How To Cook A Steak In The Oven To Perfect Medium Rare

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For meat lovers, there’s nothing better than a juicy steak off the grill.

But now that the cold weather is here, you make not feel like braving the great outdoors with your parka and tongs.

Not to fear, carnivores. We have you covered with a step-by-step guide on how to cook a steak in the oven. That’s right.

You CAN cook a steak in the oven to perfect medium rear right there in your kitchen.

Let’s get cooking.

It All Starts With A Great Steak

The key to cooking a delicious steak is starting with a quality piece of meat. Whether it’s rib-eye, sirloin, filet mignon or t-bone, you get what you pay for.

If you have access to organic, humanely raised beef all the better. It’s a more ethical choice, and the flavor and quality of the meat are usually far superior.

You’ll also want to be sure that your steak is at least 1 to 1.5 inches thick with some fat around the edges and some good marbling on the inside. ‍

If it’s thinner, you’ll need to shorten the cooking time. 

Other Essential Ingredients

Oil:

You’re going to be cooking at high temperatures, so you’ll need an oil that can withstand the heat without burning. ‍

Avocado oil is ideal.

Save your extra virgin olive oil for the salad as its smoke point is too low for searing.

Seasonings:

Many people make the mistake of under seasoning their meat.

But don’t be afraid to get in there and give it a good rub down with salt. It helps to break down the proteins in your steak and also brings out moisture.‍

Freshly ground black pepper and garlic are also good. Or choose your favorite dry rub.

When your steak is finished, you may want to add a pat of butter and some chives.

Cooking Equipment

A Cast Iron Skillet: Professional chefs usually recommend a cast iron skillet for making steak because it keeps heat better and cooks food more evenly. That being said, you can also use any other type of oven-proof, high heat skillet.

Tongs: You’re not going to want to use a fork to flip your steak. Use a nice pair of hardy tongs that can handle a nice hardy piece of meat.

Good Oven Mitts: Do I really next to explain this one?

The Method To Your Meat

Now that you have your ingredients and equipment ready it’s go time.

This method is quick, maybe 15 minutes tops. 

So make sure your side dishes and extra sauces are ready to serve. Here’s the step by step breakdown.

1. Let your Steak Warm to Room Temperature.

This is important because it helps the meat cook more evenly. It will also make your steak more tender.

You’ll want to leave it on your counter for a good 30 or 40 minutes.

You can preheat your oven broiler once the steak is at room temperature.

2. Blot and Season the Steak.

Remove the excess moisture from your steak with a paper towel. ‍

Now you can use a brush or your hands to coat it with oil. Once both sides are done, you can rub in your salt, pepper and other seasonings.

Remember, be generous with the salt. It will make your steak more tender and juicy.

3. Heat your Skillet.

Some people like to preheat their skillet under the broiler in the oven for 20 minutes.

But you can also do it on a burner on top of the stove for about 6 to 8 minutes or so. The important thing is that your skillet needs to be extremely HOT to sear the meat.

If your skillet isn’t hot enough, your steak will turn an unappetizing shade of greyish brown. Not what you want.

So important point: if you want a steak that’s seared and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, heat your skillet properly.

4. Sear the Steak.

Now that your skillet is hot enough sear the meat for 30 seconds (on top of your stove burner).

You can use your tongs to press it down if you like.

5. Now Flip the Steak with your Tongs.

Once the steak is flipped on the other side, you’ll sear it for another 30 seconds.

6. Put the Steak in the Oven Under the Broiler.

It’s time to put your steak in the oven now.

Carefully place your skillet under the broiler, close the oven door and let it cook for 2 minutes.

7. Flip the Steak Again.

After the 2 minutes are up, carefully flip your steak, close the oven door and cook for another two minutes.

When 2 minutes are up your steak should be a perfect medium-rare.

If you like your steak medium, add another two minutes of cooking time.

8. Put the Steak on a Plate.

As soon as your steak is finished, you’ll want to plate it and pour the cooking juices on top of it. Leaving the steak in the hot skillet will overcook your steak.

9. Let the Steak Rest.

You’re probably anxious to dig in now, but letting your steak rest for five minutes will allow the meat to absorb all of those lovely cooking juices. You can tent it with a bit of aluminum foil to keep it warm.

In the meantime, you can set the table with your favorite side dishes— veggies, a classic baked potato, salad, bread or whatever else you like.

10. Now your Steak is Ready to Slice and Serve.

Want Extra Sauce With That?

Some people like their steak straight up.

But if you’re into sauces, there are lots of great ones that will compliment your steak.

Red wine sauce, aioli, garlic and mushroom sauce, roasted tomatillo and chimichurri are all good options.

Keeping It Simple

As you can see, cooking a steak in the oven is pretty straight forward.

Maybe even simpler than your grill. So enjoy your indoor cooking adventures this winter. And who knows, you may be cooking up steaks in your kitchen until long after the spring thaw.

Enjoy!