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How to Cook a Great Steak!

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A Little Personal History:

Note: This how-to is still in draft, published for collaborative purposes. Have any tips to share? Visit our Facebook page “How to Cook a Great Steak” as well!

What can I say, I wasn’t born vegetarian and I do love a great steak!

However, sometimes you don’t have a beautifully marbled Rib Eye, New York Strip, Fillet or Grill handy.  Or perhaps you do but it’s freezing outside and raining or snowing sideways and NOW WAY you’re bracing the elements!!

Time to cook inside ! Here’s what I’ve learned over the years whether you’re cooking outside on the grill or within the confines of your cozy abode … regardless cut of meat.

Description:

Whether a great cut of meat or something more ordinary, you never want to screw up cooking a steak! With this little how-to guide I hope you never will ;-)

Categories: Meat, How-To
Servings: 1-??? servings
Time: – Preparation: – Cooking: – Refrigeration:
Equipment: It all depends …
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • The best cut of steak you can get your hands on, however you can do wonders with less expensive cuts and time :-)
  • Marinade, oils and/or seasonings of your choice

Toppings (Optional):

  • Seasoned Butter, Bearnaise, Gravy, Lobster, Shrimp, Bacon Wrapped, Sauteed Mushrooms or other Vegetables, etc. Use your imagination!

Procedure:

How to Cook a Steak for Maximum Juiciness

When you think of cooking steak, grilling is the method that most often comes to mind. However, for those cold or rainy days the simple household oven provides a variety of alternatives to grilling. Steaks can be roasted, broiled, or braised in an oven. They can even be pan fried or boiled on a stove top. Preparing your meat in a “non-grill” method allows for greater control over the heat which can result in a more uniformly cooked steak. Just a couple caveats:

  • Your steak should be at room temperature before you start cooking it and if it is wet pat dry  with towels, especially if you intend to marinade.
  • Choose a good quality steak i.e. USDA Prime New York strip, Rib Eye, Porterhouse, Filet, which is at least 1 1/2 inches thick as anything thinner risks drying out after cooking.

How to Grill a Steak

When the stars align and it’s a perfect time to grill a steak on the outdoor grill, here the steps to a great steak everytime.

  • The first thing to do is to trim excess fat off the steak with a sharp knife.
  • 1) Either marinate your steak with your best steak marinade or 2) steak rub or 3) brush some olive oil on it.
  • Preheat the grill at least fifteen minutes before cooking to 500 – 600 degrees F. This high temperature will sear the outside of the steak and keep it juicy.
  • Grill for five minutes on one side and then flip it over.
  • When both sides are seared, move your steak to a cooler part of the grill to finish off to desired temperature. You can make a quarter turn halfway through the cooking time for each side to create those lovely looking grill marks on the steak.
  • Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes.  However, as with most BBQs you entertain, by the time you serve them and your guest cut into their steak, 5 minutes has usually passed.

How to Skillet Cook a Steak – Stove Top Style

While steaks shouldn’t be less than 1 inch thick to avoid drying out during cooking, if you must cook a thin steak, the stove top method is a good way to do it.

  • Preheat skillet (preferably an iron skillet with a ribbed base) to medium high for fifteen minutes.
  • Brush your steak with olive oil and season with your favorite steak rub or salt and pepper.
  • Cook your steak, flipping it once, until it is done to your liking.
  • If you are using a steak thicker than 1 inch you might want to consider cooking it in the oven at 375 degrees F instead for four or five minutes.
  • Leave the steak to rest for 3-5 minutes to let the juices redistribute.

How to Roast a Steak in the Oven

When cooking steak this way, its important to sear the outside of the meat. This locks in the juices during the roasting (aka baking) process while providing the proper “grilled” appearance, Keep in mind you will not need to flip the steak half way through as it will cook through with this process.

  • Preheat oven to 375 F
  • For a perfect sear, over medium high, heat an oven proof skillet on the stove top until water evaporates upon touching it.
  • Put your oiled and seasoned steak in the pan and sear each side for two to three minutes.
  •  Transfer the skillet with steak to the preheated oven and cook until the desired doneness is a achieved. For a 1 3/4 inch steak:
    • After twelve minutes steak will be rare.
    • For medium rare, cook for fourteen minutes.
    • A medium steak with take seventeen minutes.
    • Cook twenty two minutes for medium well.
    • Add a minute cooking time for each additional inch of thickness.
  • Leave the steak to rest for five minutes to let the juices redistribute.

How to Broil a Steak

Broiling steak is a popular way restaurants and steak houses prepare steaks for their patrons.

  • First, make sure your top oven rack is in the position closest to the broiler.
  • Preset your oven’s broiler to its highest temperature or “Broil”. The key is to make sure the top heating elements are fired up and ready to go.
  • While you are waiting for it to heat up, take an oven safe skillet or pan (preferably an iron skillet with a ribbed base) and heat it on the stove-top on your burner’s highest setting.
  • After five minutes, put your seasoned, oiled steak in the skillet, transfer to the oven, under the broiler. Leave the oven door ajar so it does not overheat when you are broiling your steaks (it’s also a great way to keep your kitchen toasty warm during the winter season :-) .
  • Cook for four minutes on each side for a rare steak.

Remember, the steak will continue to cook even after you remove it from the oven so don’t overdo them in there.

How to Braise a Steak

Braised Brisket

This is a great way to cook less expensive cuts of meat (chuck, brisket, shoulder) with lots of connective tissue. The low-heat slow cooking process, melts away the fat which then tenderizes the rest of the meat.
  • In a crock-pot or large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid , brown your meat in olive oil.
  • Add enough braising liquid (wine, beef stock, beer, vegetable juice) to cover your meat and simmer while your oven heats to 300 F degrees. You can also add some vegetables and seasonings as well (i.e. sliced carrots, onions, potatoes, spices, etc)
  • When the oven has reached the appropriate temperature, cover the stock pot and put it inside the oven.
  • Cook until all the fat has been rendered and the meat is fork tender. As long as there is enough braising liquid in the pot, it will not dry out.

How to “Sous Vide” a Steak

Note: To be done

Reference:

A Practical Guide to Sous Vide

How to Stir Fry a Steak

Note: To Be Done

Reference:

How to stir-fry beef – Gordon Ramsay

Advanced Preparation:

  • Other than freezing, get those steaks out, bring to room temperature and start cooking!!

Tips, Notes, and Variations:

  • Many different steak marinade recipes compliment the naturally great flavor of strip steak
    • If you are experimenting with easy steak marinades, you might like to try broiled New York strip steak. however:
      • Don’t use salt in your marinade recipe because it can dry the steak out while it is cooking.
      •  If you’re going to marinate , you will only need to marinate it for an hour or two.
      • If you are not using a steak marinade recipe, you can simply brush some oil over your steaks to keep them moist while cooking.
  • For all cooking methods, other than braising, leave the steak to rest for five minutes to let the juices redistribute. If you cut into the steak, immediately the juices will run out and the steak will be dry.
  • For some great steak recipes checkout http://www.cluboffive.org/tag/steak/

Beef Charts: Cuts, Cooking Times and Temperatures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking Times & Temperatures

Resource:  Recipetips.com

The proper beef cooking times and the correct beef cooking temperatures are extremely important. The optimum flavor and tenderness of various cuts of beef can be consistently achieved when care is taken to follow the recommended time and temperature guidelines for cooking beef.

Using the recommended time and temperature guidelines will ensure that the meat is cooked to the minimum safe internal temperature, which is critical in avoiding food-borne illness that can be caused by undercooked food. Using an accurate meat thermometer is the best way to ensure proper beef doneness.

Whether you are looking for an eye round roast cooking time or a beef tenderloin cooking time, use the following chart as a guide for any roast beef cooking time and cooking temperature. The chart can be used for beef cuts that are oven roasted, pan fried, pan broiled, oven broiled, grilled, or are inserted into an oven bag prior to roasting.

BEEF Cooking Times And Temperatures

Oven Baked Or Roasted Beef
Beef Cut Oven
Temperature		 Weight
(pounds)		 Approximate Cooking Time (minutes per pound)
Rare
(140°F)		 Medium-rare
(145°F)		 Medium
(160°F)		 Medium-well
(165°F)		 Well Done
(170°F)
Standing rib (ribs
6-7 inches long)		 300-325°F 6-8 lbs. 23-25 min. 24-28 min. 27-30 min. 28-34 min 32-35 min
Rib roast (chine
bone removed)		 350°F 4-6 lbs. 18-22 min. 22-26 min. 28-34 min. 34-36 min. 36-38 min.
6-8 lbs. 15-18 min. 18-22 min. 22-28 min. 28-30 min. 30-32 min.
Rib eye roast 350°F 4-6 lbs. 18-20 min. 20-22 min. 20-24 min. 22-24 min. 22-26 min.
Eye round roast 325°F 2-3 lbs. 35-38 min. 35-45 min. 45-53 min. 45-60 min. 55-68 min.
Round tip roast 325°F 3-4 lbs. 28-30 min. 30-35 min. 38-45 min. 45-48 min. 48-50 min.
6-8 lbs. 16-18 min. 18-20 min. 23-25 min. 25-28 min. 28-30 min.
Sirloin tip 300-325°F 3 1/2-4 lbs. 35 min. 36 min. 38 min. 39 min. 40 min.
Rolled rib 300-325°F 5-7 lbs. 32 min. 35 min. 38 min. 43 min. 48 min.
Rolled rump 300-325°F 4-6 lbs. 25 min. 26 min. 28 min. 29 min. 30 min.
Whole tenderloin 425°F 4-5 lbs. 45-60
min. total		 50-60
min. total		 60-70
min. total
Half tenderloin 425°F 2-3 lbs. 35-40
min. total		 45-50
min. total
Meatloaf 350°F 1 1/2 lbs. 75 min. total
Note: Start with meat at refrigerated temperature. Remove the meat from the oven when it reaches
5° to 10°F below the desired doneness; the temperature will continue to rise as the meat stands.

Pan Fried Beef
Beef Cut Thickness Approximate Cooking Time (total time)
Rare
(140°F)		 Medium-rare
(145°F)		 Medium
(160°F)		 Medium-well
(165°F)		 Well Done
(170°F)
Cube steak 1/2 inch 6-8 min.
Steak 1 inch 8-11 min. 11-12 min. 12-14 min. 14-15 min. 15-17 min.

Pan Broiled Beef
Beef Cut Thickness Approximate Cooking Time (total time)
Rare
(140°F)		 Medium-rare
(145°F)		 Medium
(160°F)		 Medium-well
(165°F)		 Well Done
(170°F)
Cube steak 1/2 inch 5-8 min.
Rib eye steak 1 inch 15 min. 20 min.
1 1/2 inches 25 min. 30 min.
2 inches 35 min. 45 min.
Porterhouse steak 1 inch 20 min. 25 min.
1 1/2 inches 30 min. 35 min.
2 inches 40 min. 45 min.
Chuck blade steak 3/4 inch 14 min. 20 min.
1 inch 20 min. 25 min.
1 1/2 inches 35 min. 40 min.
Tenderloin steak 1 inch 10 min. 15 min.
1 1/2 inches 15 min. 20 min.
Sirloin steak 1 inch 20 min. 25 min.
1 1/2 inches 30 min. 35 min.
2 inches 40 min. 45 min.
Top loin steak 1 inch 15 min. 20 min.
1 1/2 inches 25 min. 30 min.
2 inches 35 min. 45 min.
Top round 1 inch 20 min. 30 min.
1 1/2 inches 30 min. 35 min.
Flank steak 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. 12 min. 14 min.
Hamburger patty* 1 inch 8 min. 12 min.

Oven Broiled Beef
Beef Cut Thickness Approximate Cooking Time (for each side)
Rare
(140°F)		 Medium-rare
(145°F)		 Medium
(160°F)		 Medium-well
(165°F)		 Well Done
(170°F)
Steak 1 inch 5 min. 6 min. 8 min.
Steak 2 inches 16 min. 18 min. 20 min.

Beef Grilled With Medium-High Heat
Beef Cut Thickness/Weight Approximate Cooking Time (for each side )
Rare
(140°F)*		 Medium-rare
(145°F)*		 Medium
(160°F)		 Medium-well
(165°F)		 Well Done
(170°F)
Rib eye 3/4 inch 5-7 min. 6-8 min. 7-9 min. 8-10 min. 9-11 min.
New York strip 1 inch 8-10 min. 9-11 min. 10-12 min. 11-13 min. 12-14 min.
Flank steak 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. 10-15 min. 14-18 min. 15-19 min.
Steaks
(Porterhouse, rib, ribeye, sirloin, T-bone, tenderloin, top loin)		 1 inch 6-7 min. 6-8 min. 7-9 min. 8-10 min. 9-11 min.
1 1/2 inches 10-12 min. 11-13 min. 12-15 min. 14-18 min. 15-19 min.
2 inches 15-17 min. 16-18 min. 17-19 min. 18-20 min. 19-22 min.
Ribs (back) cut in 1-rib portions 10 min.
Tenderloin Half: 2-3 lbs. 10-12 min.
Whole: 4-6 lbs. 12-15 min.
Hamburger patty* 1 inch thick/6-oz 4 min. 5 min. 6 min. 7 min. 8 min.
*Note: Hamburgers should be cooked to at least 160°F to reduce the risk of food-borne
illnesses in small children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
Note: When grilling with Indirect Heat generally the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a high heat. When grilling withDirect Heat the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a medium heat. Use these heat settings unless you have a recipe that states something different. See how to test the grill temperature.
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December 9th, 2011 | Tags: , | Category: Cookbook, Cooking Tips and Tricks, Dinner, Late Night, Meat Game | Leave a comment

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