If you are cooking a really thin piece of meat, cooking it while it is cold is a useful technique. I like my steaks thick, so that's not something I need when cooking a steak.

When cooking Asian foods, browning is not really the end goal. It's not unusual to cook meats twice.

If you want the largest amount of meat inside the steak to be rare, or medium rare, you want to have the smallest delta between the starting and ending temperatures for the meat. The heat is transferred from the outside to the inside, so the colder it starts inside, the more heat you'll have to transfer, which means the overcooked zone will be thicker.

Maybe there is some combination of searing and microwaving that would work well but I've never tried it.

JR

Does that mean the best way would be to get the entire steak to the desired interior temp, say 120F, then sear? For example sous vide then pan?

America's Test Kitchen actually did it this way. They placed the steaks in the oven over low heat (I forget the time and temp) and then finished on the stove to get the color.

JR remind me to invite myself over to your place next time you are cooking steaks!

Haha no kidding! Last time I was up there we went to Los cabos which was really good, but I'm thinking now I got shorted! ;)

Absolutely. I sous vide steaks all of the time. In fact, there's a kickstarter project for a searing tool (Searzall)that is basically an infrared broiler on a torch for just this purpose.

A thick ribeye is perfectly medium rare at 135-140 edge to edge this way. The pressure of the vacuum also keeps most of the juice in the steak.

Searzall??

I just put a flat tip on my propane torch...

I know a guy who uses a hot iron too

Heat transfer has got to be the key. Came home from shop and daughter has two steaks laying out taking them up to room temp.

Anyhoo, told her about this thread and I said, make it according to your recipe then we will talk tech.

It was to die for. One of the best ten steaks in my life. Medium rare and nice temperature penetration.

In this recipe, skipping the seasoning info (see link) , steak is on oven top 4-5 mins at med high (375?). Flip and immediately put in oven at 400 for about 6 minutes.

Better than restaurant quality New York Strip Steaks…

Have a look at the chart below. Note that near the surface, there is a brown layer. This layer is essentially well done. Next you have a light pink layer, followed by a center section that is whatever temperature you are shooting for. What I try to do is to maximize the area of the target color/temp and minimize the brown areas near the surface. The way to do that is to get the heat into the steak as slowly as you can.

The other important thing is the amount of salt used. Steak, like chicken, potatoes and a few other things can take a pretty fair amount of salt. Under-salt one and it will taste like a crap cut of meat.

Lastly, for all you strip eaters... try some prime, well-marbled ribeyes once in a while. The flavor is in the fat...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1386876153.jpg

"Medium Well - A slight hint of pink". That was the two nights ago steak. The slight hint of pink was in the thicker portions.

If I do that again, the penalty should be a night in jail. But, they have steak there, right?

Can't say. Never spent the night there. Wouldn't count on a good one, though. Might be boiled..

JR

Yeah, that works, but some folks are sensitive to the "propane taste". Not me, really, hot butter in a pan works, but the idea of salamander temps without the salamander is appealing for fois...

To go into another direction, one of the best steaks I've ever made was a filet I poached in veal stock, suspended by string tied around a wooden spoon atop the dutch oven. While the exterior color was an unappetizing grey the meat was unreal. I cooked some baby vegetables in the stock while the meat was resting, then served the meat, sliced, in a soup bowl with the vegetables and some of the stock with some fleur de sel. I made it to showcase some very expensive Bordeaux a friend wanted to drink, as it's considered a perfect match to old Bordeaux.

Thanks for this thread and thanks to all who posted.
I've now done steaks twice by searing on the stove top and then into the oven.
Steaks were tender and juicy...much better than when I do them on the BBQ over coals & wood chips.
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Brewed up my own marinaide:
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Whatsthisheresauce
Fennel Seeds
Chopped Garlic
Tabasco Green Chili Sauce
Tad of Ground Cumin
Himalyan Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
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Warmed up the marinaide a bit in microwave and let brew for 15 min. or so.
Soaked both sides of steak.
Yum!

SmileWavy

i think were all getting it. the secrets out of the great steak houses!! Now, pictures of your best, thickest, juicy steak.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1387511121.jpg
then we can work on side dishes.

Sorry to sound like Captain Obvious, but using some of these methods just yielded me a great burger!!!

I seared one minute per side on medium-high heat in my carbon steel pan, then transferred to a metal "sizzle plate" and placed in a preheated oven of about 275-290 for about 12-13 minutes, flipping the burgers once half way through, and got a perfect medium to medium rare burger.

I followed this to get a great steak and meal.
Posted early on in this thread. Other sugg's were variations...HTH's.
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Note: maybe your oven heat was too low. Link says 400.
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Better than restaurant quality New York Strip Steaks…

Now you are all ready to cook a prime rib roast. ;)

It's the same. You oven sear rather than pan sear & then finish it low.

Ian

500 degrees?

So don't sear the steak (not rib roast) on the stove top?...but sear the steak in the oven?
Splain more, please.