Growing up there was only one way steak was prepared in our house. WELL done. I think my mom was afraid of giving everyone food poisoning , so it was cooked until it was kind of a cross between Jerky and Leather. It HAD to be doused with ketchup or A1, there was no other way to enjoy it. But that was normal. That was steak.

Then I grew up.

I can’t remember exactly when it happened, but at some point I was introduced to the concept that you can get your steak cooked to different levels of doneness. I couldn’t believe how much flavor there was when it wasn’t cooked to the consistency of a cowboys’ chaps. It was wonderful. I prefer it prepared Medium to Medium Well. Just a little pink in the center and heated through. Again, just wonderful.

Being I now considered Steak its own food group, I needed to learn how to prepare it at home. NOT EASY. I tried every method from broiling to grilling and found it was hard to get the perfect steak every time. Sometimes it was overcooked and dry, other times it was still moo-ing and had to be thrown back on while the rest of dinner got cold.

I kept trying different ways and stumbled upon the best way when I had planned steak for dinner but forgot to pull it out for the freezer. See, I was always under the assumption that steak had to be thawed, salted and seasoned to be prepared. You can’t cook frozen steak, right?!?!  I was wrong. You need to start frozen. Start with good piece of steak. I prefer rib eye, about an inch thick. I’ve found that Aldi has a good selection at decent prices. Toss it in the freezer as soon as you get home and leave it there until you are ready to prepare it.

When you are ready to cook the steak, heat a cask iron skillet (WITH A LID) or a dutch oven to high heat and add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Toss the frozen steak on and cover. Let it cook on each side for 90 seconds (WARNING – there will be a massive amount of smoke. If you don’t have an exhaust hood, be prepared to deal with it) and transfer it to a broiling pan. A broiling pan allows the air to circulate around the food and also allows the excess fat and moisture to drip into the pan and away from the meat. Season the top of the steak. I use a Montreal Steak seasoning, but at minimum you want to use a kosher or sea salt. The salt helps to break down the fat and tenderize the meat as it cooks. Put the steak in a preheated 325°f oven for 20 minutes. Flip the steak, season the top and let it cook for another 20 minutes. After cooking, pull the broiling pan out of the oven and allow the steak to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

The steak comes out perfect (for me). A little pink in the center, tender and full of flavor. If you like it a little more rare you can drop the oven to 275° or 300°. And, as always, Be careful eating undercooked foods. Foodsafety.gov recommends that steak be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145°.