Frozen Seared Steak

Yum

Searing a steak and giving it the perfect cross-pattern while making sure that the steak is cooked perfectly medium-rare throughout could sometimes be a challenge.  This modernist technique for cooking steak may sound somewhat bizarre, but if you want that perfect pattern AND a perfectly cooked steak -  this is a bulletproof method.

The method, adapted from the "Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking" cookbook, involves freezing the steak, searing it and then finishing the steak off in the oven at a low temperature.

Here is how you do it, step by step. First trim the steaks so all the big chunks of fat and silver skin is removed. Also shape them so they will look nice when served. Put in the freezer for about 1 hour. You want the outside to be slightly frozen but the steak should NOT be frozen all throughout. Freezing the outside of the steak in advance will ensure that you don’t overcook the meat while you achieve that perfect sear. Heat up the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. After an hour, remove the steaks from the freezer and sprinkle with Big Swede BBQ Badass Beef Boost. Let the steaks sweat for a couple of minutes while you heat up the cast-iron pan with some oil. Use an oil with a high smoke-point. Safflower oil or peanut oil are good choices. Make sure the pan is searing hot before you add the steaks.

Sear the steak for 30 second at a 45 degree angle. When you have a nice sear pattern rotate 90 degrees and sear for another 30 seconds. When you rotate the steak move it to another section of the pan, so it will hit a hot part that has not been cooled down by the steak. Flip and repeat. You should have a perfect cross-pattern on the steak.

The next step is to get the interior temperature of the steak to your preference. I like mine medium-rare so I would go for 130-135 degrees. In this case, I went a little higher due to requests from the guests. Put the steaks in the oven and let them slowly get up in temperature. It should take between 30-60 minutes depending on the thickness of the steaks. When they reach the right temperature, let the steaks rest for 5-7 minutes.

These steaks should be served as whole steaks, so your guests can marvel at your perfect sear. But when you slice them, you can see how they are beautifully cooked without the "bullseye-look" you can get when pan-searing or grilling a steak (inside raw, then rare, then medium, then done and the outside being a crust).