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The Perfect Pan-Seared, Oven-Finished Steak
The perfect pan-seared, oven-finished steak isn’t complicated and turns out great every time if you use this chef’s method. Using a cast iron skillet, the steak starts on the stove and finishes in the oven.
Ingredients
- 2 12–ounce steaks (suggested: New York Strip)
- Steak seasoning (or Kosher salt and pepper)
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Instructions
- Set Steaks Out: Pull the steaks out of the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before cooking and let rest on counter.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Season Steaks: Pat steaks dry on both sides. Then, season generously with steak seasoning on all sides, rubbing it in with your fingers.
- Preheat Skillet: Place a cast iron skillet* over medium-high heat for just a few minutes. To test if it’s hot enough, sprinkle a little water on it. If it sizzles, it’s ready.
- Pan-Sear Steak: Using tongs, place steaks in pan without letting them touch. You will hear them immediately start to sizzle. Let them sear on this first side (without moving them!) for 1-2 minutes. When they come away from the pan easily and have sufficient browning on one side, flip the steaks to another part of the pan where it’s really hot (not the same spot it was just in). Sear steaks for 1-2 minutes on this side until browned well. The goal of this step is to create a nice crust on the outside of your steak.
- Finish in Oven: Transfer your oven-safe skillet* directly to the preheated oven. Let steaks bake for 5-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steaks and how you like them done (medium-rare, medium, etc). Insert a digital meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to test for doneness near the end of the cooking time. You want to remove the steaks about 5 degrees sooner than the optimal finished temp, because they will continue to cook while they rest. Remove the steak at the temperatures listed below for the perfect doneness.
- Cover & Rest: Once the steak is at your desired internal temperature, use oven mitts to remove the hot pan from the oven. Transfer steaks to a plate and cover loosely with foil. LET REST FOR 5-10 MINUTES so it finishes cooking and the juices can redistribute throughout the meat. (This is a very important step!)
Steak Doneness Temperatures: Remove steaks at these temperatures before resting for the perfect doneness:
- 115-125°F = Rare
- 125-135°F = Medium Rare
- 135-145°F = Medium
- 145-155°F = Medium Well
- 155-165°F = Well Done
Notes/Tips
*What to Use in Place of Cast Iron Skillet: Use an oven-safe pan that is all metal and does not have rubber or plastic on the handle. If you don’t have a cast iron pan, then any OVEN-SAFE, large, heavy-bottomed pan will work. Or, if you don’t have an oven-safe pan, then preheat a metal sheet pan (with sides) in the oven. After the steak has been seared, transfer the steak using tongs to this hot sheet pan to finish in the oven. For easy clean up, you may want to cover it with foil.
Freezing Steak: Read here about how long steak lasts in the freezer and tips doing it the right way.
How to Grill Steak: Trying making your steak on the grill with our Perfect Grilled Steak recipe instead.
Where We Get Our Beef: We get our beef from ButcherBox. The beef is grass-fed and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, organic chicken, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.
