The Absolute Best Way To Cook A Steak If You Don't Have A Grill

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With summer in full swing, gatherings often revolve around the grill. Grilled cuts of steak have a nice char and plenty of smoky flavor thanks to these grilling tips, but not all of us have a grill. Luckily, there are other ways to cook a steak. We consulted Robbie Shoults, celebrity chef and third-generation Owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse as well as Marshall Mercantile and High Horse 1898, for his expertise on the best way to cook a steak if you don't have a grill.

Chef Shoults' preferred method of grill-free cooking is a technique known as reverse searing, using a combination of the oven and the stovetop. To reverse sear, Shoults says, "you can place your steak on a wire rack over a baking sheet and cook it low and slow in a 250 [degrees Fahrenheit] oven. This will usually take about 20 to 35 minutes, depending on how thick the steak is." A low and slow roast will cook the steak evenly and render a juicy and tender interior. The final step is the sear to instill that charred crust that you'd get on the grill.

A long stint in the oven gives you plenty of time to heat an oiled skillet over the stove; Shoults more colorfully refers to this step by saying, "Get it super hot, stove-top style." The steaks go directly from the oven to the stove top. Shoults recommends, "Sear them for about 2 minutes on each side in the cast iron skillet."

A reverse sear is a pretty straightforward method that will give you a beautiful textural contrast without the flames of a grill. That said, a cast iron skillet, like this large one from Lodge, will still only fit a maximum of two steaks, depending on the size of them. Still, chef Shoults told us, "My answer wouldn't change for cooking for a crowd, as this is a great method, and all you have to do is add several more cast iron skillets to your stovetop to accommodate everyone." Cast iron skillets are an important kitchen tool because they maintain high searing temperatures really well. In case you don't have multiple cast iron skillets, a carbon steel, non-stick skillet is another great option.

We have our own oven to cast iron reverse sear steak recipe that uses New York strip steaks, but we think that reverse searing is a method that also works especially well with other well marbled cuts of steak, like ribeyes. You also want steak to be at least an inch thick to benefit from the textural contrast of a sear. In addition to a skillet, a meat thermometer, like this Alpha Grillers option, is crucial to a reverse sear. Shoults's estimate for cooking times depends on the internal temperature of the cut of steak in question; an internal temperature of 115 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit equates to a medium rare steak, while an internal temperature between 125 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit is closer to medium well.