You Can Totally Cook Steak In The Oven — Here's How

For many people, the only way to cook a mouthwatering steak is to grill it (unless you're President Eisenhower, who cooked his over burning coals). But, if you don't have access to a grill, you can still turn out incredible steaks that are seared on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. We spoke to Nicole Brisson, executive chef of Brezza Italian and Bar Zazu in Las Vegas and creator of Bistecca di Brisson, a dry-aged steak service, to get her take. It turns out, all you need is a skillet and an oven.

In fact, Brisson told The Takeout that she actually prefers the indoors to the outdoors when it comes to making her own steaks. "When I am cooking a steak at home, I prefer to sear it in a cast iron pan and finish in the oven," she said. To start, preheat a cast iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel pan on the stovetop for anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes. Then sear each side of your steak for up to two minutes, or until the meat is caramelized to your liking. At this point, the entire pan will go into a hot oven. 

"I temp the steak with an instant-read thermometer and pull when the internal temperature is 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit for my dry-aged steaks. Once it rests for 5 to 10 minutes, it should be perfectly medium-rare," Brisson explained. In a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven, this should take about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak. 

Of course, creating wonderful steaks begins with preparing them for the pan and oven. You don't want to simply place an unseasoned steak straight from the refrigerator into a hot pan. That meat will be very cold, which can cool off the pan and cause too much steam to form, both of which can inhibit caramelization. To prevent this, Nicole Brisson tempers her steaks (in other words, brings them to room temperature) for 30 to 40 minutes prior to cooking. 

You'll also want your steak as dry as possible when it goes into the pan, so you should make sure to pat the meat dry with paper towels. Brisson also noted the importance of proper seasoning: "I season with kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and EVOO."

Like Brisson suggested, seasoning for your steaks can be pretty simple, especially if you don't want to take away from the natural flavor of a good cut of meat. In fact, over-seasoning is one of many mistakes everyone makes when grilling steak. Salt goes a long way; use pepper only if you want. You can even add a touch of sugar to increase caramelization.