Pan-Roasted NY Strip

Generally I cook my steaks by searing them off on the stovetop and then finishing them in the oven.  I have found that is the easiest way to ensure getting a nice medium-rare steak every single time without ending up with a bit too much char or uneven cooking.  But Tom Colicchio had a recipe for Pan-Roasted Sirloin in his Think Like a Chef cookbook that inspired me to give pan-roasting and butter-basting a try.

If you have a nice piece of steak, I would say definitely give this recipe a try.  The recipe is all about the steak - there are no fancy marinades or sauces to obscure the taste of the beef.  Instead all you taste is the beef, with a hint of butter and rosemary (both of which you can taste in every single bite).  And because of the pan-roasting technique over medium heat, the steak almost feels like it was cooked gently sous-vide for a zillion hours in an immersion circulator before being briefly seared up on the top and bottom.  The steak ends up very tender, almost buttery on the inside and perfectly cooked.  I thought it was delicious.  Alex wanted the steak to have a little more of a crust, which you could accomplish easily enough by searing the steak at a slightly higher temperature, before lowering the temperature and butter-basting it.  He really liked the rosemary flavor, but I think we would both like to try the recipe with fresh thyme instead and if we liked the steaks more or less that way.  We both like rosemary, but a little rosemary goes a long way and too much rosemary just makes your entire meal taste like a pine tree.  And no one likes that.

Recipe after the jump!

Pan-Roasted NY Strip

Adapted from Think Like a Chef

By Tom Colicchio

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless NY strip steaks (about 1 1/2 inches think)

1 tbsp peanut oil

s&p

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary (we used rosemary)

coarse sea salt

Remove steaks from the fridge.  Rinse steaks and pat dry.  Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes while steaks come up to room temperature.  Season with s&p on both sides.  

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Once oil is hot, add steaks to the skillet.  Cook steaks until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.  Using tongs, prop the steaks on their edges and brown the fat side for 1 minute, and then the alternate side for another minute.  Return original sides of steaks to the pan.  Add unsalted butter to the pan.  Once the butter melts, add the rosemary or thyme.  Cook steaks for an additional minute per side (for medium-rare), tilting the pan and basting the steaks with butter periodically.  If you want your steaks cooked to a temperature higher than medium-rare, you can add another minute per side to the cooking time.  Remove steaks from pan and allow to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with coarse sea salt.