[yooper]

Any suggestions on prep, cooking and flavoring for those of us who don't own a grill?  I usually broil them in the oven and this seems to work well.

Also, what should I look for in a good steak?  Color?  Marble? Thickness?  Any particular grade better than most?   Anything I'm missing?

Mark

[Charles Calkins]

Heat the oven to 350. Season the steaks anyway you like. Fry them in a hot CAST IRON frying pan on both sides for just a few minutes. Doing this seals in the juices. Put the CAST IRON frying pan and steaks in the oven. Bake them as long as you like. I find 15min. works best for me.
These instructions are the courtesy master chef Lev Dagnan.

                                          Cheers
                                         Charlie

[maxwalrath]

I've only done london broils in the oven...I soak them in whatever I have around, olive oil, good balsamic vinegar, garlic, red wine, etc.  The most important thing I've found is to use the salt and pepper liberally.  I've been poking the cut a bunch with a fork to tenderize it and allow the marinade to soak in, but I don't know if this is the "correct" method or not.

I usually cook on broil, but not on the top shelf...I use the next one down...for about 4 minutes per side.  I usually toss in fresh veggies with it...peppers and mushrooms are great.

[nicksgem10s]

Hi Mark,

No grill.  Ouch.  I am a charcoal guy but you can make a good steak by broiling them in your oven.

I am a fan of briefly marinating (30 minutes to 2 hours) the steak in soy sauce with some diced garlic and high quality black pepper.

Once you are going to cook them I really enjoy Lysander's All natural meat rub for beef.  That is usually the only seasoning I use besides black pepper.  Many meat markets or decent grocery stores will have Lysander's in brown packaging near the meat counter.  They make many varieties but I am a huge fan of the meat rub for beef.  The Lysander's has a good amount of salt (so does the marinade with soy) so I always recommend that my dinner guests taste the steak before adding any additional seasoning.

If you have room to grill at your place you should look into getting a basic gas or charcoal grill.  Cooking outdoors is a lot of fun for me and I really enjoy having people over and grilling.

I use a Stainless Weber Performer charcoal grill with propane start.  This allows the use of propane to light the charcoal instead of lighter fluid.  It takes just under 10 minutes of using the propane before the coals are properly lit.  Charcoal does take longer and involves more work than cooking on a gas grill or indoors but I believe it is worth the additional effort  .

My brother goes out to lots of very high end steakhouses all over the place and he always wants to have steak at my place.  He prefers the steaks he has over at my house than all the expensive places he goes.

I actually grill on charcoal year round here in Michigan and will shovel snow off my grill and patio to fire it up.   

Tonight the menu is barbecued chicken  . at our house.

I am steak lover so I eat many different cuts.  I really enjoy a nice delmonico steak.  I also like thick cut new york strip, ribeye, and the occasional filet mignon.  It helps to find a good place to shop for meat.  I know I have my favorites around me but I am about 45 minutes away from your area.

Good luck on the steaks.

-Nick

[markC]

Yea, nothing beats the taste of a charcoal grilled anything. It just takes so long to prep the coals. That propane start is a cool idea.

[Wayner]

There are 3 grades of beef defined by the FDA. They are Prime, Choice and Select, in that order. A Prime T-bone will cost you dearly and it will look different than the other T-bones of lesser grade. The muscle with have a very nice marbling.

As the old saying goes, if it's thick, then low and slow. I'd set the oven for a lower temp like 275-300. I would not sear the meat as it has been proven that this actually causes the meat to dry out. You may want to brown it a little on both sides.

Of course, we like ours with a compound butter made of crushed garlic and butter. Bast the beast with that until done and you'll be in heaven. We lightly season with salt and pepper before starting. This is the way we make steak in the winter.

Did I say to use a cast iron skillet?

Wayner  aa

[Rob Babcock]

As the old saying goes, if it's thick, then low and slow. I'd set the oven for a lower temp like 275-300. I would not sear the meat as it has been proven that this actually causes the meat to dry out. You may want to brown it a little on both sides.

Very true.  The notion that searing somehow "seals in the juices" is a myth that's been thoroughly debunked yet refuses to die.  That said, I think you have to sear meat a little bit just to brown it.  I like my steak to have a nice, flavorful crust yet remain a cool, red center.  One overlooked aspect of cooking a steak, IMO, is letting the steak sit out on the counter for a while to temp.  Just for my own dinner I like to let it come up to as close to room temp as I can.  Not a good idea with burger but good for a steak.

A good way to do it is to get a cast iron skillet very hot, add a touch of oil, then sear the steak for about a minute & a half on each side.  All I use for seasoning is a bit of salt & pepper or Montreal Seasoning.  Then pop the pan into a hot oven til your preferred doneness is obtained.

[satfrat]

As the old saying goes, if it's thick, then low and slow. I'd set the oven for a lower temp like 275-300. I would not sear the meat as it has been proven that this actually causes the meat to dry out. You may want to brown it a little on both sides.

Very true.  The notion that searing somehow "seals in the juices" is a myth that's been thoroughly debunked yet refuses to die.  That said, I think you have to sear meat a little bit just to brown it.  I like my steak to have a nice, flavorful crust yet remain a cool, red center.  One overlooked aspect of cooking a steak, IMO, is letting the steak sit out on the counter for a while to temp.  Just for my own dinner I like to let it come up to as close to room temp as I can.  Not a good idea with burger but good for a steak.

A good way to do it is to get a cast iron skillet very hot, add a touch of oil, then sear the steak for about a minute & a half on each side.  All I use for seasoning is a bit of salt & pepper or Montreal Seasoning.  Then pop the pan into a hot oven til your preferred doneness is obtained.

I do a lot of marinating myself,, everything from teriyaki, sesame ginger,,,, even Kitchen Bouquet(for that charcoal crunchy outside/red inside steak). Before barbecuing, I always leave the steak on the counter for an hour to brinng it up to room temp before cooking. For the oven, I use a broiling pan with wire grill and I use the broiling setting @ 400° with the steak 2-3" from the broiling coils. I also put water inside the broiling pan so to cut down on the grease smoke.

I'll have to admit I hate using the oven to grill a steak. I use a propane grill to which I installed 4 wheels and I'd much rather wheel the grill out to the doorsteps in the middle of the winter than to use the oven. I barbecue year round myself.

Cheers,
Robin

[Turnandcough]

The first reply would be the way to go and I agree with Rob Babcock for the rest. But it will still mess up your stove top with grease and smoke up the kitchen(that's why I like the grill - no cleanup )

There are three basic types of cooking: 1)concentration(high heat) 2)expansion(slow cooking starting in a cold liquid) 3)mixed(combination of both such as searing then slowly braising in stock, water, etc)

By searing the meat you concentrate the flavor(crust) you then can continue to cook the meat in a preheated 325-350f oven until desired doneness. This is similar to the mixed method without the braising liquid and will give good results if done properly.

A few tips
-Your steak should be at least an inch thick to justify this method.
-Leave meat at room temp for a while prior to cooking.
-Avoid marinating it will cause too much steam to build up between the pan and the meat resulting in a "boiled" steak.
-Season well just before cooking. Salt based seasonings tend to dry out the meat when left on for too long. Being from Montréal I guess I don't have to tell you what seasoning I use.
-Do not use butter - it will burn. Instead use clarified butter, oil or a mixture of oil and butter.

[Rob Babcock]

I agree, Robin.  It sucks having to do a steak in the oven.  I'd rather face the snow & do it outside.

[Rob Babcock]

Ooops- one more caveat:  don't even consider the hot skillet method unless you have a good exhaust hood over your range.  You can really get a lot of smoke!

[satfrat]

I wouldn't panfry a steak if you put a gun to my head. Just not my cup of tea.

[mcgsxr]

I think all the advice given makes sense, given your device constraint.

I run a Napoleon natural gas grill, and adhere to letting the steak hit room temp before searing.  My wife likes the Montreal Steak Spice, I like basic salt, pepper, and cayenne - then I add a hot sauce like Nando's when it hits the plate.

I recommend letting the cooked steak rest under tinfoil for 2-5 minutes before diving in, and personally love a pat of butter on top, letting it melt all over the steak...

My good friend has recently reintroduced me to charcoal (grew up with the stuff) and I will get a small one just for steaks - the ease of natural gas is too easy to get hooked on for mundane meals (hot dogs and burgers for the kids, chicken for my wife etc) but for steaks, nothing beats the flavour added by charcoal.

I recommend exploring the use of a chimney for you charcoal guys - lets you use paper to ignite the charcoal, and keeps the gas and lighter fluid away from the equation.

Have fun!

[satfrat]

If you can find it, try using Brandied Pepper as a steak rub. I picked up some at a farmers market in Maine 3 years ago and haven't been able to find it again. This stuff was killer for everything from meat to vegetables. The pepper itself was very coarse ground and it must have been marinated in brandy but it's a flavor that I haven't been able to get out of my mind. Worse tho,,,, I can't even remember the town in Maine that had the farmers market.


Cheers,
Robin

[Wayner]

The oven is not my favorite place either, but it is the topic. I love steak done on my Weber charcoal grill. How I do it will be left for another time.

Happy ovening???!!!!

Wayner 

[Rob Babcock]

I've used mostly gas due to the ease & quickness, but last weekend my whole family got together at Roy Lake for my folks 40th wedding anniversary.  We only had charcoal grills, but time wasn't an issue at all so I really enjoyed it.  I'd almost forgotten how hot even a cheapo grill will get with plain old Kingsford brickettes.  Very good eats.

[ecramer]

Here's one source for brandied peper

http://www.silvercloudestates.com/ViewProduct.aspx?id=162

If you can find it, try using Brandied Pepper as a steak rub. I picked up some at a farmers market in Maine 3 years ago and haven't been able to find it again. This stuff was killer for everything from meat to vegetables. The pepper itself was very coarse ground and it must have been marinated in brandy but it's a flavor that I haven't been able to get out of my mind. Worse tho,,,, I can't even remember the town in Maine that had the farmers market.


Cheers,
Robin

[Mag]

For me it has to be quick or I don't eat, cuts into stereo time. Therefore I use the oven.

I try to buy the value pack on steaks, 6 to 8 steaks for $15-$20 bucks. Sometimes I luck out and T-bones are on sale. The better the cut the better the steak.

I pull a frozen individually bagged steak out of the freezer. Slap it down on a cast iron hot plate. Sprinkle top side liberally with Hy's Steak spice. Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes using top burner (I like it well done). Flip and sprinkle other side liberally with Greek spice and cook another 5-10 minutes depending on thickness of steak.

Take out of oven, slap on plate and its ready to eat!

[satfrat]

Here's one source for brandied peper

http://www.silvercloudestates.com/ViewProduct.aspx?id=162

If you can find it, try using Brandied Pepper as a steak rub. I picked up some at a farmers market in Maine 3 years ago and haven't been able to find it again. This stuff was killer for everything from meat to vegetables. The pepper itself was very coarse ground and it must have been marinated in brandy but it's a flavor that I haven't been able to get out of my mind. Worse tho,,,, I can't even remember the town in Maine that had the farmers market.


Cheers,
Robin

Thanks Ed! This circle has already made my favorite circle list,,, right behind the Music Circle.

[satfrat]

For me it has to be quick or I don't eat, cuts into stereo time. Therefore I use the oven.

I try to buy the value pack on steaks, 6 to 8 steaks for $15-$20 bucks. Sometimes I luck out and T-bones are on sale. The better the cut the better the steak.

I pull a frozen individually bagged steak out of the freezer. Slap it down on a cast iron hot plate. Sprinkle top side liberally with Hy's Steak spice. Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes using top burner (I like it well done). Flip and sprinkle other side liberally with Greek spice and cook another 5-10 minutes depending on thickness of steak.

Take out of oven, slap on plate and its ready to eat!

I'm a lazy SOB too,,,, that's why i use my grill. No pots&pans to scrub when using the oven.