Learning how to sear a steak is a kitchen basic. Plus, it can help you throw a quick dinner together when you are running short on time, which is something we can all use a little more of.
Searing meat is all about building the flavor and juices. The moment the meat touches the scorching hot pan it begins to caramelize, creating that fabulous taste we all crave. After searing each side of the steak all that is left is cooking it for the appropriate time and allowing it to rest for 10-15 minutes for a fast, perfectly cooked dinner.
What you’ll need
1/4 cup dry rub
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 steaks (cut of your choice, around 1 inch thick)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pat down your steak with a paper towel. This removes excess liquid from the meat which allows the dry rub to stick to each side.
Generously apply dry rub to your piece of meat, one side at a time. Let the steak reach room temperature (at least 10-15 minutes). While your steak is reaching room temperature, preheat an oven-safe pan on medium-high heat. A cast iron skillet is one of our favorite oven-safe pans to use when searing.
When your pan is hot, add a tablespoon of clarified butter or oil to the pan, enough to coat the bottom of the pan completely. Sear one side of the steak, in the preheated pan, for 90 seconds. Using tongs, flip the steak over and sear the other side for 90 seconds.
Gygi Pro Tip: Searing is the action of placing your ingredient, in this case your steak, onto an extremely hot surface for a short amount of time.
We also suggest searing each of the short sides of the steak for 15 seconds each before placing the pan in the oven.
After searing each side, drop 1 tablespoon of butter onto the steak and 1 tablespoon of butter onto the pan next to the steak. Place the steak in the oven for 5-9 minutes, depending on how well you want it cooked. Be sure to have a meat thermometer handy to ensure your meat is cooked all the way through and to the appropriate temperature you desire.
For your convenience, we’ve created an easy, printable chart that will help you cook all your meals to perfection.
Remove from the oven and allow the steak to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Allowing your meat to rest is very important, especially when cooking beef and pork. The internal temperatures of the meat are still adjusting after you take it out of the oven. If you were to cut into a steak straight from the oven or grill you would loose all the important juices that make for that mouth-watering steak. Wrap your steak in aluminum foil while it rests to keep it warm.
Serve warm and enjoyed your quickly prepared, but extremely juicy dinner!
This information in our temperature chart is based on the USDA safe minimum cooking temperatures, which can be found here.
