I cant get that perfect crispy sear on them

even though the temperatures are perfect i cant get that nice sear without feeling like im smoking the pan and setting off alarms.

I use butter and i cook the steaks on medium heat and then crank it up to high.

Also, i noticed that in restaraunts the steaks will swell up a little as they cook, mine dont ever do that. I feel like thats a sign they are cooking propery

help!

8/22/2012 10:26:22 AM

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pan-seared-rib-eye-recipe/index.html

This has worked great for me. Especially with the aged beef from The Meathouse

8/22/2012 10:27:53 AM

butter has a relatively low smoking point. perhaps you can get either the great sear or a buttery steak?
maybe clarified butter with a higher smoke point would be a better option if you just HAVE to use butter

8/22/2012 10:28:47 AM

Restaurants usually add butter after the sear, I think

8/22/2012 10:31:51 AM

wow putting the skillet in the oven....

8/22/2012 10:34:00 AM

^ yes, I came to add... sear on both sides and pop in the oven. Butter afterwards.

8/22/2012 10:37:16 AM

Can't go wrong with anything Alton Brown suggests, man is a culinary genius

8/22/2012 10:39:55 AM

I always have the best success with a high heat sear right off the bat and then finishing in the oven.

Most restaurants use the butter after the cook...generally called a go-juice. nothing wrong with melting a tsp of butter and brushing it on once you pull the steak out of the oven, but for getting a good sear without a lot of smoke you should lay off the butter. If the cast iron is well seasoned you probably don't need any oil at all if you crank up that heat.

8/22/2012 10:42:53 AM

Yah every time I try the skillet method i end up smoking out my entire house. If my hood thing above my stove actually dumped air outside then I might be able to do it...

8/22/2012 10:45:15 AM

It's very important to get the pan to a very high temperature first. I usually do the oven method, but I've done it just on the burner as well. Keep in mind this is what I do with filet mignon, for a thinner piece of meat like a ribeye you can probably cut down on the time a bit.

I set the oven to 500 degrees, put my skillet in and let it get up to temperature.

Another key is the meat itself. It needs to be at room temperature and dry on the outside. I usually pat it down with a paper towel and let it sit out for at least 30 minutes before I cook it. Make sure it is free of any water or blood on the exterior. I then coat it with a little bit of olive oil. I saw Alton Brown says to put salt on it, I disagree. Salt will pull moisture out of the steak which you don't want. No salt until after it's cooked IMO.

Pull your skillet out of the oven and put it onto a burner on high, sear on both sides, then back into the oven for 5 minutes depending on how you like your steak.

Then, let it rest for at least 5-10 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil before you even think about eating it.

8/22/2012 10:45:57 AM

I think I am going to try this on the side burner of my grill, that way if it smokes I wont give a shit, will have the gas grill preheated and put it inside once the searing is done.

8/22/2012 10:48:15 AM

just make sure one of you dumbasses doesn't put your non-stick skillet or skilled with a plastic handle or handle covering into a 500 degree oven.

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 10:53 AM. Reason : what am i doing]

8/22/2012 10:49:48 AM

^^ good idea

Quote :

"It's very important to get the pan to a very high temperature first. I usually do the oven method, but I've done it just on the burner as well. Keep in mind this is what I do with filet mignon, for a thinner piece of meat like a ribeye you can probably cut down on the time a bit. I set the oven to 500 degrees, put my skillet in and let it get up to temperature."

So outside of the salt, it sounds like you follow Alton's method, right?

How much smoke do you produce doing this? Does your hood direct air outside?

8/22/2012 10:53:37 AM

I came in here to say that I love Alton Brown and Good Eats. would trust his method without question

Quote :

"I saw Alton Brown says to put salt on it, I disagree. Salt will pull moisture out of the steak which you don't want. No salt until after it's cooked IMO."

yeah, well you know. that's just like your opinion, man.

8/22/2012 10:59:26 AM

Oh, it smokes like a mother fucker and my vent fan is useless, but it's worth it.

I usually crack the front door and open the deck door to get some air flow that will pull the smoke out of the kitchen.

8/22/2012 11:00:17 AM

ive always heard that salting your steak before cooking was bad for it, so Ive been adding salt while the steak was resting

theres some good shit here, thanks guys...im gonna get me a steak, hook it up as recommended, then get a blow job.

If everything goes according to plan i wont even remember the blowjob, but ill be eating one hell of a steak

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 11:08 AM. Reason : d]

8/22/2012 11:05:45 AM

Quote :

" I saw Alton Brown says to put salt on it, I disagree. Salt will pull moisture out of the steak which you don't want. No salt until after it's cooked IMO."

Gonna have to disagree with you. A salted surface isn't going to pull any significant amount of moisture out of the steak as a whole, assuming you're using a proper cut of meat, but it will "dry" the surface for that perfect blackened crispy sear. Necessary to the process, IMO. Assuming, of course, that we're talking about a light dusting and not drowning it in salt. For grilling/marinades, yeah keep the salt away till it's done but for a cast-iron sear don't be afraid of a little salt just prior to throwing it in, your mouth will thank you.

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 11:18 AM. Reason : more words]

8/22/2012 11:10:13 AM

what type of stove top are you using?

i typically use a blend of a high smoke point oil (canola, peanut, light olive) and butter in the pan. you will still get the buttery goodness while significantly cutting down on the smoke.

definitely make sure the steaks are room temperature and completely dry. i typically salt and pepper them generously just before adding them to the pan.

when cooking any type of meat in a frying pan or skillet, you want to completely heat the pan to the desired level before adding oil and/or butter. do not add oil or butter until the pan is hot. once the pan is hot, allow the butter/oil to heat before adding meat. meat should not be added until you see streaks in the oil when tilting the pan. (but not smoke)

rouxbe.com used to have an awesome series of instructional videos on their website on pan frying but it looks like that series is no longer free.

i personally don't bother with the high heat sear -> 500 degree oven method, as it isn't too difficult to develop great crust over medium heat using the above method if your stove-top can output consistent heat. (gas or induction) however, if using coils or a regular electric flat top, you might need to use the sear/oven method.

8/22/2012 11:51:11 AM

aside from the dubcaps post this thread has some useful tips

thanks TWW

8/22/2012 11:55:06 AM

Fuck...this thread is making me hungry.

8/22/2012 11:58:05 AM

Only high heat should be used for the sear and you should heat your cast iron for atleast 10 minutes before you do anything.

You only use the oven if you're trying to cook it medium-rare.

For rare you just sear each side. For well done you cook it the whole time in the cast iron.


You can also start the steak in the oven and put the sear on after. Contrary to popular belief, the steak loses the same amount of weight in liquid whether you sear first or not, and it might be easier to get the sear you want.

8/22/2012 12:01:28 PM

Quote :

"I saw Alton Brown says to put salt on it, I disagree. Salt will pull moisture out of the steak which you don't want. No salt until after it's cooked IMO."

yes, salt will pull some moisture out if you salt it right before you cook it. the key is to salt it and then wait 40+ minutes... the salt will pull some moisture out, but then the moisture will slowly go back into the meat, bringing the salt with it. The salt that has been pulled into the meat will help retain moisture while cooking.

so if you are going to use salt, make sure you give it PLENTY of time to initially pull moisture out, and then soak back into the meat.

8/22/2012 12:23:11 PM

Damn. thats rich

8/22/2012 12:24:28 PM

I just wanted to add a +1 on the Food Network link. This is exactly how I make steak in a cast iron pan.

I've also had great success using a similar method of pan searing pork loins and other such roasts in my cast iron prior to placing them in the oven to cook.

8/22/2012 12:43:26 PM

salt is important on the steak before cooking because, while it does pull out some small bit of moisture, with that moisture comes various proteins that become that tasty crust that you want so much!

8/22/2012 1:53:03 PM

+1 Alton Brown recipe. Only way we do steaks now. But it creates a whole lot of steam/smoke in the kitchen because of the peanut oil/500* combination.

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 1:55 PM. Reason : ]

8/22/2012 1:54:36 PM

Didn't read the whole thread but maybe it's been asked already.

Did you bring your meat close to room temperature first? It won't brown well and will leave your pan juicy if the meat is too cold.

8/22/2012 2:01:05 PM

well this thread just made me pull out my last ribeye from the fridge

hello, late executive lunch.

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 2:03 PM. Reason : also i would be remiss without saying that black pepper also is your friend before cooking....mmmmmm]

8/22/2012 2:02:10 PM

Quote :

"Did you bring your meat close to room temperature first?"

it's mentioned in the recipe and thread, multiple times.

8/22/2012 2:07:15 PM

Don't put anything in the pan while searing.

And salt the shit out of the steak to get a crisp sear. Most of it cooks off anyway.

8/22/2012 2:56:20 PM

Why are you cooking steaks in a frying pan???

Do you not own a grill?

8/22/2012 3:22:06 PM

Cast iron skillet on a stove/in an oven steaks are delicious. That's why.

8/22/2012 3:23:13 PM

^ This

Especially higher end cuts of meat

8/22/2012 3:44:28 PM

vs a grill?

Seriously?

8/22/2012 3:44:35 PM

i too prefer a grill.

but if done right a cast iron steak can be really damn good.

a lot of higher end restaurants use ovens but they get much higher temperature than a home oven. (well from what i've heard by watching cooking shows.)

8/22/2012 3:51:14 PM

don't knock a cast iron steak until you've tried it

seriously fucking amazing

8/22/2012 3:54:39 PM

Grilling works out pretty well for me

im not always tryna buy charcoal

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 3:59 PM. Reason : i dont fuck with gas grills]

8/22/2012 3:59:25 PM

Quote :

"I saw Alton Brown says to put salt on it, I disagree. Salt will pull moisture out of the steak which you don't want. No salt until after it's cooked IMO."

wtf do you think searing it does? you dry the outside to seal the juice into the middle.

8/22/2012 4:17:04 PM

^that's a myth. you sear the outside for flavor.

8/22/2012 4:41:41 PM

Quote :

"sear on both sides and pop in the oven. Butter afterwards."

8/22/2012 5:36:34 PM

not reading this whole thread, but alton brown says

cast iron skillet sitting on high on cooktop, oven preheated to 500

no oil i think, just well seasoned skillet

slam the steaks on 30 sec on either side

into the oven for 2 min on either side

this makes a thick steak a perfect med rare

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 7:35 PM. Reason : nevermind, the alton brown link was already put up. i love cookin steaks that way]

8/22/2012 7:35:01 PM

Quote :

"high heat sear right off the bat and then finishing in the oven. "

8/22/2012 7:36:25 PM

a guy could get off that way.

8/22/2012 7:46:33 PM

Regarding the salt, Alton Brown also clarified that it's either immediately before cooking or 45+ minutes beforehand. That way there isn't enough time for juices to be pulled out or enough time for them to be reabsorbed. I typically do mine about an hour before, throw them back in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, and then pull them out to warm to room temp.

As for the grill vs cast iron thing, you can do both. I finally bought a cast iron flat top griddle (replaces one side of the grates) for my Primo so that I can do it outside. I like to do the sear afterwards as well. Bringing the temp of the meat up fast can make it slightly tougher. Cooking at 250-300 and then searing at 500 is my preference. I guess that'd be harder to do in the kitchen though. The griddles are available for a lot of nicer grills (Primo, BGE, some Webers) and work great for burgers and stuff too.

8/22/2012 7:51:54 PM

Quote :

"cast iron skillet sitting on high on cooktop, oven preheated to 500 no oil i think, just well seasoned skillet slam the steaks on 30 sec on either side into the oven for 2 min on either side this makes a thick steak a perfect med rare"

this is exactly what I do.. sometimes the oven is a little lower to make it rare

sometimes I put a pat of butter on it before it goes in the oven if I feel like smoking up the whole house

fuck i want a steak tonight

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 8:07 PM. Reason : .]

8/22/2012 8:06:57 PM

I propose someone attempt the experiment:

(1) one steak; room temp; salted 40 min prior to cooking.
(2) one steak; room temp; no salt
(3) invite GreatGazoo for blind tasting

btw the infra-red broiler on my Wolf range does a great job on thick-cut steaks.

8/22/2012 8:12:43 PM

I got some cast iron skillets for my birthday, I'm gonna have to try this.

8/22/2012 8:16:43 PM

Your experiment proposal has just one flaw: you mistakenly put GreatGazoo in place of Fareako

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 8:20 PM. Reason : phone]

8/22/2012 8:19:31 PM

crank the heat up to high FIRST...and make sure the pan is hot before you throw it on.

when it's heated up, throw the steak on and it'll sear like a son of a bitch, then turn it down.

/end

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 8:23 PM. Reason : ]

8/22/2012 8:22:30 PM

i did what kurtis said except i also added salt


holy shit i probably could have waited for the steak to get a little closer to temp but this filet was leaps and bounds better than any ive made before

and 0 smoke!

8/22/2012 10:04:34 PM