how to cook steak in the oven without searing

There are many ways to cook a steak and searing it over high heat is one of the most popular methods. However, not everyone has a grill or access to a stovetop, so today we’ll be showing you how to cook steak in the oven without searing. By following these simple steps, you’ll be able to create a delicious and tender steak without ever leaving your kitchen. So, fire up your oven and let’s get cooking!

Why Do You Sear Steak?

-There are three primary reasons people sear their steaks before cooking them in the oven. One, searing creates that delicious brown crust on the outside of the steak that provides an appetizing appearance and great flavor. Two, the Maillard reaction (i.e., when amino acids in meat break down in high heat) occurs at a much faster rate with searing than it does without searing. And three, searing helps lock in all those juices. So, this third reason is why we do not sear our steak before baking it in the oven.

How to Cook a Steak in an Oven without Searing

-Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

-Step 2: Prepare your steak by seasoning it with salt and pepper, or whatever spices you prefer. To be clear, we are not searing our steak because we already determined that searing locks in juices. So, if we were to sear it now, then all those delicious juices would end up on the outside instead of inside the steak where they belong!

-Step 3: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup later. Place a wire rack on top of the lined baking sheet and place your seasoned steaks on top of the wire rack as shown above. You can also make this without a wire rack, but keep in mind that not only will clean-up afterwards be much more difficult but searing the bottom of your steak will also be very difficult.

-Step 4: Place baking sheet in oven for 20 minutes. You might have to adjust the time if your steaks are particularly thick or thin. However, I’ve never had any issues with cooking times when following this recipe. For reference, my steaks are about 1.25″ thick and cook in just under 30 minutes at 400°F (~20 min @ 400°F then ~10 min @ 350°F).

-Step 5: Turn the oven up to 450°F (+10°) and continue baking for 10-15 minutes until desired doneness is reached. Cook time will depend on how thick your steak is, and you’ll again have to adjust the temperature as necessary. For reference, cooking times for 1 1/2″ steaks are right around 10 minutes at 450°F (~5 min @ 450°F then ~5 min @ 400°F).

-Step 6: Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes covered with aluminum foil before serving. For reference, resting allows all those delicious juices to flow back into the center of your steak so they don’t run out when you cut it open to serve! And a word about those juices…I can’t stand it when people say that searing “locks in” the juices. This isn’t anything new or unusual – we all know that steaks are seared to lock in those juices, right? So, if we were to skip searing and just stick the steak in the oven as-is, then all those delicious juices would run out and end up on my plate! The important thing is that we’re using a lower temperature than with traditional methods, thereby keeping those juices inside where they belong.

-Step 7: Slice open your steak and serve. Your steak should look something like this:

Above is a 1.25″ thick ribeye. As you can see, it’s cooked perfectly from edge to edge – even more so than searing would have been able to accomplish…and without any burnt outside crust from searing. In addition to creating a great appearance and texture, searing also helps manage flare-ups caused by dripping juices during the cooking process. However, we’ve already determined that searing causes those juices to run out of the steak and onto my plate – which is why I don’t sear before baking in the oven! As such, you won’t have any problems with flare-ups when following this recipe because your steaks will be sitting directly on a wire rack above a pan full of your favorite beef broth.

Checking Doneness Temperature for Steaks

Thin Steak: 120°F

-Medium Steak: 135°F

-Well Done, Steak: 145-150°F

Thick steak: 155-160°F

-For reference, my steaks are about 1.25″ thick and cook in just under 30 minutes at 400°F (~20 min @ 400°F then ~10 min @ 350°F).

Tips for Cooking Steak without Stovetop Searing

-If your oven heats unevenly, rotate the pan every 3-4 minutes for even cooking.

-For particularly thick steaks, try using a probe thermometer to get an accurate reading of doneness.

-Add beef broth or other flavored liquids to the bottom of the baking sheet for added flavor during cooking and/or while resting.

-After no more than 30 minutes in the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let rest on the countertop until ready to serve.

-Use rubs, marinades, or other seasonings to add extra flavor before placing in oven (I recommend 1 hour of marination time).

-I use ribeye because I love how it looks when cut open after being cooked all the way through without being seared, but any of your favorite cuts of steak will work.

-Above is a 1.25″ thick ribeye. As you can see, it’s cooked perfectly from edge to edge – even more so than searing would have been able to accomplish…and without any burnt outside crust from searing. In addition to creating a great appearance and texture, searing also helps manage flare-ups caused by dripping juices during the cooking process.  However, we’ve already determined that searing causes those juices to run out of the steak and onto my plate – which is why I don’t sear before baking in the oven! As such, you won’t have any problems with flare-ups when following this recipe because your steaks will be sitting directly on a wire rack above a pan full of your favorite beef broth.

Conclusions:

-The method used for cooking steak in the oven under a wire rack with beef broth is relatively simple and allows you to cook your steaks without searing, thus creating a perfect medium-rare interior while maintaining an enjoyable crisp outer crust. The use of this technique results in steaks which are cooked evenly from edge-to-edge and remain juicy on the inside.