I am actually laughing as I write this because I am an avid cook and friends and family often call me "Martha Stewart" - not sure if that is a compliment or a criticism. I guess you would have to know me to understand the humor in my question here

Anyway, I decided to surprise my husband as he is away on a business trip and spent three entire days cleaning our grill (the fact that he never cleaned this amazing grill I bought him two years ago is entirely a different story - just put it this way, he is going to get kicked to the curb if he does not maintain what I did from this point forward ).

The grill looks amazing (practically brand new after hours of pressure cleaning, various grill cleaners, and scraping - it was in really bad shape) and I do not want to dirty it before he sees it (I know, silly). Hence, to my issue - I have never cooked a steak inside - ever. Living in Florida, we use our grill for everything, all year long. What is the best way to cook a sirloin steak inside? We just purchased a new gas oven (love cooking with gas). Should I pan fry the steak or put it under the broiler? Any suggestions, techniques, recipes, etc., are most welcome. Jill

I don't live in Florida, and although I've grilled when it has been below freezing, it messes up the cooking time, so in the winter I tend to cook steak on the stove top. I have an old, well-seasoned cast-iron pan that I use for steak. I oil it lightly, heat it quite high, put in the steak (patted dry with paper towel and seasoned with pepper only), and cook for 2-3 minutes a side, depending on thickness (I like it rare). I salt it when I turn it. Beforehand I like to make a nice Maître d'Hôtel butter--mixing chopped shallots, chopped parsley, and a few drops of lemon juice into unsalted butter--and put a big dollop of that on the steak when it comes out of the pan.

If I have a few carbs to spare, I'll do a pan reduction. I set the steak on a warm plate, add shallots in the pan, cook them for a bit, add beef broth (my husband makes a wonderful beef broth) and wine, reduce it until not quite syrupy and then add butter, which thickens it up a bit, and any juices that have come out of the steak.

We always have mushrooms sautéed with a bit of shallot in butter, and if they've given up a lot of juice, I'll add it to the pan reduction.

Jill,

I cooked a Buffalo ribeye the other day inside. I live in a teeny tiny apartment with no space outdoors for a grill, and let's face it---the George Foreman just doesn't cut it when it comes to steak.

Here's what I did:

Marinated steak in a mixture of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and preferred spices (I like Garlic & Herb Dash.) for 24 hrs. (I did this because I had the time, but I don't think it is absolutely necessary.)

Preheat oven to 325-degrees.

While oven is preheating, in a non-stick or cast-iron pan, heat some EVOO at Med.-Medium High heat. (enough to lightly cover bottom of pan--probably a TBSP. or two. You be the judge.)

Sear steak, approximately 3-7 minutes on each side (depending on how you like your steak cooked) until it forms a nice n' crispy crust.

Transfer steak to baking sheet (or leave in pan if it is oven-safe), and cook in oven 10-15 minutes until your steak is cooked to desired doneness. I like mine at Medium- Medium Well

Transfer steak to plate. Top with a pat or two of butter. Let sit for approximately 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!


You might want to check out the "Perfect steak?" thread in the newbies forum (sorry, I don't have the link on hand.) That's where I learned how to cook a steak as listed above, and lots of great tips can be found there (that won't require you to dirty your newly cleaned grill and ruin all you're hard work.)

Good luck!

I hate broiled steak. I can't get it brown/seared enough on the outside without overcooking it. If I can't grill it, I pan-fry them. That way I can get that caramelized crust I like!

I broil mine, keeping them about 4 inches from the flames, add seasonings on both sides and let them cook about 7 mins each side or to whatever your preference.

Thanks guys! I think I am going to pan fry it even though I am not looking forward to the clean-up. I love my new stove (gas and stainless steel). However, depite how careful I am, food always seems to splatter and then I have to take the darn grates off, wash it with soap and water, and polish it with stainless steel polish (I guess you can tell I am anal when it comes to cleanliness). It certainly is nothing like the clean-up on my old stove, when had a ceramic flat-top. All I did was use soft scrub if needed and Windex it away. LOL

How did your steak come out, DrH?

Thanks for the tips. I noticed that New York strip steaks were on sale at the store, and I thought of this thread. Five years of low carb eating, and I just lost my steak virginity yesterday! I pan fried it after marinating it in Worcestershire and garlic all day. Added salt and pepper, fried it up in clarified butter, then added mushrooms and more butter to the pan for a sauce. It was great!

It made a splattery mess, but it wiped up easily.

Horrible, unfortunately! I actually did it in the broiler and overcooked it big-time. I do not remember exactly, but when I stuck the thermometer in it, it had a ways to go to get to MR - set the timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, it was well done and actually, I threw it away (such a shame). That will be the last time I cook a steak inside. Jill

Sorry to hear about that. I *hate* it when food comes out badly and inedible!

Oh, that is a terrible pity!

Sorry I'm chiming in so late; I've used a gas stove for years and rarely get a good result under the broiler...I use the outside BBQ by preference - all year round - but have been known to panfry a steak now and then.

For that I use my mother's no-fail method, which is pretty much the same as Mama Lu's traditional method, except I don't have the cast-iron pan (and wish I did). I do use an anodized pan that I can get up to very high smokin' heat, though, and use a minimum of oil which reduces the splatter, and a big splatter screen, which reduces the spread of cleanup. And I crank the fan to high . I also let the steak rest for 5, tented lightly with foil.

I hope you get a chance to try out the panfry method, someday. It's a handy item in a cook's arsenal of techniques...

Here is Alton Brown's take on broiling a sirloin steak. I have been doing it this way ever since I saw this show. It turns our perfect.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/rec...6_24087,00.html

Wow. Reading that almost makes me want to try it that way! I say almost, b/c I have just never had good luck broiling steak...

DH followed AB's turkey carving method at T-giving and it produced the juiciest white meat his mother's ever made! He really does give good info!

That AB, he's so interesting AND funny!

I've never seen that method used, but it sounds very interesting! I wonder if racks are a standard distance apart, now...nah, probably not enough to make a big difference...I'll give that one a try and maybe toss out those silly broiler pans that come with the stove, never worked for me anyway... not for the steak.

Doesn't that make an awful mess though?

I've never broiled a sirloin steak, but I broil ribeyes all the time. I once read that a 1" thick steak should be broiled 6 minutes on the first side, then turned over and broiled for another 4 or 5 minutes. That gives you a medium-rare steak, not bloody-rare, just sort of between medium and rare. If you want your steak medium, then I would just add an extra minute to the first side, and maybe do the second side for 5 or 6 minutes.

It works perfectly for me every time. I put the steak on a small broiler pan that I have, since I live alone and rarely cook more than one steak. If you don't have a broiler pan, just put a cooling rack inside a shallow pan, so that the steak doesn't sit in the fat that drips off while it's cooking.

BTW, I have an electric oven.