How to Cook Steaks in the Oven to Perfect Doneness Every Time

Imagine a steak cooked to just the right temperature. It's mouthwatering, juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Hungry yet? Then grab a steak and go heat up your oven. That's right. Your oven. Because it's super easy to cook a steakhouse-worthy steak exactly the way you want it once you know how long it takes to cook a steak (to any temperature) in the oven.

Factors to Consider When Oven-Cooking Steak

Just like on the grill, the length of time required to cook a steak in the oven varies depending on a number of factors.

• Desired doneness
• Thickness of the steak
• Size of the steak
• Cooking temperature

So if grilling isn't an option, you can use your oven to cook the perfect steak either by broiling or roasting.

• Broil thin steaks that are 1½-inch thick or less.
• Roast thicker steaks that are 1½-inch thick or more.

To start, bring the steak to room temp before cooking it, season it, and then let it sit on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes prior to putting it in the oven. Don't let the steak stand at room temperature longer than 2 hours, or bacteria can start to grow. Then, put it in the oven for the right amount of time in a preheated oven.

How Long to Cook Steak in the Oven

Whether cooking your steak in the oven by broiling or roasting, there's some leeway when it comes to steak doneness. Experts vary a little with their recommendations for temperature, and how you cook your steak is a matter of personal preference. But you may want to keep food safety in mind. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that all cuts of meat be cooked to a final internal temperature of 145°F (which is medium), with a rest time of at least 3 minutes post cooking, to kill all pathogenic bacteria.

Broiling

To broil steak to medium: 

1. Preheat your broiler on high.
2. Season both sides.
3. Place the steak on a broiling pan or a rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet. 
4. Broil the steak about 6" from the heat source for about 8 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking. Broil until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
5. Remove from broiler and rest for 10 minutes.

Roasting

When roasting a steak in the oven, sear it in a hot skillet first to add flavor and color. To roast a steak in the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.  
2. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. Then season the steak with salt and pepper.
3. Sear the steak in a hot skillet for just a minute on each side.
4. Transfer steak to a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the preheated oven.
5. Roast for 10 to 20 minutes, until desired doneness is achieved.
6. To test for doneness, insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the steak.
7. Rest the steak for 10 minutes after cooking.

Testing for Doneness

Insert a reliable food thermometer into the steak so the probe goes at least 1" into the meat. Remember that the temperature of the steak will rise by about 5°F as it rests. All meat should rest, covered, after it is removed from the heat source so the juices will redistribute and every bite will be tender and juicy. That's the it-factor. 

Steakhouse Steak

Give this oven-roasted steak recipe a try to see how well this cooking method can work. It works best for very thick, tender cuts of steaks like baseball cut rib-eyes or thick-cut tenderloins such as filet mignon. Choose a steak with a minimum one-inch thickness.

Ingredients

• 12 ounce steak
• Salt and pepper
• ½ tablespoon oil, clarified butter, or bacon fat

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Season the steaks on both sides with sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper.
3. Place steak on a rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet and put in the preheated oven.
4. Cook the steaks in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The steak will still look fairly uncooked when you remove it from the oven. It's done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak reads 5°F lower than your desired doneness.
5. In the last three to four minutes that the steaks are in the oven, coat the bottom of a large sauté or grill pan with an oil that has a high smoke point, such as clarified butter or grapeseed oil. Bacon fat also works well for this and adds excellent flavor.
6. Preheat the sauté pan over high heat until the oil is shimmering in the bottom of the pan.
7. Remove the steaks from the oven and put them in the sauté pan, cooking until the steaks are well-seared on each side, about two minutes per side. Don't move the steaks while they are cooking so that they can develop a nice, caramelized crust.
8. Sear all the edges of the steak, about 30 seconds per side.
9. Let the steaks rest, covered with foil, for about 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute.

This is a delicious way to cook steaks that leaves them brown and crispy on the outside and pink and tender on the inside. You can serve the steaks plain, with a pat of compound butter, or use the drippings in the sauté pan to make a delicious pan sauce with herbs and some wine or stock. We'd certainly stop over for dinner if you did!

Tarragon Port Pan Sauce

Give your gorgeous steak a lovely finishing touching. All you need to is add a delicious pan sauce to your steak before serving.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons chopped, fresh tarragon
• ½ cup tawny port
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced
• 4 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes

Directions

1. Remove your steaks from the sauté pan and set aside on a plate, tented with foil.
2. Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan.
3. Return the pan to the heat. Pour in the port wine, scraping up the brown bits (fond) on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
4. Add shallots to the pan.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid in the pan until it is reduced by half.
6. Whisking constantly, add the butter to the pan, one piece at a time. Do not add the next piece of butter until the first piece has completely melted.
7. After four or five pieces of butter, you can start adding butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly, until all the butter is incorporated, and the sauce is emulsified.
8. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the tarragon. Spoon a little sauce over each of the steaks.

No-Fail Oven Steak

Cooking a steak can be an art form, and the only way to perfect your skills is to try a variety of methods with different cuts to find out which one works best for you. After all, it takes an artist some practice to master the skill. Check the temperature of your steak a minute or two before you believe it's done to make sure that you don't overcook, and experiment with different seasonings and sauces to expand your steak repertoire. You'll soon need a museum dedicated to your art.