Steak in Cast Iron Skillet With Peppercorn Sauce
Steak is one of the few things I can guarantee every person in my house will enjoy. Here’s my favorite easy method you can do anytime, no grill required…
You will need a seasoned cast iron skillet large enough to hold the steak flat, a steak suitable for grilling; it should be thick, not thin– (T-bone, ribeye, New York Strip, etc), kosher salt, butter, heavy cream, beef broth, and fresh ground pepper.
Unwrap the steak and place on a platter. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt on each side. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, up to an hour.
When you are ready to start cooking, place the cast iron skillet on medium-high heat until it is screaming hot. Turn on your vent fan. You might want to open a window too. 😀 Carefully put your steak in the pan and sear for four minutes. There will be smoke and sizzling. If it’s smoking too much, turn down your heat some. Flip and do another four minutes. At this point, you must determine how done you want your steak. Time depends on thickness and your skillet temperature. An instant-read thermometer is super handy at this point…
120° F (48.8° C) = Rare
130° F (54.4° C) = Medium rare
140° F (60° C) = Medium
150° F (65.5° C) = Medium well
160° F (71.1° C) = Well done
For 1 inch thick T-bone as pictured, I flip it again and do about 1 to 2 more minutes on each side, then remove from the pan and cover with foil to rest for at least 10 minutes. You should test the temperature to determine your stopping point. I aim for medium rare to medium. Well done steak makes us sad.
For the pan sauce, take the cast iron skillet and over medium heat add 1/2 cup of beef broth to deglaze the pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter, a generous amount of fresh ground pepper (1/2 teaspoonful), and a quarter cup of heavy cream. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. By now your rested steak will have left some liquid in the platter they are on…add that to your sauce and stir.
Serve! When all four of us are home I use two cast iron skillets at the same time (two ribeyes or one T-bone will generally fit in one pan).
This is one of our favorite meals. We usually have the steak with some bacon browned green beans or a salad. Simple food is best!
Steak in Cast Iron Pan with Peppercorn Pan Sauce
No grill required for this yummy steak with pan sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbone or other thick grilling steak
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
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Unwrap steak and sprinkle each side with kosher salt. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes to one hour. Heat seasoned cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Turn on vent fan to prepare for smoke. Place steak in pan and cook for four minutes. Turn and cook another four minutes. Test temperature with instant read thermometer. If it is not done to your liking cook another 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place on platter and cover with foil to rest at least 10 minutes.
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For pan sauce, deglaze skillet with beef broth, then add butter, cream, and pepper. Stir and simmer over medium heat until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.