How To Cook Steak In The Oven
You wouldn’t believe the amount of steaks I’ve cooked in my life! Between cooking them in the restaurants and at home, it’s been hundreds. Everything I’ve learned about cooking the best steaks for yourself, I will share right here.
Important Tips Before You Start Cooking
I you have about 20 minutes, you can make amazing steaks right at home!
- First: So the first thing to do when planning a steak dinner is to pick your favorite cut of beef. Everyone in my family prefers a different cuts of steak. Some like ribeye, some like NY Strip steak, others prefer a top sirloin steak, and of course, who would ever say no to a perfect filet mignon. Try to get prime or choice grade and remember that you will get what you pay for.
- Second: Another thing to consider when selecting steaks is the size, choose steaks between 1 and 1.5 inches. I usually ask my butcher to cut me thicker cuts because a pre-cut steaks at the grocery store tend to be thin. Feel free to ask the butcher in your grocery store’s meat department and most of them will be happy to cut you a new piece to your specifications. Ask for steaks to be equal is size too.
- Third: No matter which cut you are choosing, try to pick out the piece with more fine marbling of fat throughout the piece. Marbling is fine lines of fat that runs throughout the meat. More fine marbling means juicier, more tender steaks. (You want more fine marbling and less concentrated chunks of fat.)
What Materials Are Needed
Cast Iron Skillet – It is easy to go from stove-top to the oven, hold the heat very well, and cooks evenly throughout. (If you don’t have cast iron skillet, use another pan that is oven-safe to be able to go from stove to oven.)
Leave-in Thermometer – if you ever cook meats at home, invest in a instant read leave-in thermometer. It’s actually not very expensive but a must-have to cook meats. The meat temperature is measured the whole time it’s cooking and the timer will alert you when the temperature is reached. (Note: If you do not have a leave-in thermometer, use a regular instant read digital meat thermometer, just make sure to take the skillet out of the oven and close the oven door to keep the heat in.)
Metal Tongs – tongs are best to use for flipping the steaks and holding it in place while inserting the meat thermometer. Use metal tongs to hold the steak in place while cutting it as well.
Steak Temperatures
PRO TIP: It is impossible to tell you how long it will take for the steak to reach the temperature because every steak is different in size, anatomy, and thickness. Time can vary for every steak, it could take as fast as 5-6 minutes or as long as 15 minutes. It depends on desired temperature as well as the steak itself:
- 125°-130° = Rare
- 135°-140° = Medium-rare
- 145°-150° = Medium
- 150°-155° = Medium-well
- 160°-165° = Well
- (*First number is when to take it out of the oven.)
How Long Does It Take To Cook Steaks?
I get this question so often and it is actually my least favorite one. I can understand the ease of setting a timer and wanting the steak to take that exact time and voila, it’s perfect. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way, especially when making steaks in the oven.
REMEMBER: You have to track the steak’s temperature and not the time! Each steak is different in amount of fat, thickness, muscle structure, and simply the way it will react to cooking.
The times that I will give you below is just the estimates and to be used as a guide and not exact measurement.
For thick steaks that are around 1 1/2 inches thick and cooking at 450°:
- Rare (125°) – 2 minutes to sear and 9-11 minutes in the oven
- Medium-rare (135°) – 2 minutes to sear and 13-16 minutes in the oven
- Medium (145°) – 2 minutes to sear and 16-19 minutes in the oven
- Medium-well (150°) – 2 minutes to sear and 18-20 minutes in the oven
- Well (160°) – 2 minutes to sear and 20-24 in the oven
For steaks that are around 1 inch thick or less and cooking at 450°:
- Rare (125°) – 2 minutes to sear and in 3-4 minutes the oven
- Medium-rare (135°) – 2 minutes to sear and 5-7 minutes in the oven
- Medium (145°) – 2 minutes to sear and 8-10 minutes in the oven
- Medium-well (150°) – 2 minutes to sear and 10-12 minutes in the oven
- Well (160°) – 2 minutes to sear and 12-15 minutes in the oven
PRO TIP: different steak thickness will take different amount of time!
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Oven Baked Steak Recipe
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Leave-in Meat Thermometer
- Metal tongs
Ingredients
- 2 steaks – ribeye, top sirloin, strip steak, or tenderloin filet choose steaks about 1 inch in thickness*
- coarse salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable or avocado oil for cooking
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Prepare the steak
- Take the steaks out of the refrigerator about 30-45 minutes before cooking. Cold meat will seize in it hits high heat suddenly so for the best results, remember to let it warm up.
- When ready to start cooking, pat each steak dry with a paper towel all around.
- Season steaks generously with salt and pepper on all the sides. Insert the probe for the leave-in thermometer through the side of the steak, towards the middle. Try to get it as centered as possible so it reads the temperature of the very center of the thickest steak.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Sear the steak
- Make sure that your cast iron skillet is seasoned well before every use. Preheat skillet on stove-top, over medium-high heat and add a little bit of oil to the bottom.
- Add steaks to the hot skillet and sear for 45-60 seconds. Flip the steaks, and sear about 20-30 more seconds and move the skillet to the oven.
Finish in the oven
- Once both sides have been seared, move the skillet into the pre-heated oven.
- Set thermometer to the desired temperature if you want it to alert you or just watch it.*If you are not using a leave in thermometer, you will need to manually take the temperature of the steak. Take the skillet out of the oven and close the oven door. Take the temperature by inserting thermometer through the side of the steak, towards the middle.
- Once steaks reach the temperature about 5 degrees away from your desired temperature, take them out of the oven. Take the steak out of the skillet immediately and let the steaks rest for about 5-10 minutes before cutting it. (You can let steaks rest on the cutting board or on the plate.)
- Add thin slices of butter to the top of each steak while it's resting.
- Remember to slice against the grain.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition NOTE: nutrition is calculated for NY strip steak. If you want to know the nutritional information for other types of steak, consult the steak packaging.
- *When choosing steaks: try to get prime or choice grade and remember that you will get what you pay for. Also, try to get steaks that are about 1 to 1.5 inches in thickness. (Ask the butcher if none available on the shelf.)
- Steak Temperatures: Rare = 125°-130°; Medium-Rare = 135°-140°; Medium = 145°-150°; Medium-Well = 150°-155°; Well = 160°-165°
- Remember to REST the steak for 5-10 minutes after cooking and slice your steaks against the grain.
Nutrition
What Are Some Good Steak Sauces?
When you do want a nice steak sauce, you have several options like red wine steak sauce, a delicious creamy steak sauce, and our favorite peppercorn sauce. All are super fast and simple to cook right in the skillet after you take out the steaks.
Try Some More Steak Recipes
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on June 7th, 2019.
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Beef Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Father's Day Recipe Ideas, How To Techniques, Mother's Day Recipe Ideas, Valentine's Day,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I wish there was a time for the oven. I don’t hsve a leave in thermometer. Came out great. Thsnks gor the recipe.
I am sorry, there just isnt an exact time because steaks come in different sizes and thickness. I am glad it still came out great though!
Thanks, the Steak looks great. I use your recipe to cook all my steaks
This article has changed my life. Thank you for providing an excellent explanation of a difficult task. Our family steak 🥩 nights are amazing. Thank you 😊
Aw thanks, Paul! I am so glad you and your family liked the recipe!
I made a Chuck pot roast (2.3 lbs) frozen solid! Turned out great. I cooked for 1 hr and 9 minutes and slow released for 20 minutes. It was tender but had some fat, so I’ll get a leaner cut next time. Thank you for the recipe.
Worked perfectly with a top sirloin. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you very much.
You are so welcome, Cheryl! So glad you liked it!
Thank you for the recipe. I am not very good at cooking steak, but I am getting better. My wife said this is by far the best steak I have ever cooked.
You are so welcome, Todd! I am so happy you liked the recipe!
Try it! I used 1″ New York Strp, and went by the cooking time for med/well. I made the cream sauce to go along with it, which was absolutely over the top! Dribbled left over on chicken the next night. This coming from a woman who tried cooking steak in her thirties, and it was a fiasco. I’m now 59 and feel the need to master steak cooking. My husband loved it! And he’s the guy that orders steak every time we go fine dining. I know he’s not lying just to make me feel better because of our simple rule – if you tell me you like, you’re agreeing to eat it again.
I like that rule! And I am so happy it turned out well and you liked it!