Cooking a steak in a cast iron skillet is a great way to enjoy this delicious cut of meat even when you cannot use your grill.
If you’re like us, you love eating steak, but winter weather prohibits you from utilizing your grill when the temperatures drop. Just because you can’t use your grill, you don’t have to miss out on the delicious flavors of a juicy steak.
Cast iron skillet steaks are just as flavorful and delicious as a steak done on the grill. Today I’ll walk you through how to cook the perfect steak in a cast iron skillet.
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What do I Need to Cook a Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet?
If you’re wanting to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet, you will not need much for equipment! Just a few items and you’re well on your way to cooking one of the best steaks you’ll ever eat!
Cast Iron Skillet
Learning to cook with cast iron is one of the best skills to learn in the kitchen. Cast iron is so versatile, durable, and a great investment piece for your cooking inventory. I absolutely love using my Lodge Cast Iron skillet for many different dishes.
If you’ve never used cast iron before, I recommend reading my post on How to Care for Cast Iron.
Meat Thermometer
A meat thermometer is a great tool to have in your kitchen–regardless if you’re cooking a steak in cast iron or making any other meat dish. A digital meat thermometer will give you an accurate reading and take the guessing out of your cooking.
What Cut of Steak Should I Buy when Cooking it in Cast Iron?
There are so many cuts of steak that you can purchase at the grocery store, butcher, or local farmer, but there are definitely a couple steaks that I recommend over others. Here are my suggestions for the best cut of steak to use when cooking with cast iron.
- T-Bone A t-bone steak is one of the most identifiable steaks as it has a bone that goes through it that looks like a T. It has two different cuts of meat attached to the bone, but both have good marbling and taste great.
- Sirloin A sirloin steak is a great everyday, middle of the week steak. We often purchase sirloin steaks as they are an affordable cut of beef. The term “sirloin” actually covers a variety of cuts that actually comes from the back of the cow. This cut is typically fairly lean and has less fat than a t-bone or ribeye.
- Ribeye A ribeye steak is my favorite steak as it has the perfect amount of marbling and extremely tender meat.
How to Cook a Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet
Cooking a steak in cast iron may seem intimidating, but it’s actually not too difficult and definitely worth the effort! Here are the steps to cooking the perfect steak in a cast iron skillet.
- Remove your steak from the refrigerator and allow to rest on the counter to come to room temperature. This takes about a half an hour to an hour. If your steak was frozen, remove from the freezer a few days before consumption.
- Season both sides of the steak. I keep my seasoning simple. I season my steak with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. That’s all you need to create the perfect flavor crust for your steak.
- Heat up your skillet. Turn up the stove to medium to high heat.
- Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil to your skillet over medium high heat. Allow butter to melt.
- Once butter is melted and skillet is hot, place steak in the skillet and cook on each side for two to five minutes before flipping.
- Cook your steak in the skillet until it reaches your desired internal temperature. Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temp of your steak.
A rare steak will have an internal temp of 125 degrees. A medium-rare steak will be 130-135 degrees, and a medium to medium-well steak will have a temp of 145-150 degrees.
- Once your steak has reached a desired temp, remove it from the skillet and place on a cutting board to allow to rest for five to ten minutes before you carve your meat.
I hope you enjoy your steak cooked in a cast iron skillet! After you’re finished, don’t forget to clean your skillet using the steps I outline in this post, How to Care for your Cast Iron Skillet.
Other related posts:
How to Cook a Steak on a Charcoal Grill
Shrimp and Sausage Grill Packets
An Old Fashioned with Simple Syrup Recipe
📖 Recipe
Cast Iron Skillet Steak Recipe
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 32 oz Steak
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Remove your steak from the refrigerator and allow to rest on the counter to come to room temperature. This takes about a half an hour to an hour. If your steak was frozen, remove from the freezer a few days before consumption.
- Season both sides of the steak. I keep my seasoning simple. I season my steak with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Heat up your skillet. Turn up the stove to medium to high heat.
- Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil to your skillet over medium high heat. Allow butter to melt and meld with olive oil.
- Once butter is melted and skillet is hot, place steak in the skillet and cook on each side for two to five minutes before flipping.
- Cook your steak in the skillet until it reaches your desired internal temperature. Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temp of your steak.
- Once your steak has reached a desired temp, remove it from the skillet and place on a cutting board to allow to rest for five to ten minutes before you carve your meat.
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