A lot of people shy away from cooking steak in the oven because they think it will dry out the superlative ribeye steak they’ve been relishing over since they bought it. It’s true that an oven-baked steak can go very wrong, but so can a grilled or pan-fried steak. A critical part of cooking any cut is to be focused on time. Most cuts don’t need more than several minutes to cook to the right temperature and then a few more minutes to rest to superbness.
Good Steak Is Worth It
The first and foremost indispensable step in cooking a great steak is to purchase a great steak. The best way to do this is to go to a local butcher, preferentially one who either raises the animals himself or sources them from a local farm, or find a store or online purveyor that sources sustainably and humanely raised meat. Beside being a more ethical selection, this meat is usually of better quality and tastes substantially better.
Bottom Line: Buy the Best Steak You Can
No matter how costly it is, it will still be less expensive than eating out. Expect to pay top price per pound of steak. If the price seems too good to be true, in this instance, it probably is.
Why Cook a Steak in the Oven?
As any steak lover will tell you, oven-cooked steak isn’t the usual route a chef will take when preparing your favorite ribeye or T-bone. The best steaks are grilled or pan fried, and they taste wonderful when done this way. But getting the meat just right is a somewhat time consuming process.
Standing over your grill waiting hungrily for your mouth-watering steak to hit its sweet spot isn’t always doable for many people, so steak is often pushed to the side as a treat for a special occasion. That’s where the other option comes in: cooking steak in an oven. By using this method, you can have your steak the way you want it in as little as 15 to 20 minutes. The best part? It’s still delectable, so much less work, and doesn’t run the risk of a smoke filled kitchen from a frying pan.
What’s the Best Cut of Steak to Bake?
We get this question a lot, and it’s an important one. Make sure the steak you buy is at least one inch thick. Anything thinner will dry out fast in the oven. Thicker steaks like 1½- to 2-inches with some white fat around the edge and a good amount of interior fat marbling are optimal. The goal is to find a piece that can be placed comfortably between lean and fatty.
Our recommendations are:
- Top sirloin: Cut from the upper-middle part of the cow and possessing great flavor, this is a popular middle-ground option. It isn’t so thin that it won’t cook properly in the oven, but it’s leaner than other available cuts.
- Filet Mignon: The leanest cut you can get from the tenderloin, it is also often the most expensive, but this price point is because it is the most tender cut available.
- Rib-eye Steak: Cut from the rib section, meat from this cut has great marbling and can be served on the bone or off. It’s the cut that produces the juiciest steaks.
- Strip steak: Cut from just below the backbone, strip steak produces one of the most tender steaks. No doubt you’ve heard of T-bone steaks. Well, the strip steak is the largest and tastiest piece of meat on the T-bone.
Equipment Needed to Cook a Steak in the Oven
This might be an easy way to cook a steak but that doesn’t mean your oven is the only thing you need. There’s still some equipment needed but no worries it’s far from heavy duty.
To cook steak in the oven you will need the following:
- A Cast Iron Skillet: These easily retain heat and work to ensure your steak is evenly cooked throughout
- Tongs: You’ll need these to move your steak from the hot skillet to the oven and vice versa, depending on your cooking technique (discussed below).
- A Meat Thermometer: This is vital if you want to cook steak in the oven to a certain level such as rare, medium, or well done.
- A Sharp Knife: This isn’t necessarily for the cooking process, and might be an obvious tool, but meat is always best cut against the grain. You’ll need a sharp knife to do this, so make sure you have one handy.
- Oven Mitt: You’ll need an oven mitt to handle the hot skillet.
Ingredients (based on 1lb steak)
Some key ingredients you’re going to need are:
- Steak of your choosing (again 1-2 inches thick)
- 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil (olive oil, canola, vegetable)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 3 garlic cloves
If the salt seems hefty, it’s because when oven-cooking steak it’s beneficial to use more salt than you might think. It helps bring out the flavor in a substantial way.
While we’re talking about seasoning: fresh cracked black pepper is vastly superior to the stuff out of regular shakers.
How to Cook Steak in the Oven: Step By Step
There’s more than one way to cook steak in the oven. The biggest distinction is how you like your meat cooked. In an oven you can achieve a perfectly cooked rare steak just as much as well done.
The major difference in how to attain these results is to keep a check on the interior temperature of the meat. The processes are similar but not exactly the same. Follow our guide below. We’ve included the most popular ways to cook a steak. Simply scroll to your preferred steak for a full explanation.
Rare
- Step 1: Let the steak reach room temperature by removing it from the fridge and allowing it to sit for 30 minutes. Cold meat will seize up if thrown directly into a pan, which will make the final result much tougher and less tasty.
- Step 2: While the meat is sitting, preheat your oven to 400F. Place a cast iron skillet inside to heat it up (10 min).
- Step 3: Blot the steak with dry paper towels. Rub both sides of the steak with your choice of oil (vegetable, canola, olive), then season throughout with fresh black pepper, salt, and the roughly cut garlic cloves.
- Step 4: Remove skillet from the oven. Place it on top of the stove on medium heat.
- Step 5: Using tongs, move the steak onto the cast iron skillet. Seer both sides a minute each.
- Step 6: Move the steak into the oven. Turn half way through cooking (about 7 minutes). To ensure it’s rare, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If it’s between 120F and 125F, then you know you’re done.
- Step 7: Once fully cooked, remove steak from the oven. Let the steak rest for 7 minutes before bringing it to the cutting board. Lastly, cut the meat against the grain and serve.
Medium-Rare
- Step 1: Allow steak to reach room temperature.
- Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Step 3: Blot steak with paper towel.
- Step 4: Once dry, rub down both sides of the steak with your chosen cooking oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Step 5: Place steak directly on oven rack. Make sure you place some aluminum foil on the bottom to catch drippings. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Step 6: While the steak is in the oven, place the cast iron skillet on the stove on medium heat. Cover the bottom of the skillet with oil.
- Step 7: Move the steak from the oven to the cast iron skillet. Cook on both sides until brown and crispy.
- Step 8: Monitor internal temperature. For medium-rare, you want a temperature of 130F.
- Lastly: Remove from the skillet and let rest for 7 minutes. Then serve by cutting against the grain. Enjoy!
Medium
- Step 1: Remove steak from fridge and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- Step 2: Preheat oven to 500F or follow whatever your broiling setting dictates.
- Step 3: Blot steak dry.
- Step 4: Heat your cast iron skillet beneath the broiler. Heat for up to 20 minutes before cooking. To get to the desired temperature the total time heating might be slightly different for your boiler, so keep an eye on it.
- Step 5: Prepare your steak by covering it in the oil of your choice and seasoning with black pepper, salt, and garlic.
- Step 6: Using an oven mitt remove the cast iron skillet from the oven to the stovetop. Place steak in skillet. You should hear it begin to sizzle immediately. Sear for thirty seconds on one side and do the same on the other.
- Step 7: Place the skillet back in the oven and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Using a meat thermometer, remove from the oven when the temperature is 140F.
- Lastly: Remove from the skillet and let rest for 7 minutes. Then serve by cutting against the grain. Enjoy!
Medium-Well
- Step 1: Remove steak from fridge and let sit for 30 minutes
- Step 2: Preheat oven to 450F. Then place cast iron skillet in oven
- Step 3: Blot steak. Cover steak with oil of choice then season with salt, black pepper, garlic
- Step 4: Remove skillet from oven and place on stove top on high heat for 5 minutes
- Step 5: Place steak into pan and sear steak for 30 seconds on each side
- Step 6: Once seared, move the skillet into oven. Cook for 3 minutes, flip the steak for 3, then repeat
- Step 7: Check internal temperature. Once it reaches 150F then your good for serving
- Lastly: Remove from oven, rest 7 minutes and serve by cutting against the grain
Well-Done
- Step 1: Allow steak to reach room temperature (30 minutes).
- Step 2: Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Step 3: Cover the steak with the oil of your choice then season with salt, black pepper, and garlic.
- Step 4: Preheat a cast iron skillet on the stovetop on high heat. Check if it’s hot enough by placing a drop of water on top: if it immediately evaporates then you know you have the right temperature.
- Step 5: Place the steak onto the skillet and sear both sides until a crust begins to form. This usually takes 3-4 minutes. Once this is done transfer the skillet to the heated oven.
- Step 6: Roast until internal temperature reaches the well-done temp of 160F.
- Lastly: Remove from the oven, rest for 7 minutes, cut against the grain and serve.
However you choose to cook your steak, whether its rare or well-done, rib-eye or T-bone, it goes without saying that steak makes for a delicious meal.
Now that you know how to cook steak in an oven, it’s an even more realistic meal option for everyday enjoyment.
Make Dinner Easy Tonight
At Hagan Cattle Company we love the oven cooking method when a grill isn’t accessible or a lot of cooking time isn’t available. The oven method is perfect for busy families who need a quick weeknight dinner that tastes as good as you’d get from a restaurant but without a lot of fuss. Shop our steak collection online and save even more time by getting meat delivered to your door.
