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

Last Updated on February 2, 2021 by SteakEat

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!