Let’s cook like the steakhouses do. Pan sear to caramelize and then finish in the oven to your taste.
Time to get the absolute best results with minimal work. Start with a couple of good quality strip steaks. If you buy cheap steaks, you may well get what you pay for. Choice or Prime only, please. And since Prime will cost you your first child, get a nicely marbled choice. I’m not a fan “grass feed”… it tastes like grass. I’m from Iowa and can tell.
Now that you have your steaks trim off chunks of fat. Coat with 7:2:2 seasoning (see my post on making 7:2:2 HERE) (or seasoning of your taste) and give each side a nice sear in some butter for a few minutes and finish in a preheated oven. Don’t forget to let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
Rating
A good steak is always a five.
Notes: The pan does not have to be cast iron. Any oven-safe pan that can move from stovetop to oven will do. If you don’t have that, sear in a stove top pan and move to a different oven safe pan to finish. If using the later technique, I would preheat the oven pan with the oven, so the steak goes in a hot pan.
Steak thickness notes. Somehow people equate thickness with quality. NOT… A 1 1/2 inch thick strip steak is a good pound plus of meat. An inch is a nice 10-12 oz and too large of serving for most of us. If you want the 1 1/2 inch thick steak, this should work well but be sure to rest to room temperature first.
Related Recipes:
How to Grill a Strip Steak on a Gas Grill
How to Grill a T-bone or Porterhouse Steak – A Tutorial
Pan Seared Oven Roasted Filet Mignon
How to Grill a Filet Mignon on a Gas Grill
Allow the steaks to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes if you have time. Preheat oven to 400 degrees convection or 425 conventional.
Trim and season steaks to your taste. I use 7:2:2 (my homemade seasoning). If you don’t have that, you can season with a little coarse salt, pepper, and granular garlic powder. Or any way you want.
In an oven safe pan (I used my 10-inch cast iron) oven medium-high heat melt one tablespoon of butter or use oil. Some prefer an oil at this point due to the lower smoke point of butter, but I have never had a problem.
When hot, sear both sides of the steaks for 2-3 minutes. Sear close to the final color you want.
Transfer pan to the preheated oven. Now comes the variables. The steak thickness, how long you seared and the true temperature of the oven. Cook to the final temperature you want. Remember that you may get a few more degrees after removal from the oven.
It took 7 minutes to get to 150 (medium). Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.COOK TO THE TEMPERATURE, NOT BY TIME ALONE.
- 2 strip steaks good quality about 1 inch thick
- 7:2:2 seasoning or just coarse salt and pepper
- Allow the steaks to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes if you have time. Preheat oven to 400 degrees convection or 425 conventional.
- Trim and season steaks to your taste. I use 7:2:2 (my homemade seasoning). If you don't have that, you can season with a little coarse salt, pepper and granular garlic powder. Or any way you want.
- In an oven safe pan (I used my 10-inch cast iron) oven medium high heat melt one tablespoon of butter or use oil. Some prefer an oil at this point due to the lower smoke point of butter, but I have never had a problem.
- When hot, sear both sides of the steaks for 2-3 minutes. Sear close to the final color you want.
- Transfer pan to the preheated oven. Now comes the variables. The steak thickness, how long you seared and the true temperature of the oven. COOK TO THE TEMPERATURE, NOT BY TIME ALONE. Remember that you may get a few more degrees after removal from the oven.
- It took 7 minutes to get to 150(medium). Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. COOK TO THE TEMPERATURE, NOT BY TIME ALONG.
The pan does not have to be cast iron. Any oven safe pan that can move from stove top to oven will do. If you don’t have that, sear in a stove top pan and move to a different oven safe pan to finish. If using the later technique, I would preheat the oven pan with the oven so the filet goes in a hot pan.
________________________________
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Last Updated
September 8, 2016
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
Robert Searl
Two questions:
1. For the searing please define a “hot” pan. Since butter is involved it cannot be “smoking”. I use an infrared thermometer to determine surface temp.
2. Where should the oven rack be placed?
Thanks!
DrDan
Hi Robert, that is a toy I don’t have but I’m ordering one from Themoworks tonight.
The butter starts smoking around 350 and the Maillard reaction starts about 280. For those without the infrared, The butter starts to bubble (like water at 212) Lit it bubble a little but if smoking then too hot. So the answer for Robert is about 280-300. You want some sizzle. Some guides use oil and high heat but I want the butter taste.
The rack is midway in the oven.
DrDan
RedPat
I mix some oil (usually olive but any type will do) in the pan with the butter. This will raise the smoking temp and give you a little bit of a bigger window to work in without risking that burnt flavor
Leslie
I plan on making these steaks next weekend for grandchild (she loves steak), the recipe sounds easy & good. Before I invest in a thermapen, could you elaborate on why you like it so much (my cheapo instant read meat thermometer has stopped working). Thank you, Leslie
DrDan
Accurate temp in about 3 seconds (it seems like less) vs about 8-10 from the standard. But they are $99 vs a cheapo for 10. Correctly used the el cheapo will be fine… does plus or minus 1 degree really matter? I have had my thermapen for 3 years and not even a new battery. Before I would go though 1-2 cheapo a year. Maybe I’m more careful with my baby.
Also my hand gets very hot in that extra 6 seconds. Plus I love toys.
Either way get one or the other before the steaks.
Dan
Robert Searl
I fully agree with DRDAN; you need the real deal. Then down the road you won’t be saying I wish….
DrDan
Thanks for the comment Robert. I ordered a Thermoworks Infrared Food Safety Thermometer and now await my new toy.
DrDan
Lynn
I recommend the thermometer that has a cord that can withstand the oven temp. you insert it into the meat and set the temp you want and it beeps when it is there! THEY ARE AWESOME! Only about $20 – $40 depending where you buy.
Leslie
Thanks for the info, I ordered my therapen today (I have gone through so many cheapos, that if I have a themometer that lasts 3+ years without a battery change, I’ll save money). Thanks again
DrDan
You will not regret it. Enjoy your new toy you deserve it.
Dan
Glenn Poirier
I like the 7:2:1 Seasoning tip. Funny, but I have those same containers in my spice cabinet, now all I have to do is mix some up for the next steak night, which after reading this and looking at those pics will most likely be tonight! I do believe I’ll do the pan sear/oven treatment. I’ve done it in the past and had good results. Thanks for the tips and printables!
DrDan
Hi Glenn, I always have a shaker of 7:2:1and 7:2:2 on the counter. Great for meats and veggies. My bottles are from Penzey’s Spices. It’s hard to find a suitable bottle.
I pan sear/oven roast almost any meat with good result. Pork tenderloin, chicken etc.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Chris
100% agree with you! I really don’t care for grass fed beef either. Plus we love pan seared steaks. It is probably Alexis’ favorite when I do au Poivre like that.
DrDan
If you can’t grill, you must pan sear. I do love my pepper too but my wife is a pepper fiend.
The grass feed thing is just weird to me… do they have no taste-buds?
Thanks for the note Chris
For the readers out there this is Chris from Nibble Me This at http://www.nibblemethis.com/ Please give his great site a visit. Lots of meat and grilling going on there.
Dan
Glenn
Alrighty, finally got around to doing the steak. Mixed up some 7:2:2 and seared/oven roasted a 1 1/2 lb NY Strip. Very good! Oh yeah, sauteed onions and pepper too.
Babs Grantzo
I used high heat safflower oil in the cast iron skillet to get it really hot, but while the steak was coming to room temp I also brought grass fed butter to room temp and added the 7-2-2; then when steak came out of oven I smeared the butter on for exquisite flavor!
Kat SB
Quick question – do you sear for 2-3 minutes per side or 2-3 minutes total? Thank you!
DrDan
2-3 per side so 4-6 total searing time then to the oven.
DrDan
GH
This is a good recipe, tried it tonight with cast iron skillet. I would not use butter again… You really cant get a good sear and browning on the steaks with butter. Oil, with a high heat rating, is better.
june
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions. I cook many, many things, but somehow steaks are something that I’ve always been too intimidated to try. I agree with GH, skip the butter and use grapeseed oil. It has a high smoke point suitable for high temperature cooking and doesn’t impart any “flavor.”
Travis
I’ve always had problems with the butter burning too quickly. To pan sear I use high heat cooking oil, and add the butter towards the end to coat and caramelize for flavor.
DrDan
Hi Travis, I have yet to have a problem with this but I think I will at least add a note in the recipe.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
ChristineB
We made this for a late Valentine’s dinner and the steak was fantastic! Thank you for the directions. My husband said it was the best dinner I’ve ever made for him.
DrDan
One of my favorites.
Thanks for the note and rating
DrDan
Kimberly Lehman
I do not own a cast iron skillet, I have no problem with searing the meat but transferring to oven is where I need to know. what would be best to use? What type of pan?
DrDan
Any oven safe pan will do. Many skillets can go stovetop to oven but if not sure then place some type of metal oven safe pan in the oven during the preheat. Then sear in an stovetop safe pan and after the searing then immediately transfer to the oven pan.
DrDan
LynnB
I pan sear my steaks in a DRY well-seasoned cast iron skillet. I preheat the skillet then using tongs touch the fat sides of the steak for about 30 seconds (each side) crosswise to the skillet. Then proceed per your instructions. I learned this in culinary school years ago, as we needed to be prepared in case a grill went out! This is the first time I’ve seen this page so I’ll try it with butter. I guess I should get one of those fancy thermometers…
Campin
Do you cover pan when putting in the oven?
DrDan
Uncovered
Dan
Brett
You do realize that cows are supposed to eat grass; right? What else would they eat? Looks like cows from my home state of Montana are out of the question…
DrDan
I must apologize to Montana and all the plains state, but really I did not like grass fed beef. I grew up on grass fed beef in Iowa. I can taste the grass. Several of my favorite local restaurants now feature “grass feed” beef. I go elsewhere if I have beef. I prefer grain feed. Each to their own.
T. A.
I had some strip steak that I got a deal on because it was about to go out of date, and used the cooking method as a guide. I used the 7-2-2, though I added 1 tablespoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of ground chili powder. Then I caramelized some vidalia onions in the skillet removed them, seared the steak and then put them in the oven cooked until 140 deg, put the onions back in and finished to medium-well to well, then served it with the onions and pan juices. Over all end result was a moist steak with a pleasant bite and well rounded flavor. Pairs well with potato (i.e. mashed potatoes, twice baked potatoes) or mac+cheese casserole; and greens.
DrDan
Sounds wonderful. I always get the “almost out of date” beef. I consider aged, and that’s what the best restaurants do for good reason.
Thanks so much for the note
Dan
Robin
I was surprised how awesome this was! Especially because I am not the most experienced with cooking. So flavorful and simple. Thanks for sharing!
DrDan
Glad it worked well for you.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Lorene Chesnut
I had almost given up ever cooking a decent steak at home. Found your recipe and decided to try once more. Had never tried searing stove top and finishing in the oven and now that i have i will never cook steak any other way! So tender and delicious! I marinated in French Dressing for about an hour but other than that I followed your instructions. Thanks! My dogs will no longer get my steaks!
Nancy is dead
French dressing as a marinade. OMG…….I’m gonna barf.
Penny Please
Great recipe! ? My bf loved it :)
Shelley
Just cooked a couple of small NY strips this way. A little garlic and salt. Absolutely delicious and so easy. Thanks for sharing!
Erin Kelley
Turned out PERFECT! Adjusted a couple of minutes here and there for my oven’s and stove’s personalities and added a tbsp of olive oil to the pan with the butter because that’s my thing but other than that I followed the recipe. You can’t go wrong as long as you have a good piece of beef.
Thanks for the recipe, Dr. Dan!
Nikki
Do you crack the oven door like for broiling or just shut it and let it cook??
DrDan
Shut the door.
Dan
Sarah
Restaurant plans for NYE had to be cancelled because my husband hurt his back. Steak seemed the easiest bet, but snow covered the BBQ. Thus, I ended up here, and I’m so glad I did.
I sprinkled steak with kosher salt and pepper, let sit for a while, wiped off the excess, and seared in butter. I put the pan in the oven for 7 minutes, and it was perfect!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 🎊🍾🎉
Anita
Just had to comment on this. My husband and I sold our house and moved 100 miles away into an apartment that doesn’t allow gas grills. We have a small tabletop gas grill on the patio that we use but I feel like the steaks taste like sterno. My husband doesn’t agree, but whatever. Last night it was pouring rain so I decided to look for a new method to do steaks indoor and found this recipe. It was PERFECT! Even my husband thought so. I use the olive oil butter from Land o Lakes (I think) and one TBLS in the pan was wonderful. Thank you again. Will be doing this every Saturday night until we move back to a house.
Jesse
Good recipe but… you have the order reversed! Heat your steak in the oven first and then, sear to finish. Searing first dries out the meat more. For the juiciest steak possible, oven, then pan then let her sit!
Carolyn
Okay, WOW! I’ve never cooked a steak before, cuz I really didn’t know how except to grill, something I also don’t do often. My grocery store had bone-in Choice NY Strips on sale for $3.99/lb so I thought I would give it a try. I found your recipe, made my 7-2-2 rub, followed your directions, and because these strips are about 1-1/2″ thick and I like my steak a little more than medium, I put in the oven for 12 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes and OMGOSH – DELICOUS! I’ll be going back to the store to buy a couple more steaks to keep in the freezer! THANKS!
DrDan
Hi Carolyn,
Glad it worked so well for you. That is a great price on strip steak. Get extra.
Dan
Margaret R.
The only way I cook anymore is by temperature only. And I swear by my thermapen. Well worth the money.
Traci
Makes the perfect steak every time. We went from never eating steak at home to making it every time I catch a good price. I’ll never cook it any other way. Thank you!
Kay
This is not meant as a slam on anyone, but for those who dislike the flavor of grassfed meat, if you grew up eating regular beef, your taste buds may not easily adjust to the different flavor. Because I like grassfed meat does not mean I have no tastebuds, but I did eat grassfed beef growing up. And here is the example, which, again, is an illustration, not a slam on what anyone prefers. A long time ago, a study was performed on children who had grown up eating Dreamwhip and had never tasted real whipped cream. They were given both to taste and overwhelmingly preferred the Dreamwhip. We usually prefer what we’re used to.
Look forward to trying your recipe tonight.
Ben
I recommend the iGrill Mini temp reader it is awesome, I use it when grilling, smoking or finishing off a pan seared steak in the oven. It connects to your iPhone and you have the option to set temps and it’ll notify you when its close to finished. You’d like this little gadget. It can really help when your smoking 10+lb. etc very accurate. Thanks.
DrDan
Hi Ben,
I actually have one of the first iGrill models. The software was buggy and I packed it away after I got my first thermapen. I’m still in love with the thermapen so I have not tried the iGrill since. I will have to look at the new models. I do love a good toy.
Dan
Keith LeDez
Delicious. This is now standard operating procedure foe us. Put a bit of blue cheese on after it came out of the oven. (from another similar recipe). Also just an FYI to folks who like me just have a standard digital thermometer. The time from medium rare to medium is very short at these temps especially with a steak on the thinner side. Also I can’t emphasize enough how it continues to cook out of the oven. I still have to master this. If in doubt take it out!! You can always cook a bit more but you can’t do it the other way around!!
DrDan
Hi Keith,
My wife is in love with the blue cheese compound butter ( https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/blue-cheese-garlic-compound-butter/ ).
You are so right about watching the temp. I do love my thermapen. I was going through 2 el-cheapos a year (about $15 each). My first thermapen was $99 but didn’t even need a new battery for 3 years and is still working great for my son at the age of 5 yrs. So cheaper in the long run and so much better.
For me, the temp rises about 2 degrees if I don’t tent it but it does cool off a little fast. About 5 degrees if properly tented and keeps it’s temp better. So I usually tent. I do like my beef a little more cooked since I grew up on basically burnt meat.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Laura
This was fantastic. I’ve never been a really good steak cooker ;-) This turned out beautifully and I will ALWAYS make my steaks this way now. Thank you for such clear and concisely written directions.
DrDan
Hi Laura,
I like simple methods and this fits that. Glad it works well for you.
Thanks for the note.
Dan