Treat Yourself and the one you love!

Valentine’s Day is approaching and with so many people unable to enjoy a night out at a fancy restaurant, I thought I would share my Steakhouse Steak recipe. I have been making these for years and it’s truly a no fail process! To be honest, it’s more a “how to” because there is very little “recipe” to it. Steak, salt, pepper and buttah! (Using my best Paula Deen impression.) Oh, and you must use a cast iron skillet. It’s a must! If you don’t have one, they are fairly inexpensive and since you are saving so much money by doing the fancy dinner at home, buy the skillet too!

Now, I prefer a filet mignon and since it’s a special occasion, go to the local meat market or to the butcher counter at your local grocer and select a good quality steak. I promise, this technique is that good! You can use a New York Strip or a Ribeye as well, just be aware the cooking times will be less for those steaks.

To start, take your steaks out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking. As they come to room temperature, this is a good time to do your sides. I made wedge salads and the baked potatoes were already baking at this point. (Potatoes need an hour at 375. I simply scrub my potatoes, poke with a knife and place straight on the oven rack. I time it so that when I’m ready to start the steaks, the potatoes are done.)

Once you are ready to start the steaks, place your cast iron skillet over high heat on your stove and let it heat up for five minutes. Also, place your oven rack to the highest third of your oven, and start preheating it to 450 degrees.

While the skillet and oven heat up, crush some whole peppercorns in a sandwich bag using a rolling pin or steak mallet. Then, add some salt. I usually use kosher salt but you can use some fancy fleur de sel or sea salt if you have it on hand. Place the mixture on a plate.

Next, pat the steaks dry with paper towel and then use a little vegetable oil to coat the steaks all over.

Then, roll the sides of the filet mignon into the seasoning. I just do the sides because it’s pretty. If doing ribeyes or strips, just sprinkle some of the seasoning mixture on both sides. You will not use the full amount on the thinner steaks.

Warning!

Once the steaks are seasoned, be sure to get your hood vent going on high and honestly, you may want to open the front and back door or windows, etc. I am notorious for setting off my smoke alarms, it’s like a usual occurrence. Everyone in my household knows to grab a towel and head to the nearest alarms. So be prepared and ready. It will get smoky in the house. You have been warned!

Next, sear the steaks. For the filets, I sear for about 2 minutes on six sides. I consider the six sides to be the top, bottom and four rotations around the edges. For the ribeyes or strips, just sear on two sides, top and bottom.

The bottom is the last side I sear. Then I place a large pat of butter on each steak.

See how smoky the picture is? That’s what you want! Once you add the pat of butter to each steak, pop it into the oven for about 8 minutes.

Ribeye or Strip?

For ribeye or strips, be sure to check the temperature of the steak prior to placing it into the oven because if you like rare it may only need a couple minutes in the oven. I like my steaks medium so I go about 8 minutes to 10 minutes on the two inch filets.

Rare = 120 degrees Medium = 140 degrees Well = 160 degrees For medium rare or medium well, go between those temps. It’s all an estimation.

I should have taken a picture of the inside, it was a perfect medium! I served the steaks with a wedge salad and baked potato (that I pulled out of the oven prior to heating it to 450.)

Trust me, you will never need to go to a steakhouse again!

Happy Valentine’s Day!