I may never grill steak again.

[Cowlesy]

If any of you out there are steak lovers, you must find a cast iron skillet, and try making your steaks with the directions below.

http://nolafoodie.com/2010/01/cookin...-iron-skillet/

I live in NYC and get to eat top flight steaks from time to time, but I just did an 8oz filet using those directions, and it was better than most restaurant filets I've had. Seriously. Redonkulously delicious.

If you try it, really try and follow the directions verbatim. Let the steak get up to room temp first. And when he says get the skillet up to 500, get it there. And he's right if you want medium rare, you'll want to leave it on the skillet when you throw it back in the oven for 5-6min (I tried one a few days ago taking it out at 4pm and it was cool-red (rare) in the middle...I like mine warm-red (medium rare).

The other thing is, after you pull them out and plate them, make sure to let them sit for 5-6 minutes. They won't get cold.

Oh yeah and don't go light on seasoning. First time I did I just did a little sprinkle, but be generous and it makes a super thin crust on the outside.

[Deborah K]

Awesome! We go in with 2 other families on a side of beef. And I have a huge cast iron skillet that I use to make pineapple upside down cake. I will definitely try this recipe. I love being adventerous!

[AFPVet]

Nice! Thanks for sharing

[carmaphob]

Sounds delicious!

[flightlesskiwi]

just so folks know:

how to care for (and season) a cast iron skillet

[brushfire]

We call that recipe, smoke detector steak. The smoke detector lets you know when its time to flip.

Two variations in the way I do it vs the article is seasoning the steak well in advance (for instance, while you let the steak get to room temp). It needs to be 1.25" or greater - always choice cuts or better. Its normally a culinary no-no, but when you let the seasoned salt sit on the steak, it draws moisture to the surface. When those "Seasoned juices" draw to the surface, the make an awesome crust during the sear.

The other thing I do is preheat the oven to 450. Instead of the broiler, I let the steak cook in the oven (I like my steaks done medium - pink). I've done the same technique with tuna steaks too (done medium as well, still pink) - with a pico/lime relish. Its dynofreakinmite....

[Cowlesy]

just so folks know:

how to care for (and season) a cast iron skillet

Excellent link!

Also, you don't need to spend a fortune on a cast iron skillet. Mine is 100+ years old and it works just fine.

[Cowlesy]

We call that recipe, smoke detector steak. The smoke detector lets you know when its time to flip.

Two variations in the way I do it vs the article is seasoning the steak well in advance (for instance, while you let the steak get to room temp). It needs to be 1.25" or greater - always choice cuts or better. Its normally a culinary no-no, but when you let the seasoned salt sit on the steak, it draws moisture to the surface. When those "Seasoned juices" draw to the surface, the make an awesome crust during the sear.

The other thing I do is preheat the oven to 450. Instead of the broiler, I let the steak cook in the oven (I like my steaks done medium - pink). I've done the same technique with tuna steaks too (done medium as well, still pink) - with a pico/lime relish. Its dynofreakinmite....

Hmm very interesting. I was told not to let the seasoning sit too long on the steak as it would start to break down the fat issue and you'd lose more of it on the skillet. Will try with the seasoning on the steak longer to see how it turns out.

You're definitely right about smoke. I've heard avocado oil can be substituted because it has a higher burn point. I don't have any of it.

Well definitely try your tuna recipe with some fresh tuna steaks tomorrow.

[flightlesskiwi]

We call that recipe, smoke detector steak. The smoke detector lets you know when its time to flip.

Two variations in the way I do it vs the article is seasoning the steak well in advance (for instance, while you let the steak get to room temp). It needs to be 1.25" or greater - always choice cuts or better. Its normally a culinary no-no, but when you let the seasoned salt sit on the steak, it draws moisture to the surface. When those "Seasoned juices" draw to the surface, the make an awesome crust during the sear.

The other thing I do is preheat the oven to 450. Instead of the broiler, I let the steak cook in the oven (I like my steaks done medium - pink). I've done the same technique with tuna steaks too (done medium as well, still pink) - with a pico/lime relish. Its dynofreakinmite....

sounds wonderful!!!!

[specsaregood]

If any of you out there are steak lovers, you must find a cast iron skillet, and try making your steaks with the directions below.
http://nolafoodie.com/2010/01/cookin...-iron-skillet/

I didn't know there was another way. Although I use a light spread of butter where he recommends olive oil.

[CaptainAmerica]

I don't use skillets for beef because its too greasy. I also boil sausage before cutting it in half and grilling it to get rid of a lot of the grease.

[squarepusher]

looks delic!

[donnay]

I've heard avocado oil can be substituted because it has a higher burn point. I don't have any of it.

Coconut oil or Ghee works great with this recipe! Make sure to get Organic coconut oil and Ghee (clarified butter). Both are an excellent saturated fat and are great for higher burn points too.

[kill the banks]

I bought a grilled pan just for that ... has a ceramic coating , think called green pan ... works great and flavor is amazing

[Travlyr]

We stopped at Dave's Steak House in Amarillo, TX not long ago as we were passing through and treated ourselves to some delicious steaks. They were so good we went online to learn how to cook steaks and the cast iron skillet technique as directed in the OP stood out. We tried it and haven't grilled one since. It is a most excellent way to cook meat.

[Bruno]

I'm going to have to try this, but don't have a cast iron skillet. Should have bought that antique one I saw at a shop a few weeks ago!

[Ray]

My cast iron skillet is one of the best purchases I've made in the past 6 months

[specsaregood]

I'm going to have to try this, but don't have a cast iron skillet. Should have bought that antique one I saw at a shop a few weeks ago!

Yeah, the antique ones are usually better than the new ones even. It took me a good year of near daily use to finally get my new-purchased huge one into the condition I wanted it.

[brandon]

I've been using a variation of this method for about a year now and it is definitely the best. The only thing I do differently is I don't salt the steak until after it's cooked, because I read salting it before cooking dries it out. As the article mentioned, the drippings do make a great base for a sauce. Throw in some red wine and butter and simmer it until it reduces by about half. Delicious.

[Ray]

^rofl, I doubt the salt will do much to dry it out, compared with a searing hot pan and a 500 degree oven

[specsaregood]

^rofl, I doubt the salt will do much to dry it out, compared with a searing hot pan and a 500 degree oven

Actually, the searing hot pan is what keeps it from getting dried out. That is pretty much the whole point of it.

[PeacePlan]

I use cast iron to cook almost everything - eggs are one thing that I find do not cook well with cast iron. They last forever and will actually be better after 10 or 20 years use. Get Lodge brand and you can't go wrong.

[Cowlesy]

I've been using a variation of this method for about a year now and it is definitely the best. The only thing I do differently is I don't salt the steak until after it's cooked, because I read salting it before cooking dries it out. As the article mentioned, the drippings do make a great base for a sauce. Throw in some red wine and butter and simmer it until it reduces by about half. Delicious.

The steak-rub I used has salt in it and I can report that the steak was extremely juicy -- in fact if you don't let the steak rest for a few minutes after cooking you may end up losing more juice on the plate.

[specsaregood]

I use cast iron to cook almost everything - eggs are one thing that I find do not cook well with cast iron. .

See you just gotta cook your bacon in the pan first then drop the eggs in the bacon grease. cooks real well that way.

[Ray]

Actually, the searing hot pan is what keeps it from getting dried out. That is pretty much the whole point of it.

That's a myth.


(Myth busting starts @ 2:08)

[donnay]

I thought I would add this to the mix about the health hazards of using cast iron cookware too much.

The Health Hazards of Cast Iron Pans
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.c...ast-iron-pans/

...adult men (even fully grown young men) and menopausal women, cast iron can definitely pose a problem as the iron that naturally gets into food from utilization of this type of cookware can result in iron rising to toxic levels which is associated with a host of serious health conditions. Iron is one of the few minerals we cannot eliminate except through blood loss, therefore supplements should never contain iron and cooking with cast iron is a questionable choice for this segment of the population.

[amy31416]

We have an antique cast-iron flat skillet here that will be used for just this purpose either tonight or tomorrow night. Will report back.

[PeacePlan]

Ya cooking with cast iron is bad for ya so you better use the healthy teflon pans.. You can say something bad about anything but I love the way cast iron cooks with the even heat you get from it. I also love how easy they are to clean with no soap just brush and water.

[brushfire]

The steak-rub I used has salt in it and I can report that the steak was extremely juicy -- in fact if you don't let the steak rest for a few minutes after cooking you may end up losing more juice on the plate.

Since you expressed interest int he pico - I dont really measure my ingredients, so sorry for not having precise measurements. I'm sure you can probably relate - you just do what you like, and enjoy being creative:

1. 1 lime, I use a reamer when adding the juice to the pico..
2. 1 sizable vine ripe tomato (if you got a garden - faaantastic)
3. 1 yellow onion (red if you dont mind a little more flavor, I prefer red's bolder flavor)
4. Cilantro
5. 3 Jalapenos (deseeded, deveined, cut into strips and diced - I love hot food, but wife doesnt. Leave the veins in if you like hot)
6. 1 clove of garlic, minced

De-seed the tomatoes (cut on the "horizontal access and use clean hands or back of spoon to push seeds out of each hemisphere)
Proceed to dice tomatoes by cutting 5 mm thick slices horizontally, and then vertically in a cross pattern

[ onion dicing tip - bear with me as I'm not a chef, just an avid cooker]
Onions can be cut on an axis. First shave some of the root off to keep the dried root ends out of your pico.
Cut in half vertically (longitudinally), and then peel the nasty outside layer off (gets chewy and makes for weird faces at the table).
With the onion half, cut side down, on the board, make longitudinal cuts , perpendicular to the cutting surface, (root to top) without fully penetrating the root end.
Then make 2 or 3 cuts longitudinally, but parallel with the cutting board (dont cut yourself!! Hold the onion in place by pushing down on the top - take it slow and watch)
At this point it will look like a mini blooming onion.
The last step is the latitudinal cuts starting at the top - this is an extremely fast way to dice an onion. I do a lot of dicing in the kitchen, and proper techniques can be welcomed time savers - good preparation skills will actually dictate how good your food will taste, because you'll have time to be more elaborate in your cooking.
Save the other half of onion for your patty melts (which also go good in cast iron).

Mince the clove (give it a swift hammer strike with your fist, while on the cutting board, to remove the paper easily) and work it over with the chef knife until its minced.

You should have a mound of ingredients in your bowl (save mixing for the end) - go ahead and drop your lime juice, and some kosher salt. Store in a ziploc until ready to serve (make the night or morning before serving, for best results).

Last tip I have - you can go AWOL on the pico - its ok. You can never have enough. Take extra pico and add it to some diced avocado and you have yourself some dynamite guacamole. (basic starter for guac is 2 avocados, 2 small tomatoes, 2 or 3 jalapenos, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 half a medium onion- usually red onion)

Oh, and for smoke point - peanut oil is king. Its expensive, but you can get things pretty damn hot without smoking.

[specsaregood]

That's a myth.

Interesting experiment, and somewhat convincing. But I might speculate that it isn't necessarily accurate. Perhaps the additional moisture lost on the seared steak is due to the outer layer of the steak being seared (expected) but the middle section might have more moisture. ie: non-seared steak has uniform moisture, seared steak has non-uniform moisture with the outer edge being moisture free. If so, the thicker the steak, the greater an advantage the sear would be. Just speculating.