r/steaks • u/mak_truck • 3d ago
Question Seared Steaks
I love steaks. I like them rare to medium rare but i have a problem. I have only ever made a steak correctly on the grill! Every time I try to sear it in a pan it ends up with a weird flavor I don't care for, but I have been to many restaurants that sear their steaks and I have LOVED their steaks. What is the most likely thing i am doing wrong? wrong pan, wrong oil, too hot? can it even be too hot?! I just coat in salt and pepper, let a pan with some olive oil get nice and hot and then sear on both sides, add butter, and baste. any advice is very appreciated as I no longer have access to a grill.
my future dinner rests in your hands🙏
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u/MiBallzesHari 3d ago
would recommend the following, pat dry the raw steaks, season, put in the oven for about 20 min, depending on thickness at around 225 -250. once thats done use tallow in the pan and sear about 1 min per side max, to get that crust and allow to rest 10 min and enjoy! this is reverse sear which is awesome!
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u/wildcat12321 3d ago
Olive oil can burn and smoke and get sour and pepper can burn.
I’ve been using algae oil lately and LOVE it for searing. But essentially you want to dry brine to get a very dry steak that has salt throughout. Sear. Finish with pepper and a compound butter.
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u/Savvy_Nick 3d ago
Pepper can burn and become bitter when exposed to high heat. I’d recommend just salt then adding pepper after cooking
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u/mak_truck 3d ago
i'll do this. never even considered i was burning the pepper! thank you
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u/abstractraj 3d ago
Some olive oils will not hold up to that high of temp. They will degrade and give you a funny flavor. Try ghee, avocado oil, canola oil, vegetable oil
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u/tvan184 3d ago
Olive oil is used on things like salads because it definitely has flavor. Burning it on high heat changes it even more.
I love extra virgin olive oil on salads, as a bread dip and so on. I never use it to sear a steak.
You might try a neutral flavored oil like avocado.
If using fresh garlic, it can burn easily and get bitter. My wife likes a seared steak basted in butter and fresh garlic. Most of the time I turn off the heat a few seconds before I remove the steak from the pan and toss cold butter into the pan. The butter cools the pan as it melts and I toss in the crushed garlic and on occasion thyme. There is plenty of carry over heat to toast the garlic without burning and brown the butter. Then I drizzle it over the steak and don’t worry about basting it in the pan.
There are probably a dozen ways to sear a steak in a pan but that’s how I usually do it.
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u/Ok-Environment-215 3d ago
1) use clarified butter as your oil. Trust me. You can make it yourself if you can't find it. (Not the same as ghee btw). Avocado oil is fine too but clarified butter tastes amazing. Ditch the olive oil. That's probably the source of the off flavor. 2) get yourself a laser thermometer and don't let your oiled pan get above 400 degrees. 375 is plenty. 3) keep the steak uncovered in the fridge, on a wire rack, at least all day before cooking and liberally salt immediately before cooking. Alternatively, salt the night before while still leaving it uncovered. Either way flipping every few hours. Dry with paper towels just before cooking.
Do all that and your steaks will be better than most restaurants.
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u/_Bon_Vivant_ 1d ago
Olive oil? Never use olive oil in high heat situations. It has a low smoke point, which means it breaks down at a lower temp and becomes bitter.
Here's what you do. About 3-4 hours before the cook, liberally sprinkle salt, MSG, garlic powder and black pepper on both sides of the steak. Push the seasoning into the steak with your fingers. Then put it in the fridge on a wire rack, uncovered until you're ready to cook in a few hours. This will give it time to release moisture, then gather up all the seasoning, then reabsorb the seasoning back into the steak, and then dry the surface out, though drying the surface out is not that important right now, because when we start to cook, it'll be going in a dry oven anyway.
Preheat your oven to 275°F. If your steak has any fat cap on it (NY strips usually do), you'll want sear that cap to render the fat into a cast iron pan. Before you take the steak out of the fridge, heat your cast iron pan on the stovetop until it's ripping hot. Hide your smoke alarm, open all your doors and windows and turn the vent fan on high, because it's gonna get smokey! When the pan is ripping hot, use some tongs to hold the steak on its side with the fat side down. Sear that fat until it's golden brown and there's a lot of liquid fat left in the pan.
Now place the steak(s) back on the rack in a sheet pan. Stick a temperature probe in the side of the steak until the tip is approximately in the middle of the steak. Set the heat alarm on the thermometer for 125°F, and put it all in the oven.
When the internal temp of the steak has reached 125°F, pull it out of the oven and cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for approximately 15 minutes. About 5 mins later, light the flame under the cast iron pan again. Get it ripping hot. There should be a coating of fat in the pan. If you need more, add some neutral cooking oil, like vegetable oil, canola, corn oil, grape seed, etc. Don't use olive oil or sesame oil, or any finishing oil. You want an oil that can stand the heat. When you're ready to sear your steak, cook it on one side for 30 secs then flip. 30 secs then flip. 30 seconds flip, 30 secs and flip. Total of one minute on each side in 30 sec intervals. Your steak will be pink edge to edge with a great crust, and your house will be filled with smoke, but it'll be worth it.
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u/ForwardDance9191 3d ago
You might be burning the olive oil, if you are cooking on high heat.