TIPS for a Pan Seared THICK T-BONE STEAK Keeping it SIMPLE - 52 Beef Recipes and BBQ Tutorials

I just could not stand it another day... I needed to grill something.

But, Kansas along with too much of the US has been arse deep in snow for over a month.  I made the mistake of watching the weather forecast and saw that temps were supposed to be in the 50's last weekend.  A little chilly, but certainly grilling weather for me at least.

Unfortunately those lying sacks of crap at the local NBC Affiliate (Yes, I am calling you out Larry Lezak) got it wrong.  Instead of 50 and partly sunny it was 30 and sleeting.

Sigh.

So, as much as I would like to vent about the weather... truth is it is almost as easy and almost as tasty to simply turn your broiler into a gas grill.  Just think about cooking that steak from the top down instead of the bottom up.

And since I was using the oven, I was freed up to do final tweaks on my sides, Twice Baked Corn and Pimento Cheese Dip Potatoes, Simple Spaghetti Squash with a Jack Daniels Mushroom Gravy.  Made for a beautiful platter of food.  You will have to come back over the next couple of posts to see those recipes.

As far as "Grilling" a steak in the broiler, just remember KISS...

K eep... I t ... S imple ... S ymon

Pan Searing a steak is about the most popular way to order a steak at a high end steak house.  Popular for two reasons... First, there is no doubt that this method insures meat that is tender, juicy and easily monitored for proper temperature.  That intimidating Rare,medium Rare, Medium or Medium Well.  Those terms measure the internal temperature.  ALWAYS cook with an internal meat thermometer.  If you are a master griller that cooks steak every day you could measure doneness by touch.  But for the novice or occasional steak cooker (like me), better to be safe accurate and ALWAYS PERFECT.  After all, that is your goal is to serve a consistent product.  Right every time. Probe thermometers that measure the temperature of the meat while cooking are easy to find, cheap (about $20) and is the single most important tool a steak cook has.

Medium Rare, the industry standard for the best temperature to serve meat is 135 degrees.  5 degrees more and you have Medium, 5 less and you have rare.

Fina VERY VERY IMPORTANT Tip is to rest your meat.  Once out of the oven, your steak on a cutting board and let it relax, cool a bit, evenly distribute the temperature into the meat and allow the juices to be reabsorbed.  If you have ever cut into a steak and pools of blood grows and grows on the plate, your steak was not allowed to rest.  The meat shown is medium rare, yet very very little blood seeps out.  It stays in the meat, keeping it moist tender and juicy.  Really, that's all you need to know... Proper temperature, Resting the meat and Simple Seasonings...

OK... Here's what I did...

Simple Seasonings...
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
On a Simple Luxurious Cut of Meat
2 - One and a half inch thick T-Bone Steaks (Look for even thin marbling of fat  throughout the meat.  If in doubt, ask your butcher to pick out the best ones.  They want you to succeed and are ALWAYS very helpful).

1. One hour before you plan to cook, remove thawed steaks from  the refrigerator.  Generously sprinkle about 1 TBS each of Salt and Pepper on the steaks.  Rub each with a tBS of Olive Oil.  Wrap each steak in Cling Wrap and set aside.  This allows the meat to slowly come to room temperature which allows the meat to cook more evenly, even when it is this thick.
2. And that hour is just the right amount of time to bake the side dishes (Baked potatoes and spaghetti squash)
3. OK... Time to "Grill".  Set your oven to BROIL.  Position a rack in the middle.   It is best to use a slotted grill pan.  If you do not have one you can use a jelly roll pan as long as it has sides to prevent the rendering fat from dripping into the oven.  
4. There is a MUST HAVE piece of technology... a remote probe digital thermometer,  One with a cord that you can measure the temperature with while the oven door is baking.  
5. BUT FIRST, before you "Grill" in the oven, you need to pan sear the steak.  PREHEAT for 5 minutes a cast iron or heavy bottomed frying pan.  Set the burner on HIGH and the pan with nothing in it on the burner.  HOT HOT HOT.  WARNING, this will SMOKE once you add the meat.. Smoke alot.  Part of the charm.  Have a window open and a fan to suck the smoke out as much as possible.  Just think of it as a way to test your smoke detector (I am only allowed to cook steaks this way once a year... This is why).
6. OK.  Unwrap the steaks and put them down into the HOT HOT HOT Frying Pan.   have a timer ready.  One minute per side.  This will get a nice beautiful charred outside as the pepper blackens.  The Olive Oil you rubbed on the steak earlier will keep the meat from sticking.  After one minute, flip the meat and sear the other side.  If the pan holds both steaks, great, once both sides are seared, just move the pan to the oven under the broiler.  In this case, the steaks were too big for a single pan.  I did them in stages.
7. Once in the oven, hook up the remote temperature probe.  Your goal is 130 to 140 degrees internal temperature.  These came out of the oven a beautiful medium rare... pink in color, warm and cooked throughout.  The steaks need to be turned every 2 minutes as they cook.  Each steak cooks differently, based on how thick they are, how much fat content and how well the cow lived his life.  COOK BY TEMPERATURE to be sure.
8. When the steaks reach temperature, remove from oven and allow to rest on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes (very thick cuts like these, leave for 20 minutes).  This allows the steaks to relax, allowing the steaks to reabsorb the juices.  If you cut into them right from the oven, the steaks will bleed out all those juices making them tough and dry.
9. A T-Bone steak is actually two different cuts of meat.  One is a Filet Mignon cut and the longer larger side is a KC (OK, some say New York) strip.  You can serve them caveman style, just plop a big steak on a big plate and serve.  OR, cut the meat from the bones and serve as strips and/or filets.  OR, as I did here, cut the steaks from the bone and then slice the steaks... Always against the grain.
10. And if you slice them before serving you can plate them up on a platter along with the sides for a presentation tableside.  Either way, served warm and ENJOY!

And come back nest pots to see the simple sides that go along with my T-Bones!

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This simple recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Simple but Next Level Dishes"!

Kind of an odd title for these posts. But the longer sentence is... Simple recipes that are easy and inexpensive that will take your cooking to the next level... Things like easy pickled items (I always have a jar of Pickled Red Onions for sandwiches in my fridge). Or how about the easiest bread to make in the world... Beer Bread that is tasty on it's own but also makes a wonderful open face pizza style sandwich... With easy to make Tomato Sauce. Or how about Roasting Garlic for a spread on toast points for a unique appetizer. Infusing Oil with Herbs or spices or spicy peppers. Or how about making your own BBQ sauce. Nothing sets you apart as a grill master like setting out a jar of your own specialty BBQ Sauce.

You get the idea. These recipes are very simple, take very little time but will set you apart as a better cook...

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Grilling Time Secret Extras" or "52 Ways to Cook BBQ and Grilling Recipes"!!!

Well over 52 recipes actually as I just can't stop... Over 100 in one grilling season (I love to grill!). But not just leat... Drinks, Condiments (LOTS of different BBQ sauces), Drinks, Desserts... even specialty items like GRILLED Pizza, and fun shaped Watermelons.  Easy and these ideas will make you the MASTER of your Backyard Domain!

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