Pan Seared Steak (From Alton Brown)

"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."
 
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photo by lazyme
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Ready In:
1hr 15mins
Ingredients:
3
Serves:
2
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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
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directions

  • 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.

Questions & Replies

  1. Hey guys, just wanted to make sure. When you put the steak in the oven after searing is the temperature of the oven still supposed to be 500 degrees? It seemed pretty high for me.
     
  2. It smoked out my house like crazy! Did I do something wrong? I used olive oil on my steaks..
     
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Reviews

  1. 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.
     
  2. 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. :)
     
  3. 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.
     
  4. 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 Flemings or Mortens. 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!
     
  5. OMG! I had been looking for the perfect grilled steak...and I think that I've found it. Yes, of course, I tweaked the time in the oven down to 3 minutes (total time) at 425 degrees, simply because I had a 1" cut of meat (which was perfect for me) and...lo and behold...the perfect medium well steak. I'm in love, Alton Brown! Thank you! Bon Apetit!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Temp at 425 for a thinner (1/2") steak. Still seared on high heat using a gas stove/range. Also topped with goat cheese for extra yum factor.
     
  2. I’m a little shocked. This contradicts the Alton Brown’s recipe in several places, and not for the better. The Alton Brown’s recipe specifically calls for canola oil. At least one person has commented they smoked up their house using olive oil. A mistake they would not have made If the original recipe were used. Alton Brown calls for 30 seconds east side on the stove top. Followed by two minutes a side for medium Steaks. The times as given are a recipe for leather. If you’re going to copy someone else’s recipe, at least do it correctly.
     
  3. At the end (on high heat) I put a couple table spoons of clarified butter in the pan then add chopped or sliced garlic, a few sprigs of thyme and sliced mushrooms for a couple minutes. Put the steak back in the pan and baste with the butter then plate the steak and pour the mushroom/butter/garlic sauce over the steak an let it rest.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>My name is Karen and I live West of Chicago (on the edge of no where!) with my DH, our two German Shepherds, and our two daughters. I love to golf, garden (except for the weeding!), am addicted to romance novels (and good science fiction), and I love to bake--usually cakes from scratch when I have the time! Since getting married, I have been cooking a lot more and am having a lot of fun trying new recipes! And&nbsp;now that I have two little ones, the&nbsp;slow cooker is my friend!&nbsp; The girls take a lot of time, but they are worth it!<br /><br />The dogs are my babies too--though they are about as big as I am! &nbsp;It has been a bit of a challenge at times, as&nbsp;they both have severe hip dysplasia, but they are great dogs and I have learned so much about arthritis! I have also learned a lot about cancer, as our female was diagnosed with bone cancer.&nbsp; She is now on three, but doing great post-chemo.&nbsp; They are both&nbsp;great with the kids and love to ***** little hands and feet! and noses! and ears! and...! <br /><br />I participated in the 2006 Fall PAC--and what a great game/program/thing! So much fun! <br /><br /><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/untitled.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting" /> <br /><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/200_artistrichardneuman-art-prints_.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting" /></p>
 
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