The Telltale Sign That Your Cabbage Steak Is Done Cooking
The trick to a perfect cabbage steak is pinpointing how long you want your steaks to cook on each side. The ideal steak should be lightly charred on the outside, and have a buttery interior. Flipping your steaks too soon risks losing out on that magical flavor and texture from the grilling. Tasting Table recipe developer Chanel Murphy-Lowe's grilled cabbage steaks with furikake simplify the cooking process by offering clear instructions for when your cabbage steaks are done. Her trick to getting that ideal appearance and texture is a light coating of oil before they hit the pan.
"You want the edges to char a bit and the oil will help with this, too," says Murphy-Lowe. "The cooked cabbage should be pretty tender, as well."
Murphy-Lowe's recipe calls for the cabbage to be cooked on the grill for six minutes on each side for an overall cook time of 12 minutes. Depending on the size of your cabbages, you might need to cook them longer. Six minutes on each side is a good starting point for an average-sized cabbage, but the charring offers a visual cue of how done your cabbage steaks are. You're just looking for a char around the outer edges. An easy way to see if your steaks are done in the middle is if you can easily stick a knife through the center.
This method for gauging the doneness also works for oven-roasted cabbage steaks. However, it'll take longer to roast them — between 15 and 25 minutes.
Other tips for making cabbage steaks
One of the tricky parts of making a good cabbage steak is keeping your cabbage intact as you slice it into discs. Start by cutting off the root of the cabbage so you're left with only the round part of the vegetable. When slicing through the cabbage you'll want your steaks to be around one inch thick. This keeps the steaks from falling apart and gives you a substantial serving. Make sure your knife is sharp for easier slicing, and you want to keep your knife parallel to the cutting board as you slice. Try your best to cut straight through instead of using a sawing motion.
When grilling your steaks, you'll want to flip them over using a wide, flat spatula. The easiest way to keep it whole as you flip is to transfer it to a plate, then pick it up again and transfer it to the grill pan. If you try to flip it in one smooth maneuver, you risk it falling apart or dropping your cabbage steak. Using a slower flipping method gives you more precision and control over the steak. The grill pan is a great way to get the essence of an open-flame grill without having to worry about how your cabbage would withstand the heat. If you don't have one already you should look for a grill pan that's cast iron. Cast iron evenly distributes heat for a nice, even char across your steaks.