How To Cast Iron Skillet Archives

Posted on by SteakEat

How to Cook Chuck Steak in Cast Iron Skillet Juicy & Tender

So you want to cook a chuck steak in a cast iron skillet.

Yes? Well, you’re on the right website!

Here I will give you a detailed step-by-step tutorial of cooking the perfect, mouthwatering chuck steak which will be bound to earn you dozens of compliments from your loved ones.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

How To Cook Chuck Steak in Cast Iron Skillet in 6 Steps

Step 1: Before searing chuck steak in cast iron skillet, pat it dry with paper towels – it helps with browning of the surface and development of extra flavor as a result.

Once you’ve done that, lightly coat both sides of the steak with olive/coconut oil. The oil will act as a lubricant to transfer the heat from the pan to the meat as quickly as possible.

Step 2: Now season the steak. Sprinkle it with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. If you want to get a boost of flavor, you should add some dried herbs.

Parsley, thyme or rosemary can give that extra kick to your steak when used a dry rub.

However, be careful! If you use too much of the herbs, they might overpower the taste completely. Not even talking about them burning on the pan…

Keep the seasonings light. After all, we want to maximize the flavor of our chuck steak itself.

Tip: You may discover that pepper burns at a very high temperature and results in a charred flavor. If that’s the case and it bothers you, use freshly-ground pepper right after the steak is finished cooking as opposed to doing it when it’s raw.

Step 3: Preheat the cast iron skillet. You don’t need to put any additional oil in it as all the oil you need is already on the chuck steak.

Let the steak sizzle for about 2- 3 minutes until you get a good brown color. Don’t let the steak burn and flip it quickly to the other.

Tip: Cast iron skillets, especially the ones that were just bought recently, tend to be quite sticky. So when you put the steak inside, move it slightly and unstick it from the skillet’s surface (you will feel that it did stick). Then leave it as it is – it won’t stick any further.

Step 4: If you like your steak rare, you can take it off the skillet and onto a serving dish to be eaten straight way.

If you are looking for a nice, juicy tender chuck steak, then you should transfer the skillet to a preheated oven to cook some more.

The temperature of the preheated oven should be set to 130C / 260 degrees Fahrenheit. It might seem a bit low, but chuck steak is quite tough, so I want it to be as tender as possible thus such a low temperature is ideal. The slower you cook it, the more tender it stays.

Step 5: Before closing the lid of the oven, drop a small pat of butter on top of the steak. When the butter melts, it will give your steak a nice caramelized flavor.

Keep the steak in the oven until it reaches a temperature of about 55C / 130F. You can check the temperature by using a meat thermometer.

Check this cooking times guide and ways of checking steak doneness for help.

Step 6: If you think that the steak doesn’t look very appealing on its own and you want a sauce to give it that complete look, you can easily make a delicious one in no time at all.

Once you’ve taken your cooked steak out of the pan, set it aside.

Now in that still flaming hot pan (which, by the way, you would be wise to handle with oven mitts), throw in:

½ cup of shallots
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup freshly chopped herbs ( parsley, oregano, thyme- your choice!)
2 crushed garlic cloves

Stir everything and once the sauce thickens a bit, pour out the sauce on the steak and you are good to go!

Cooking a chuck steak on a cast iron skillet is not a difficult process at all.

If you follow the above-mentioned steps carefully, you are bound to get a flavorful dish out that you will surely want to cook again and again.

Since the chuck is tough piece of meat, it will be better to cook the steak in the oven after you are done cooking it on the skillet.

This is a wholesome and healthy meal and full of nutrition.

I recommend you to serve the chuck steak with vegetables and healthy starches. These can include baked sweet potatoes as well baked carrots and celery.

Moreover, you can always experiment with the ingredients for the sauce. Instead of using red wine, you can also choose white wine or beef broth.

Explore!

Posted on by SteakEat

Cooking New York Strip Steak In Cast Iron Skillet So It’s Tender

The New York strip steak is one of the best cuts of beef there is and I love it. Its juicy and tender with just a little bit of chew and plenty of lasting flavor.

Cut from the short loin, the New York strip has fat marbled throughout, keeping it moist and making easy to prepare and cook, without worrying about it drying out.

There are lots of ways to cook this cut of steak, with a cast iron skillet being one of the most popular to give that restaurant steak taste.

Strip steak is great for marinating or using rubs but is often best cooked with a simple salt and pepper seasoning.

Keep it simple – I am here to tell you how you can cook New York strip steak in a cast iron skillet without any fuss but with lots of flavor.

Ready? 😉

How to Cook New York Strip Steak in Cast iron Skillet

NY strip is not really a tough cut but you can still make it a little more tender by using a needle meat tenderizer like this. There are other meat tenderizers you can have a look at.

1. Bring your Steak to Room Temperature. First step is to prepare your steak by taking it out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.

Allowing the steak to warm through will ensure that when you add it to the pan it will not cool the pan down too much. If the pan cools down, it would lead to an uneven cooking that will make your steak look pale and sweaty, eeek!

Most experts will tell you to leave your steak out for 20 minutes but often with a strip steak this is not long enough due to its thickness. I prefer to leave mine out for around 40 minutes and find it is definitely worth the wait.

2. Heat up Your Skillet. Whilst your steak is warming up, it is time to prepare your skillet. You need to ensure your skillet is smoking hot, the hotter the better.

You may want to add a drop of cooking oil (coconut oil is ideal) into your skillet but if you have a good quality skillet that will not stick, it is fine to add the steak straight to the pan.

If you have marinated your steak in oil then there is definitely no need to add extra to the pan. If your pan handle tends to get hot then you will want to make sure you have an oven mitt to hand.

Remember to generously cover NY strip with Kosher/flaked salt right before searing it. Leave the pepper till after it’s done to avoid the burnt flavor. Avoid using table salt, since it’s very easy to overdo with…

3. Get Sizzling. Once your steak has rested and your skillet is smoking hot it’s time to get sizzling.

Some people worry how long to cook strip steak in a skillet as they worry it may become too tough, but follow these instructions and you will be fine.

You will want to place your steak into the centre of the skillet, taking care to not to let the oil splash on to any exposed skin.

The steak will brown quite quickly and depending on the thickness of the steak will cook to a medium finish in approximately 4 minutes on each side. For a medium-rare steak, 2-3 minutes either side will do it. Due to the amount of smoke coming from the skillet you may be worried about the steak becoming too dark or could think it is burning but it will be fine, trust me! (Just remember to open the window, so that your alarm doesn’t go off)

For those wanting a well done steak you should cook the steak in the skillet for 2 minutes either side, to get it nice and brown then transfer to the oven for 10-15 minutes ( preheated to 300 degrees F). Cooking steak on the stove and then finishing it in the oven will help to preserve as much flavor as possible.

If you are hunting down grill marks, remember to turn the steak 90 degrees after cooking it half way on each side. So, if your total cooking time for one side is 3 minutes, turn your NY striploin 90 degrees in 90 seconds.

To add an extra rich and nutty flavor to your steak, once the first side has browned and you have flipped it over, add a generous knob of butter and allow to melt over the steak. Organic grass-fed butter is the best choice. Make sure to reduce the temperature by 1/4 before adding it, since it can burn much easier.

Use a spoon to carry on coating your steak until the end of it’s cooking time.

If you want to check the doneness level of your steak take a look at my guide to getting steak just right for your liking.

4. Allow Your Steak to Rest. Time to rest, not you – the steak! Your NY strip will be looking fantastic at this stage but be patient and let it rest on a plate for a little while. Sprinkle some freshly ground pepper on top of it and cover with tin foil.

Allowing the steak to rest will give time for the juices to stabilize inside, so all the flavor is kept within the meat.

5. Make a Sauce with Pan Drippings. Waste not want not! You can use the excess juices left in the pan to make a delicious steak sauce. Add fresh rosemary and few garlic cloves inside the same cast iron skillet and gently saute for a few minutes. The smell and the flavor will be amazing.

To avoid steak cooling down, preheat the oven to 50C / 120F and leave it inside on the same plate, covered with tin foil. That way you have all the time in the world to finish the sauce and even clean up the mess!

You can also heat up the serving dishes, so to keep the steak warm, while eating. Cold meat is not that great, unless it’s a carpaccio!

Enjoy that lovely juicy steak!

Posted on by SteakEat

Cooking Sirloin Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet To Deliciousness!

Sirloin steak is one of the prime cuts of beef.

It is a perfect combination of meat and marbled fat. When it is cooked properly the fat renders out of the meat imparting a rich, deep flavour.

In order to encourage the fat to render, the steak needs exposure to a searing heat that will quickly caramelise the meat at the same time. Cooking sirloin steak in a cast iron pan is one of the best ways of cooking steak.

The skillet gets hot and holds a lot of heat so it does not cool down as the streak cooks. This way, the high temperature is maintained throughout the cooking process so the steak does not steam in its own juices; rather it seals itself and remains juicy inside.

There are a few simple steps that need to be taken to prepare the perfect steak.

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Preparations for Cooking Sirloin in a Cast Iron Pan

Just like when you decide to prepare sirloin steak on charcoal bbq, you need to get ready first.

If you cook the steak from the fridge, the outside will be overcooked before the inside is brought to the correct temperature. So, start by removing the sirloin from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. This is enough time to bring the steak to room temperature.

Prepare the steak by trimming off any excess fat from the edge. Ensure you leave a little as this will help impart flavour to the steak.

The Perfect Cast Iron Skillet Sirloin Steak Recipe

Follow these 9 simple steps to cook the perfect sirloin teak in a cast iron skillet:

Preheat the oven. We’ll need to finish the steak inside it, once we have surface browning all sorted. I prefer lower heat – no more than 140C / 285F – because it helps to keep beef tender and juicy. You can also try cooking siroloin steak in oven without using broiling.
Salt, but no pepper. Season the meat with a good amount of flaked salt but not pepper at this stage. Salt will help to develop the flavor of the steak during cooking which is something we are looking for. Pepper is likely to burn during high-heat searing. Add it later while the steak is resting.
Preheat the skillet. High heat is essential for the browning to develop, so go on and heat it up till it starts smoking a little. Wait for another 20 seconds and go to the next step.
Sear the steak. Place the steak in the pan, always away from yourself, without any oil. Leave the steak, don’t move it around, let the skillet do its job. Leaving it stationary will start the maillard reaction.
Flip. After two minutes, turn the steak over. Use a pair of tongs rather than a fork to pick it up as the fork will pierce the steak and cause precious juices to escape. Cook for a further two minutes on the second side.
Remember the sides. Next, turn the steak on its side so that the remaining fat gets cooked and becomes crispy. Around 20 seconds on each side is fine.
Knob of butter. Add a large pat of butter to the skillet; tip it away from you and use a tablespoon to baste the meat in the butter and fat. Complete the process by placing a sprig of thyme on the steak and baste again so that the butter and fat cause flavour from the herb to pass into the steak. Other strong herbs such as tarragon or rosemary will also work.
To the oven. Place the skillet inside the hot oven and leave for a further two minutes. Finally remove the skillet and return it to the stove top burner for the final stage of cooking where you use butter and thyme to part flavour. Don’t want an oven? Try searing sirloin steak on stove top instead.
Check the doneness. You can check to see if your steak is cooked by pressing it lightly with your fingers. Alternatively (and preferably), you should use meat thermometer to check internal temperature and avoid the guesswork. Medium rare is about 57C / 135F.

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SIDENOTE:

Here is an optional tip, which you may find convenient, because cast iron skillets take longer to warm up. So, preheat your oven to the highest temperature and place a cast iron skillet in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the skillet and then place it on a stove top burner. Gas or electric will work perfectly. Turn the gas up and keep heating the skillet until it starts to smoke.

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Once cooked, remove the steak and place it on a warm, not hot, plate, in a warm spot, season it with freshly ground pepper and leave it to rest. Resting allows the meat to relax; the muscle that tenses up because of the extreme heat can relax and allow all of the juices back into the meat.

Allow your steak to rest for between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on how long you have cooked it for.

Finally cut the steak, on an angle in to three slices and serve with a fresh green salad.

Learned the method? Then try these healthy sirloin steak recipes!

How To Tell if Your Sirloin Is Cooked The Way You Want

Judging how to long to cook a steak for is a matter of touch.

Press the flesh on the ball of your thumb and this is how a rare steak will feel when touched.

Press thumb and forefinger together ad touch to see how medium rare feels, thumb and middle finger for medium, thumb and ring finger for medium well and thumb and little finger for well done.

Steak time chart will also help you.

In case it’s nice and warm outside, why not try grilling sirloin? It’s great for outdoor cooking and the smell…is amazing… Enjoy!

Find other ways to cook sirloin steak.