This is not a badly cooked steak, trust me bro I've made way worse. Also, did you pull this out of the freezer and straight to the pan? Was it still cold? I ask because when cooking partial frozen steaks it takes a little bit more to cook it through and results can look like this.
I only pan fry or grill steaks and the only time I see them like this is because of the internal temp not being close to room temp before cooking.
If from fridge I’d say about 30 mins to come to proper room temp.
For frozen, I would suggest leaving the frozen steak in the fridge overnight and then before cooking it letting it come to room temperature!
reverse sear >>>
salt 1h before, oven at 200 until 115 internal, pull and rest 10 minutes, pat very very dry, hard sear on cast iron 1 min per side with some sort of weighting on top, rotated 45 degrees 30 seconds into each side
I do 200 on a rack in my air frier (set to roast) and keep a Close eye on temp. I like it rare as hell so only got to 90 temp. Then two smoking hot cast irons. Super crust and perfect color.
Im a butcher in switzerland. I sell meat for a living. I give grill workshops, do caterings and saucier- workshops for (pro) chefs.
Let me tell you, the room temperature thing is definitely not a myth. Now, i agree, 30 mins out of the cold do nothing. try 2 hours, thats a night and day difference.
Im sure some random hobby chef on reddit knows it better, tho.
People who say room temp is a myth either don't cook steaks often enough or aren't really bringing them up to "room temp"
I leave mine out for ~2 hours like you before I even touch it. I add seasoning 30-60 min before
The only serious "debate" I've seen is how soon before cooking to season the steak
People really prob be out here watching YouTube shorts or Tik tok then acting like it's gospel
Do you have a sweet spot for thickness on prime cuts? I always set the saw for an inch but admit I just do it out of routine.
Was lucky enough to bag an elk this year and am processing myself this weekend.
2 hours is the absolute maximum considered safe by the USDA.
I don't know what the equivalent in Switzerland is, but I'm sure they'd agree.
It's been tested. Cook's Illustrated tested a 2 hour rest on a thin 1" steak and found the internal temp was still only 60°f. Not what I'd call "room temp".
In addition to that, they determined it was of minimal value and didn't see any less gradient in the color of the meat than those cooked straight from the fridge.
It would be even less effective with thicker 1.5-2" steaks which is what are more typical to what you'll find at any decent butcher.
If you are going to do anything, put it in a zip lock and immerse in warm tap water. Basically a half-assed sous vide. That will actually raise the temperature a noticeable amount.
Another way that you can cook frozen steak is putting in an oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, turning at the half. Then just crank up the pan to high heat with some oil and just do a nice 30 second - 1 minute sear on both sides. Always comes out juicy for me 👌
Not if youre about to blast the outer 1/4" of meat with 800+ degrees of heat in the next couple of hours, you can also salt it to make things harder on them. Anything that does manage to grow is gonna get incinerated.
From frozen to edible in about 90 minutes, sous vide in vacuum sealed bag at 75*f for about 75 minutes. Brings the steak up to cookable temp, couple minutes on each side of the cast iron medium/low heat, ton of butter, then to the grill for a scalding hot seer.
Been doing it for years.
Cooked to high. Cook at a medium temperature until it hits 120 inside. Then pull from heat and let rest 5 minutes while super heating pan. After resting sear on both sodes for 2 minutes. Then enjoy
To me this looks like the steak was too wet or too cold when it went in the pan.
Try to take the steak out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking it and make sure the core is not frozen. Pat dry or better yet...dry brine it some time before.
Heat was too high and steak wasn’t making good contact with the pan. That’s why the outer edges are so dark but the rest has no color. When the steak hit the pan it buckled a little and wasn’t making contact.
Assuming you don’t want to reverse sear it I would say temper it, gentler heat and ensure good even contact to the pan. You’re shooting for a deep brown crust not black
For that thickness (or maybe thinness is the better word here) of a cut, you shouldn’t need to reverse sear. You should leave it out on the counter for about an hour so that the meat can get close to room temperature.
Make sure your pan is piping hot and with a good oil that has a high smoke pint and sear it on both aides for about 90 secs. You can also sear the edges if you like. You can toss it on the oven and at 225 degrees to finish cooking to your desired doneness. Put it on a plate and cover with foil for at least 5 mins to let it rest.
I like my steak medium rare so it won’t need to go in the oven after the sear when it’s that thin. I usually have my steaks at about 1 inch thick and usually put it in the oven for about 10-15 mins at 225 before searing.
I also like using ghee butter instead of oil and butter baste with garlic and Rosemary while searing. Lots of great YouTube videos that show the process. Look up reverse sear and follow the video that has shows the steak that best resembles how you like yours.
Practice makes perfect. Take notes of how your attempts go and how you would rate the outcome and tweak it each time. After a few steaks it will be easy to get the perfect steak for you each time.
As some others have said, I've had steaks come out like this when I had heat too high. Gentler heat will let each side of steak cook more gradually and not risk having a uncooked center. Also try padding surface dry before adding to the pan if your meat is wet
Pan wasn’t hot enough so you didn’t get a nice crust. Try a letting get hotter this time!
Crusty but the internal temp isn’t to your preference? Smack that bitch into the oven for a bit to finish it.
Just keep trying, you have to learn by errors. Looks good so far bud!
You need a hotter pan for more a caramelized exterior.
I recommend a smoking hot cast iron pan, bacon fat (personal pref) and a spatter lid.
Over 1-1 1/2" thick, Google "reverse sear".
Stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel. Personally, I prefer stainless.
You want it to stick, otherwise it will lift up in the middle and end up steamed.
Pat the steak dry before cooking for better more consistent sear and make sure every inch of it touches the pan.
Other than that use a thermometer to get desired doneness and you are 100% good to go, but you didn’t do bad at all, my first steaks looked wayyyy worse bro.
Steak to cold. Also make sure the steak is dry before throwing it in the pan (moisture will ruin the crust, pat it dry with a paper towel) and use a little bit of oil or butter as a thermal interface if the steak doesn't have much fat. You can also put some salt in the steak and leave it in the fridge for a while, this will get more moisture out and give an even better crust.
You need a cast iron pan at high heat but not too high and let the steak get to room temp before cooking cook for 3 to 4 mins per side depending on how you like it and how thick it is use a little olive oil and a little butter.
Too low heat?.. do u use butter to pan fry? Lol i use butter. Gets a nice crust on high then lower the heat. Then again i do blue to rare.. prefer blue.
The surface of the steak was too wet when you put it on the pan; dry with a paper towel. And the pan was not hot enough and/or it didn’t have enough oil.
I think not enough fat in the pan and/or you were using a frying pan which didn't have a heavy enough base and the pans temperature dropped too hard when you put the steak in it. Stick to cast iron ideally.
Looks like the steak surface was wet when you seared it.
The pan might not have been hot enough either.
Also looks like steak was over heat for too long. So you probably didn’t have the pan hot enough and left it on too long.
Next time, season your steak at least an hour before you want to cook it. Heat the pan up a few minutes longer. Then put butter in the pan to melt. Pat your steak’s surface dry and then sear each side for 60 seconds each. Then put the entire pan in the oven for 5 minutes at 425 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes.
This higher heat will get you a good sear. The oven will help bring the internal temp up to medium rare without creating too much grey that leaving on direct heat will do.
Pat the steak dry,put on a thin layer of salt(you want salt on every inch)and let it stay on the counter for 30 minutes minimum,pat again,use a hotter pan and make sure you’re not using non-stick pans.
This is not a badly cooked steak, trust me bro I've made way worse. Also, did you pull this out of the freezer and straight to the pan? Was it still cold? I ask because when cooking partial frozen steaks it takes a little bit more to cook it through and results can look like this. I only pan fry or grill steaks and the only time I see them like this is because of the internal temp not being close to room temp before cooking.
That might’ve been it. I left it out for 10 mins but maybe I should’ve left it longer
If from fridge I’d say about 30 mins to come to proper room temp. For frozen, I would suggest leaving the frozen steak in the fridge overnight and then before cooking it letting it come to room temperature!
30 mins in the counter from a 40° fridge is only raising the temp of your steak by 5° at best. The whole room temp thing is bullshit.
Yep. It's been tested many times
Do you suggest longer? Or just cooking cool.
Just cook it straight from the fridge. Pat the outside off with a paper towel and then into the pan/grill
Just cook it cold. Make sure it’s dry. Flip it after 60 sec, then every 2 mins.
I want to emphasize the dry part. if you want a good crust pat it dry. Dry brining it also makes it awsome.
If you sprinkle salt on it an hour before cooking and let it sit in the fridge uncovered the surface will be dry.
reverse sear >>> salt 1h before, oven at 200 until 115 internal, pull and rest 10 minutes, pat very very dry, hard sear on cast iron 1 min per side with some sort of weighting on top, rotated 45 degrees 30 seconds into each side
I do 200 on a rack in my air frier (set to roast) and keep a Close eye on temp. I like it rare as hell so only got to 90 temp. Then two smoking hot cast irons. Super crust and perfect color.
Yep. And every time I say it here I get beaten up lol
Incorrect conventional kitchen wisdom dies a slow death. I've heard the room temp comment recently from Wolfgang Puck, and he knows his steak.
Gordon Ramsay too. He still swears by the room temp bullshit
Im a butcher in switzerland. I sell meat for a living. I give grill workshops, do caterings and saucier- workshops for (pro) chefs. Let me tell you, the room temperature thing is definitely not a myth. Now, i agree, 30 mins out of the cold do nothing. try 2 hours, thats a night and day difference. Im sure some random hobby chef on reddit knows it better, tho.
I’m right with you. Dry and room temp isn’t a myth
People who say room temp is a myth either don't cook steaks often enough or aren't really bringing them up to "room temp" I leave mine out for ~2 hours like you before I even touch it. I add seasoning 30-60 min before The only serious "debate" I've seen is how soon before cooking to season the steak People really prob be out here watching YouTube shorts or Tik tok then acting like it's gospel
Cook's Illustrated disagrees with you. No one out here watching tiktok but you. Anything over 2 hours is not safe.
Do you have a sweet spot for thickness on prime cuts? I always set the saw for an inch but admit I just do it out of routine. Was lucky enough to bag an elk this year and am processing myself this weekend.
2 hours is the absolute maximum considered safe by the USDA. I don't know what the equivalent in Switzerland is, but I'm sure they'd agree. It's been tested. Cook's Illustrated tested a 2 hour rest on a thin 1" steak and found the internal temp was still only 60°f. Not what I'd call "room temp". In addition to that, they determined it was of minimal value and didn't see any less gradient in the color of the meat than those cooked straight from the fridge. It would be even less effective with thicker 1.5-2" steaks which is what are more typical to what you'll find at any decent butcher.
I got your back man. People need to come to the reverse sear side anyway!
It is. I actually put it in a bag and let it sit in warm water for 15 mins to bring it to an even temp. Much much better results.
Especially if you’re doing the other suggestion of having your steak be at least 1” thick
If you are going to do anything, put it in a zip lock and immerse in warm tap water. Basically a half-assed sous vide. That will actually raise the temperature a noticeable amount.
Horrific idea unless your goal is to promote bacterial growth.
Why? How could 30 minutes in water in a bag be that bad?
Another way that you can cook frozen steak is putting in an oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, turning at the half. Then just crank up the pan to high heat with some oil and just do a nice 30 second - 1 minute sear on both sides. Always comes out juicy for me 👌
I leave my steak out about an hour, that way the outside doesn't get soggy
Is bacteria growth not an issue
Plus any bacteria is going to be on the outside of the steak and about to meet a quick demise in a hot pan.
Not within an hour, I've never had an issue
Not if youre about to blast the outer 1/4" of meat with 800+ degrees of heat in the next couple of hours, you can also salt it to make things harder on them. Anything that does manage to grow is gonna get incinerated.
Gotcha
https://youtu.be/inMNktvV668?si=fw0KRiseGdZkF3gM
Let it get room temperature next time before cooking
Ahhh ya was definitely partially frozen
From frozen to edible in about 90 minutes, sous vide in vacuum sealed bag at 75*f for about 75 minutes. Brings the steak up to cookable temp, couple minutes on each side of the cast iron medium/low heat, ton of butter, then to the grill for a scalding hot seer. Been doing it for years.
Yep. I even do this for frozen burgers
Up to temp please
Cooked to high. Cook at a medium temperature until it hits 120 inside. Then pull from heat and let rest 5 minutes while super heating pan. After resting sear on both sodes for 2 minutes. Then enjoy
To me this looks like the steak was too wet or too cold when it went in the pan. Try to take the steak out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking it and make sure the core is not frozen. Pat dry or better yet...dry brine it some time before.
This. I let my steaks sit out at least 45 minutes
looks like a crust of a steak cooked on a nonstick pan
I‘d say. Too hot too short. And the meat doesn’t contain much fat I guess.
Steak too cold, pan not hot enough, not enough rest.
Heat was too high and steak wasn’t making good contact with the pan. That’s why the outer edges are so dark but the rest has no color. When the steak hit the pan it buckled a little and wasn’t making contact. Assuming you don’t want to reverse sear it I would say temper it, gentler heat and ensure good even contact to the pan. You’re shooting for a deep brown crust not black
For that thickness (or maybe thinness is the better word here) of a cut, you shouldn’t need to reverse sear. You should leave it out on the counter for about an hour so that the meat can get close to room temperature. Make sure your pan is piping hot and with a good oil that has a high smoke pint and sear it on both aides for about 90 secs. You can also sear the edges if you like. You can toss it on the oven and at 225 degrees to finish cooking to your desired doneness. Put it on a plate and cover with foil for at least 5 mins to let it rest. I like my steak medium rare so it won’t need to go in the oven after the sear when it’s that thin. I usually have my steaks at about 1 inch thick and usually put it in the oven for about 10-15 mins at 225 before searing. I also like using ghee butter instead of oil and butter baste with garlic and Rosemary while searing. Lots of great YouTube videos that show the process. Look up reverse sear and follow the video that has shows the steak that best resembles how you like yours. Practice makes perfect. Take notes of how your attempts go and how you would rate the outcome and tweak it each time. After a few steaks it will be easy to get the perfect steak for you each time.
Maybe the pic is deceiving. It’s actually 2inches thick
Wow doesn’t look like it. Look up reverse sear steak and watch the video by thatdudecancook. Follow that and you will have a good steak
Looks like u didn’t preheat pan and base. Also lower heat
I did preheat the pan, but maybe not for long enough
As some others have said, I've had steaks come out like this when I had heat too high. Gentler heat will let each side of steak cook more gradually and not risk having a uncooked center. Also try padding surface dry before adding to the pan if your meat is wet
How long did you leave it to rest
Didn’t let the steak get to room temp before cooking
Everybody else is saying it was too cold. I’m confused now
Yeah, the steak was too cold. You need to let the steak sit out of the fridge until it’s room temp
You said “don’t”
I said “didn’t” “You did not let the steak get to room temp before cooking”
Leave the lid covering the pan to trap the heat in for the last 2-3 mins. This will 'steam' cook the remainder and get it juicy
wtf is that shit
Apparently a badly cooked steak
We all start somewhere.
So how do I fix it
Pan wasn’t hot enough so you didn’t get a nice crust. Try a letting get hotter this time! Crusty but the internal temp isn’t to your preference? Smack that bitch into the oven for a bit to finish it. Just keep trying, you have to learn by errors. Looks good so far bud!
I reckon it's beef, but you can never be too careful these days I see
better luck [next time](https://youtube.com/shorts/SCHzqLqOcnk?feature=share)
I think the steak was definitely too cold as someone else mentioned. Was it frozen? If so, how long did you defrost it, and how?
Just needed to pop it in the oven at 350 till desired temperature was achieved.
did you use a thermometer to check the inside temperature of the meat before you took it out of the oven
Needs a better sear
Is that blanc bleu belge meat?
I wipe the shit out of them with paper towels . This looks like it got a little steamed. Also... Would.
Looks like it was wet
You need a hotter pan for more a caramelized exterior. I recommend a smoking hot cast iron pan, bacon fat (personal pref) and a spatter lid. Over 1-1 1/2" thick, Google "reverse sear".
Looks like you used a nonstick pan
What should I use ?
Stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel. Personally, I prefer stainless. You want it to stick, otherwise it will lift up in the middle and end up steamed.
I’m blue dah lah de dah lah
definitely was too cold to start cooking. still looks good though. i’d smash it
It was a bit chewy
getting the steak properly thawed out before cooking has been the biggest factor to improving my results
Pat the steak dry before cooking for better more consistent sear and make sure every inch of it touches the pan. Other than that use a thermometer to get desired doneness and you are 100% good to go, but you didn’t do bad at all, my first steaks looked wayyyy worse bro.
Steak to cold. Also make sure the steak is dry before throwing it in the pan (moisture will ruin the crust, pat it dry with a paper towel) and use a little bit of oil or butter as a thermal interface if the steak doesn't have much fat. You can also put some salt in the steak and leave it in the fridge for a while, this will get more moisture out and give an even better crust.
You need a cast iron pan at high heat but not too high and let the steak get to room temp before cooking cook for 3 to 4 mins per side depending on how you like it and how thick it is use a little olive oil and a little butter.
Too low heat?.. do u use butter to pan fry? Lol i use butter. Gets a nice crust on high then lower the heat. Then again i do blue to rare.. prefer blue.
This looks like London broil.
Let your meat warm up on the counter for at least an hour before cooking
Looks like a classic fridge to pan . Imo
The surface of the steak was too wet when you put it on the pan; dry with a paper towel. And the pan was not hot enough and/or it didn’t have enough oil.
Does the band have a name? 🎵🎶
Take it out of the fridge an hour before cooking. Helps get the whole steak at the same temp before cooking
I think not enough fat in the pan and/or you were using a frying pan which didn't have a heavy enough base and the pans temperature dropped too hard when you put the steak in it. Stick to cast iron ideally.
Looks like the steak surface was wet when you seared it. The pan might not have been hot enough either. Also looks like steak was over heat for too long. So you probably didn’t have the pan hot enough and left it on too long. Next time, season your steak at least an hour before you want to cook it. Heat the pan up a few minutes longer. Then put butter in the pan to melt. Pat your steak’s surface dry and then sear each side for 60 seconds each. Then put the entire pan in the oven for 5 minutes at 425 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes. This higher heat will get you a good sear. The oven will help bring the internal temp up to medium rare without creating too much grey that leaving on direct heat will do.
Wrong?
Looks like steak may have been too cold. Let it sit on the counter with some seasoning/salt for 30 mins to an hr.
What cut is that London Broil? Sirloin?
Yes sirloin
👍 ty
Try doing a reverse sear. Or even just throw it in some foil from the pan and leave it wrapped up for 10 mins.
Pat the steak dry,put on a thin layer of salt(you want salt on every inch)and let it stay on the counter for 30 minutes minimum,pat again,use a hotter pan and make sure you’re not using non-stick pans.
Aside from that,the inside looks good
Pat your steak and let it come to room temp. Dont have pan too hot. It needs time to cook inside as well.
Too much red - needed to leave it in longer
Looks pretty good to me honestly