35 yrs of constant use and seasoning) THIS will be the way I do my steaks from now on.

I made this and it was amazing! Best steak I've had in a long time. With just salt, pepper, and some oil, the flavor of the steak really had a chance to shine.

This is a wonderful recipe. The steaks come out perfect! Thanks for sharing.

This was a great way to cook steaks. They turned out wonderful and tender. I might even make our steaks this way in the summer just because it is so easy! Thank you. I love Alton Brown and all of his recipes.

Have used this method many times since watching Alton do it on TV. The results are always outstanding once you get the timing down. My only complaint is the smoke. Not reason enough to abandon this method though. Alton knows his stuff.

We used this for 1 1/2" thick pork chops and they came out fantastic! I would say that it is better than grilling on the BBQ!

Holy cow was this ever tasty! Cooked just right and so easy to make. DH has rated this an excellent-which hardly ever happens! I'll be adding this to my dinnertime recipe rotation. Thanks for posting this recipe!

100 Stars. Seriously. I have never cooked a good steak at home. Ever. And steak is my favorite food. The simplicity is awesome and the taste is fantastic. My steak was cooked as stated for a perfect medium. Hubby likes his well, so I left in another 2 mins. I used 1.5 inch strip steaks. Ohhh that was so good.

I have practied this way of cooking steaks (typically filet mignon) since I watched Alton Brown's tutorial on Good Eats several years ago. This results in a truly restaurant-quality steak that would easily cost $$$$ at Fleming's or Morten's. It took a couple of tries to get them to my liking of rare-medium rare....but well worth the "trial and error". Make sure not to skimp on the Kosher salt... it is one of the keys to the success of this recipe. I sometimes pair the steaks with Ina Garten's gorgonzola sauce (Recipezaar #58072)...it is "to die for"...takes a bit of time, but well worth it!

This is a wonderful recipe for rib eye steaks. I've been using it for several months now. I cooked 1/2 inch steaks about 3 min. per side in the oven for well-done. Wonderful flavor and juicy.

Absolutely perfect steak! I have been searing steaks in an iron skillet for a while now, however, had not utilized the oven. The oven provides for a more even center. I cooked 3 minutes per side in the oven for a perfect medium rare. It does smoke up in the oven so just be aware. So much easier than climbing over my snow mounds to get to the grill :)

This has to be my new favorite way to make steak. Extremely easy, with fantastic results...we'll be using this recipe often. Alton Brown ROCKS!!

This is my favorite way to cook steak, it comes out juicy and perfect everytime!

Our steaks turned out so tender and juicy. I had a wee bit of trouble getting my timing right as some steaks were thicker than others, but I got it eventually. This is a really good way to cook steak when the weather is cold and there is two feet of snow outside your door. Just a warning with regard to the cast iron pan - use a really thick oven mitt when lifting the pan from the oven. The heat went right thru my oven mitt and I got a nasty burn on my fingers. Thx for posting this, I will make this again.

What a great way to cook steak. Came out nice and seared on the outside and perfectly pink and tender on the inside. I will be using this way to make steak from now on. I used sea salt and fresh cracked pepper! Talk about good!

My husband, who would never lower his standards to eat a steak that wasn't grilled, loved this. He was surprised I was able to pull it off. Thanks Alton and Dwynn ;-)

WOW! These steaks were great. I had N.Y. boneless strip steaks and they were succulent. Cooked for 3 minutes and they were perfect. Thanks so much for sharing this one.

Made this last night as usual followed the recipe to a t! I seared the steaks (new yorks from a local butcher) and then baked them for 3 mins. they were perfectly med-rare and oh so yummy and easy. Thanks, it makes grilling a little easier during the winter in the Pacific NW.

WHOA HORSIE! Finally, the perfect technique that combines the use of stove top with oven, resulting in a perfectly cooked (and highly respected) hunk of beef. I used a 1 1/2 inch filet mignon which, because it was enough for the two of us, I butterflied AFTER cooking. Honestly, it was perfect. Alton, I love you!.... and Dwynnie, you ain't so bad yerself. :) Thank you for sharing this one!

Awesome! If I could rate it higher I would. My husband and I are very picky about how our steak is prepared, and this recipe did not dissapoint. It has changed the way I cook steak from now

You can't go wrong with an Alton Brown recipe and this one is no exception! My New York Strip steaks were 3/4 " thick, so I followed jlhicks119 advise and cut the oven time to 1 minute per side and they were a perfect medium-rare. Really easy and really delicious! Thank's for posting!

DH was very impressed with this, so I was happy. I have to agree; this was delicious. And so easy, too! My steaks were only 3/4" thick, so I cut the oven time down to 1 minute per side, and they came out a perfect medium-rare. Delicious!

I agree and so does my hubby who is a grilling fanatic. Easy, and truly, truly exceptional. Thanks for posting