Frozen steaks can be the best tasting steak to ever come out of your kitchen. Not only is it juicier and more evenly cooked, but the slower cook time also provides a greater margin for error.
I grew up with a completely underwhelming idea of a steak. You know the ones, about as thick and shoe leather and just as tender – medium rare consisting of a thin pink line through the center; reminiscent more of a pregnancy test kit than prime culinary fare.
After becoming an adult I was fortunate enough to travel the country and in doing so eat at some fairly nice restaurants. What did I notice? The steaks were huge! They were at least twice as thick as the steaks I was accustomed to eating and far more enjoyable. I never wanted to eat thin steaks again.
Recently I got my hands on a quarter cow, which not only saves me a bunch of money by purchasing in bulk, but I also got to provide all of the specifications for the butchering myself, which means I now have a freezer full of 1 ½” steaks waiting to do my bidding!
Thawing Steaks
The problem with a freezer full of frozen steaks is that they are, well, frozen! It takes some planning ahead to thaw them out and have them ready for dinner. But what if I told you that it is best to cook frozen steaks while they are still rock hard? I’m serious.
Don’t pre-thaw your frozen steaks. Here’s why: When browning the steak in the pan the surface exterior will heat up sufficiently to form a nice crust while the inside stays nice and cold, preventing the residual ‘graying’ inside the meat nearest to the surface.
When you finish the steak in the oven the interior will thaw and gently heat up to your desired temperature. Since the interior is heating up in the oven and not in the pan you will eliminate the gray band of meat encapsulating your medium-rare goodness which means a more tender steak and more moisture.
So how do you do it exactly?
How to Cook a Frozen Steak
(Printable recipe summary at the bottom)
Gather a couple of frozen steaks and get out your 12” pan (I recommend cast iron) and add enough oil to cover the bottom (~1/8”). Heat on high and lay your steaks into the pan.
NOTE: Make sure there is not any noticeable ice on the steak or you will have a nasty flare up. If so, let the exterior thaw slightly and pat dry with a paper towel.
How Long to Sear a Frozen Steak
Cooks Illustrated, where I learned this trick, recommends cooking at 90 seconds per side. For my gas stove it is closer to 2-3 minutes per side. Use your judgment and adjust time and heat accordingly. You don’t want a carbon-dated charred mess but you also don’t want the steak to come out gray. If the time is up and it doesn’t look like it has browned sufficiently, just put it back in for a bit longer. Relax, you are burning meat. You should be good at that.
How to Bake Steak
You have your oven pre-heated to 275 degrees, right? Ok good. When the steaks are done in the skillet, place them on a wire rack sitting atop a baking sheet. You want the steaks elevated on the wire rack so they cook evenly in the oven. If they sit directly on the pan there will be more heat transfer to the bottom of the steak.
Now you can season the steaks to your liking. I like to use my Steak Seasoning Rub recipe, or paint them with a steak marinade. (you can’t really marinate a frozen steak, but they still taste great with the exterior brushed with a marinade)
Now place the baking sheet in the oven and wait. How long? Well that depends on how well you want your steaks done and how thick they are. So that is going to vary. Figure 15 minutes – 30 minutes, although my 1 1/2″ steaks take up to an hour. Plan for much longer if you incessantly have to keep opening the oven to check on them…
…which is why you need this:
Yes, you need a digital meat thermometer. Using this allows you to pull your steaks out of the oven without ever once having to open the oven door to check their progress. This is one of my favorite items in the kitchen and at under $20 there is really no excuse why everyone shouldn’t have one. Say goodbye to rubber chicken, ruined Thanksgiving turkeys and overcooked steaks. This one piece of equipment will result in more successful meals than anything else you can buy.
Resting Steak
After the steak reaches your desired level of doneness, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Why? Because if you cut into it now the juices will come running out and your steak won’t be nearly as moist and succulent as it could be. You already put in all this effort to make a great meal, don’t ruin it now.
Steak Toppings
Your steak is done, but can still be customized any way you want. Jazz up your steak with any of these toppings:
Looking for more ways to cook steak? Check out How to Grill Steak and the classic reverse sear steak tutorials.
How to Cook a Perfect Frozen Steak
Ingredients
- 2 Frozen Steaks
- Cooking Oil
- Salt and desired steak flavor enhancer see my recipe below
Marinade (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp worcestshire
- 1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp high quality liquid smoke (don’t let BBQ diehards ever talk you out of buying it)
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- ¼ tsp brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp paprika (smoked is best)
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
- Heat 12″ pan on high and add enough oil to thinly cover the bottom of the pan.
- Sear each side of the steak for 90+ seconds, or until a brown crust forms.
- Remove from pan and place on wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Add desired steak seasonings, such as the marinade listed, and generously dust with salt.
- Insert oven thermometer inside the deepest part of the steak and place in the oven for 15-30 minutes, until it reaches your desired level of doneness. Opening the oven frequently will drastically increase cooking time. (Medium rare is 135 degrees)
- Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes prior to cutting and serving.
Marinade
- Mix all ingredients together and brush on steak when putting it in the oven. Feel free to use a steak seasoning rub instead.
Notes
If you enjoyed reading How to Cook a Perfect Frozen Steak then you should probably like me on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest too. That’s what I would do at least, because if you don’t get to know me but you still use my recipe it is kind of like taking candy from a stranger, and your mom taught you not to do that. Don’t disobey your mom, subscribe to Fox Valley Foodie today.
matt says
great idea man.
Kevin says
I know what I’m making for dinner tomorrow night! Thanks Fox Valley Foodie! Keep these helpful posts coming!
Marie Anne Depault says
Best steak I ever cooked. Saved the day!
Fox Valley Foodie says
I love to hear that!
JJ says
Results as promised! Used ghee to pan-fry. Covered cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Used some bottled barbecue sauce. Baked for 30 minutes. Yum! What’s there not to like?! Will incorporate this method again!
Shelley says
So that’s 275 Fahrenheit? And what should my temp read for medium rare?
Fox Valley Foodie says
Fahrenheit is correct, aim for 135 degrees for medium rare.
Carl says
Came across this recipe a few days ago and I figured no way.
Yesterday I opened the refrigerator and realized I forgot to take the steak out to thaw so I gave it a try. I figured what’s the worst that could happen is I call and order pizza and the dogs get steak ( I know the outcome they were hoping for) But I have to tell you this is one of the best oven steaks I’ve have done! My steak was 1 inch thick so 90 seconds on each side is all it took in a real hot cast-iron skillet. Topped it with some Lawrye’s seasoned salt before it went in the oven. Pulled it out at 130° came out a perfect rare.
Can’t wait to have a few friends over and see their faces when I cook up some frozen steaks
Thanks Fox Valley Foodie
Danielle says
Can’t wait to try this. Also kudos on the lawry’s!
Ruth says
Tried this recipe with a perfect medium rare result. Thanks so much,
Courtney says
Vegetarian here 🙋🏻 never had a steak in my life…but I’m a good wife and we were given some nice frozen steaks, so here I am. 😂
Fox Valley Foodie says
I love it!
Ally says
Ive been cooking for my family for 30yrs, this by far is the best steak dinner Ive made.
Thanks!!
Royo says
This is a great technique for cooking frozen steaks but i feel bad for all the people saying its the best theyve ever cooked. Like, really?? Even compared to cooking fresh meat?? Impossible. Seriously guys, get some fresh steaks! Lol
Steakless says
That was stupid. I just splattered oil in a 6 foot radius around the pan, all over me and my kitchen. Now I’m covered in burns. Should have just gone to McDonald’s. I couldn’t even get close enough to flip it. Waste of steak and now I have a bunch of nasty clean-up.
MARION CONLY says
I know this is the best steak I have ever cooked. Absolutely delicious. I have actually cooked 3 steaks like this. So grateful for these tips.
P. D. says
Mighty, mighty munches.
P.D. says
5 stars
Mark L. says
Interesting approach. Thank you for sharing! In my kitchen, if faced with the need to get a steak from freezer to table, I would turn to sous vide (water bath) cooking. I think you add half the thawed cook time for frozen steaks, so you’d need 90 minutes or so to get a steak perfectly done and ready to sear and serve. You can use a sous vide heater, like the Joule, or SeriousEats.com has a cooler-based method. Just an alternative. Again, thanks for sharing your method!
tony says
Cant wait to try this, love your tips…ive never heard of liquid smoke??where does one buy that?…really want to try your coffee rubs,I do that once the steaks have been seared in the pan – just before they go in the oven…right?,could I marinate then also? sorry for the questions its just ive never done this at all…also,what temp is well done steak please? thankyou for these recipes & love, love,love reading your descriptions I lmao :))
Fox Valley Foodie says
Your local grocer will carry liquid smoke. I would either apply the rub or marinate the steaks. You could do both but there is a good chance the flavors wouldn’t be complimentary.
Marissa says
This is a DANGEROUS way to cook frozen steak.. The heat from the oil and the water from the ice melting causes the oil to splash all over. This has given my friend 3rd degree burns all over his arms.
The responsible thing would be to take this recipe down and tell people to thaw their meat properly.
Tony says
An outstanding way to cook steak!…will never cook steak any other way in future.Thankyou for your warning to ensure there was no ice on the steak also. I used the coffee rub & rubbed the steak before I froze it. There were no dramas cooking this steak from frozen along your guidelines. Thankyou so much for this !!
John Paradis says
Steak still raw after 40 minutes