Making a steak indoors

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treacheroustexan

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I have been craving a nice steak, but I have always cooked them on the grill and not indoors. My apartment I'm in now doesn't allow any grills on the balcony so I need to cook it on my george foreman. Does anyone have any good tips, or best way to cook it medium rare? I have only used a george foreman once or twice because I hate cleaning it. Would I cook it the same way as I would on charcoal? Might be a dumb question but Also, I have seen different articles that say not to thaw the steak? Any reasoning behind this? I took it out of the freezer this morning and put it in the fridge and I plan to cook it in about 8 hours(tonight after I get off work)
 
I like SnakeRidge's idea.

Also, if you have a broiler on your oven, you can use that, and think of it as an upside-down grill.
 
If you've got a temperature controller on a fermentation fridge or something similar you could borrow it for a few hours and use it on a crockpot to make a jerry rigged sous vide cooker.
 
I hate George Foremans. God what a pain in the ass to clean. I gave mine away.

You could pan fry the steak in a heavy duty frying pan or griddle. Lightly salt it and let it come to room temp, ~30-40 minutes. Heat some neutral-tasting oil in your skillet to high heat, just enough to coat the pan. Cook 2-4 minutes per side depending on thickness, but your best bet is to use your brewing thermometer (130°F-135°F for medium rare). Some are adamant about only flipping the steak once, but I think flipping multiple times is okay as long as you don't go crazy with it. Feel free to add butter or pepper/herbs/spices in the last couple minutes of cooking if that's how you like it. Let it rest ~5 minutes before eating.
 
I like SnakeRidge's idea.

Also, if you have a broiler on your oven, you can use that, and think of it as an upside-down grill.

Ditto on the broiler.

Funny thing, I am great at grilling, not so much broiling.
you have to play around with the rack level otherwise you can burn and smoke the house out!
 
If you're really craving steak, get yourself a top sirloin (~2 lbs), marinate overnight with some soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and a 1/4 cup whiskey.

Turn on your broiler, put the rack on the highest slot, and broil for 5 mins on each side. This'll be medium-ish rare (closer to rare, but still done).

OR if you want to cook it with some flare (no marinating needed):

Rub with garlic, salt and pepper, heat skillet with oil to high heat, sear for 4 minutes on one side, 4 minutes on the other.

Set steak aside and let rest.

Chop up some shallots, throw in pan, stir until tender, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup whiskey and light with a BBQ grill lighter. Flames will ensue.

When the fire is out, add 1/4 stick of butter, brown sugar and a small splash of vinegar, reduce until thickened. Slice meat, pour sauce over.
 
If you go the screaming hot skillet route, be careful. I'm sporting a very painful horseshoe shaped burn on the palm of my hand because I'm an idiot and I need new pot holders.
 
I use my foreman grill to to grill sandwiches. I don't think it's ever cooked anything else. I second the iron skillet method, and pretty much poo poo anything that isn't straight salt pepper and butter. Marinated steak is for fajitas.
 
also true, just make sure you give it a couple of minutes to sear the seasoning onto the meat before you flip it

Yes, the first cooking/first flip should not be hurried. It gets the good char people want, and the meat sticks to the cooking surface less (if at all.)

:mug:
 
According to some, yes, it's "better". This is the new school of thinking.
Some will argue that you don't get as good of a char on multiple flips.
As it is still a highly-debated subject, I declined to say one or the other method was "better", but instead presented both options.

Letting the steak cook for a long-ish time before flipping gets the good char. Multiple flips means less gray (overcooked) meat around the edge - you get almost-sous-vide quality cooking this way, with pink/red almost from edge to edge.

I call anything that prevents overcooking the meat better, personally.

:)
 
Letting the steak cook for a long-ish time before flipping gets the good char. Multiple flips means less gray (overcooked) meat around the edge - you get almost-sous-vide quality cooking this way, with pink/red almost from edge to edge.

I call anything that prevents overcooking the meat better, personally.

:)

"Glass carboys are better than plastic buckets because they are less prone to scratching/harboring infections, are less oxygen permeable, will not leach chemicals into the beer, and allow you to visibly monitor fermentation. I call anything that prevents oxidation better, personally."

FWIW, I agree with you insofar as I prefer multiple flips. But I tend to avoid saying something is "better" than another when both are perfectly accepted ways of achieving the same end.
 
Make or buy a sous-vide cooker. Marinade the steak if you want, vacuum pack it, and cook according to this chart. Sear it with a torch or cast iron pan.

Everybody's taste is different, but I think this is the best way to cook meat. We do beef, chicken, pork, and fish in ours and they all come out amazing. Bacon in particular is something special. Vacuum pack the bacon, cook it at 55 C / 131 F for 48 hours. This changes the fat from rubbery and tough into a tender, flavorful substance. Finish the bacon with 10 to 12 minutes in the oven at 425 F, and you will expand your understanding of the term 'bacon candy'.

Good Luck,
Cody
 
+1

I cook steaks for a living & this is the way to go

Ditto.

I like to put the pan in the oven
crank the oven up to 450-500 HOT
a chunk of butter and olive oil in the pan
steak should be 1" thick and room temp
when oven beeps temp reached remove the hot cast iron pan
throw the steak in oven for 6 minutes
BEEP, turn the steak ONCE and go another 6 minutes
BEEP, turn the oven off and let it set for 6 minutes

you get a nice crusty seared surface, with a nice pink in the center

adjust your times down for thinner steaks

I also make ahead of time a infused butter with garlic and parsley...soften butter add herbs and spices...whatever you like...dump it out a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a roll/log....chill back to solid state. Amazing what a slice of that stuff does to a simple steak, just plop on top. Good on a burger...throw a slice into canned green beans...pasta....great stuff to have in the 'fridge. garlic, sage, rosemary, oregano, basil, chilli powder...you mix up different styles for different stuff.styles....butttahhh is good stuff!

Dang....tonight is clean out 'fridge night...leftovers....steak sounds better!
 
This is pretty much how I cook a steak when I want to cook one without charcoal:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46eRIxVxkG8[/ame]

The technique works great for ribeyes, as well - my favorite cut. You can skip the herb basting with little detriment. His recommendation to have steaks cut for you by a butcher (or at the meat counter of a decent grocery store) is a very good one.
 
I have the broiler part of my toaster oven, which would be my only other option. No great plans for the stove top
 
Dont do the cast iron pan rout unless you can disable the smoke alarm, have a wicked high powered fan and window close bye...ask me how I know :)

This article is an option similar to the one a few posts above

http://www.gq.com/life/food/201412/how-to-cook-steak-in-winter

All maybe consider hitting up a local park that ha a grill with some charcoal?
 
Best part about the sous vide route with the crockpot is you could easily finish the steak with a blow torch if needed (they look to be in the $20-$40 range at a quick glance). Minimal smoking and no pissed off neighbors :mug:
 
May have already been posted.

Cast iron skillet in the oven, oven to 500 degrees f, as soon as temp is reached broil on high with pan set 6" from the heating element.

Steak at room temp, three minutes per side for med-rare depending on thickness.

That is all.
 
If you go the screaming hot skillet route, be careful. I'm sporting a very painful horseshoe shaped burn on the palm of my hand because I'm an idiot and I need new pot holders.

Have done this before with a stainless skillet that just came out of the oven. I put it on the stove, turned around with the potholder (put it down) and then turned back 30 seconds later and grabbed the handle bare...blister filled my whole palm. That was not a fun night sleeping.
 
Have done this before with a stainless skillet that just came out of the oven. I put it on the stove, turned around with the potholder (put it down) and then turned back 30 seconds later and grabbed the handle bare...blister filled my whole palm. That was not a fun night sleeping.

+2 on this story.

Feels great. I knew I was effed when I heard "TSSSSSSS" as soon as I grabbed it.
 
Working in a restaurant, where there are no heat-proof handles on pots & pans, you learn quickly to always use DRY potholders or towels. You also quickly learn to never use a wet towel.
 
Have done this before with a stainless skillet that just came out of the oven. I put it on the stove, turned around with the potholder (put it down) and then turned back 30 seconds later and grabbed the handle bare...blister filled my whole palm. That was not a fun night sleeping.

I think all of us that cook have done the same thing. No fun. I usually drape a towel over the handle or stick an oven mit over the handle to warn me, But when rushing and not thinking.... OUCH burnt hand. The bad thing is the instant you touch the handle you know you F ed up.
 
OR if you want to cook it with some flare (no marinating needed):

Rub with garlic, salt and pepper, heat skillet with oil to high heat, sear for 4 minutes on one side, 4 minutes on the other.

Set steak aside and let rest.

Chop up some shallots, throw in pan, stir until tender, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup whiskey and light with a BBQ grill lighter. Flames will ensue.

When the fire is out, add 1/4 stick of butter, brown sugar and a small splash of vinegar, reduce until thickened. Slice meat, pour sauce over.

Jeeze this makes me drool all over my keyboard
 
Get that broiling pan out and use it. Also a good way to make burgers when the propane on the grill runs out.
 
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