Broil Steak

Broiling can be a a great way to cook meat, especially when you don't have access to a grill. This article will teach you how to cook steak using the broiler in your oven.

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 3-18 minutes
  • Total time: 13-28 minutes

10 Second Summary

1. Choose a steak that is less than 1 1/4-inch thick.
2. Season the steak as desired. Try salt, rubs, or a marinade.
3. Adjust your oven rack so that it is about 4 inches away from the broiler.
4. Then turn the oven on to "broil" and let it preheat.
5. Place the steak onto the rack.
6. Broil it for 4 minutes per side, turning once.
7. Remove the steak from the oven.
8. Let it rest for 4 to 5 minutes before serving.

Steps

Selecting and Seasoning Steak

  1. Select your steak. At the grocery store or butcher's shop, choose a steak that is well-marbled (meaning there are several thin veins of fat running through the meat) and is a rich, red color (raw beef that is a brownish color is beginning to get old or has freezer burn).[1]
    • Broiling will work best on medium-thickness cuts, so choose a steak that is less than an inch and a quarter thick. If your steak is too thick, the outside will burn before the inside warms through enough.
    • A good, inexpensive cut that will still give you tender, juicy steak (especially if marinated) is a flank steak. If you don't see any in the display case at the grocery store, feel free to ask the butcher if he has any in the back. Top sirloins will also give you great results if you're willing to spend a little more, and are easier to find at discount grocers like Walmart.
  2. Prepare your steak for cooking. The way you prepare your steak depends on the type of cut you have selected, as well as your personal preference. You could simply season your steak with salt, pepper, or go heavy on the flavors with a rich marinade.
    • If your steak is a very high quality cut of beef (e.g., a tenderloin (fillet) or New York steak), a rub with coarse salt and pepper is all you need. The steak will have its own amazing flavor that won’t need the help of other seasonings. However, if seasoning is your thing, try add a dash of garlic or a hint of rosemary.
    • For tougher cuts, such as a round or flank steak, a marinade can help make it more flavorful and tender. Soak the beef for an hour or more in a sauce that contains a combination of acids (e.g., vinegar) and salt(or soy sauce). This will help break down the tough meat fibers and will infuse the steak with flavor. Place the steak in a shallow dish or bowl, cover it in the marinade, and cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap.
    • If you choose to marinate your steak,you should do so in the fridge (40°F (4.5°C) or below) to prevent foodborne illness if you are marinating for more than 30 minutes. Let the steak rest on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes to get to room temperature just before cooking for best results.
  3. Prepare your oven and pan. Once your steak is ready to cook, set it aside. Adjust your oven rack so that the top of the steak will be about 4 inches (10cm) from the broiler heating element. Then turn the oven on to "broil" and preheat at 350f.
    • If you don’t know where your broiler is, check both the bottom and the top of your oven. Most electric ovens have a broiler in their ‘ceiling’ but some older gas models have separate units under the main part of the stove that acts as their broiler.[2]
    • If you like your steak cooked past medium, a good trick is to let the steak come to room temp, then stick it in the freezer while the oven preheats. The 5-10 min in the freezer before hitting the oven allows the outside of the steak to cook a little slower, allowing you to cook the interior to well without overcooking the exterior of the steak.
  4. Lightly grease your broiler pan with cooking spray. Broiler pans look like a cookie sheet, with an inset 'grill' top put on them that has slots on it for juices to drip down below to the cookie sheet. Place your steak on the broiler pan, allowing the excess marinade to drain. Do not use Pyrex or glass cookware for broiling. They cannot handle the high heat and will break.[1]
    • Note that a broiler pan is best for broiling foods, but that you can also use a shallow baking dish (lined with foil for easier cleanup) or cast-iron pan if you don't have one. The downside to using a non-draining surface is that the fats that excrete off of your steak as it cooks will pool around its edges and possibly cause it to burn. To avoid this, try moving the steak to a different area of the pan with less fat as it cooks. Be careful--that grease is hot!

Broiling Steak

  1. Broil your steak. Place your steak into the oven on the rack closest to the broiler. Cooking times will vary greatly based on the cut of steak, cooking altitude, type of oven you're using, and how hot the broiler runs; cooking times can range from 3 to 18 minutes. A good rule of thumb to go by is to watch it! If it looks "done" on one side, flip it over with tongs. Remember to always use oven mitts when reaching into the oven.
    • In general, the most common cooking time is four minutes on one side, and then four minutes on the other. Of course, as each cut of steak is different, it is always best to simply determine the cooking time for yourself.
  2. Determine whether or not your steak is done. There are several tests you can do to figure out how "done" a steak is. Of course, your definition of ‘done’ might be barely cooked (ie. very rare.) while someone else’s definition might be cooked until it is bone dry. The easiest way to tell who done a steak is to cut into the thickest part of the steak and check the color. A rare steak will still be blood red and have red juices; a medium steak will be pink and have almost clear juices; a well-done steak will be brownish gray and have brown juices. Other methods include[3]:
    • Check the edges. If you have a thicker steak, the color of the edges is often a good way to tell how done the middle is. When the edges change from red to pink to brown, the inside is probably moving from rare to medium rare to medium.
    • Test the "fleshiness." Pinch the flesh stretching between your thumb and forefinger--the muscled part, not just the skin--with your other thumb and forefinger. Can you feel how it's firm, but supple? How it gives under pressure, but bounces back? That's the way the middle of a medium-cooked steak feels. To test for this, prod the steak with your tongs or the flat edge of a knife (don't pierce it with a fork). Test to see if it "wiggles" or not. If it still feels too fleshy, give it another minute or two.[4]
    • Listen to it. When the outside of a steak goes from cooked to overcooked, the sound of the sizzling will become louder and sharper.
  3. Remove your steak from the oven and let it rest. Remove the broiler pan from the oven and test the steak once more for doneness. If it's cooked to your liking, don't be tempted to cut it up immediately! Letting a piece of meat "rest" for a few minutes before slicing it is the number one way to make sure it stays juicy. Wait until most of the steam from the steak has slowed and the juices stop running off--usually around 4 or 5 minutes--before digging in.
    • Of course, some people simply can’t wait--which is fine too! Digging in immediately won’t ruin the steak--but it may burn your mouth! Use caution.
  4. Serve it up and enjoy!


Tips

  • Only flip the steak once. Let it cook on one side, then let it finish on the other.
  • If your broiler heating element keeps turning off because it is "up to temperature," you can trick your oven into keeping it on by propping the door of the oven open slightly. Many oven doors have a setting to do this: simply open the door a few inches and feel if it settles into place. If not, loosely roll some tin foil into a cylinder and insert it into the gap between the door and the oven--just remember to only touch it with an oven mitt, since it will get very hot!

Warnings

  • Discard any remaining marinade immediately, do not be tempted to use the "raw" marinade as a sauce (remember that it's full of raw meat juices and can make you sick).
  • Always wash your hands and disinfect kitchen surfaces after handling raw meat.
  • Always use an oven mitt when moving oven racks.

Things You'll Need

  • Steak
  • Ingredients for marinade
  • Container for marinade
  • Refrigerator
  • Oven with "Broil" setting
  • Broiler pan (or shallow baking pan)
  • Tongs (or fork)
  • Knife
  • Flavored seasonings

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-broil-a-steak-in-the-ov-42896
  2. ↑ http://food52.com/hotline/6853-where-is-my-broiler-located-in-my-oven
  3. ↑ http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101_basics_techniques/kitchen_tips_techniques/how_to_tell_when_your_meat_is_cooked
  4. ↑ http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_finger_test_to_check_the_doneness_of_meat/
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