How To Cook The Perfect Steak
Martina Slajerova- Ready in 45m
- 0 g net carbs
- 524 kcal
- Serves 4
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This recipe is from the Cook's Illustrated Meat Book which is a must-have for all meat lovers. Quality steaks are expensive and you want to make sure that you get the best out of them. Apart from step-by-step guides to the perfect steak, there are more than 400 delicious recipes for cooking all sorts of meat cuts. Several recipes are keto-friendly and most can be adapted to a healthy ketogenic lifestyle.
Reverse Pan-Seared Steak is without any doubt my favourite recipe from this book. Although reverse pan-searing is not the only way to cook steak, it works best for thick cuts. To achieve evenly cooked steaks with a nice crust, a rare or medium-rare centre and without a wide band of grey dry meat on the outside, you have to use reverse-searing.
Step-by-step
Preheat the oven to 135 °C/ 275 °F (fan assisted). Remove the steaks from the fridge. Pat the steaks dry using a paper towel. Cut each steak in half vertically to create four evenly sized steaks. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Press the sides of the steaks in until uniform 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick.
Place the steaks on a wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminium foil.
Place in the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes until meat registers 32-35 °C/ 90-95 °F (for rare to medium-rare) - I like mine rare - ...
... or 25-30 minutes until meat registers 38-40 °C/ 100-105 °F (for medium). If using filet mignon steaks, increase the cooking time by about 5 minutes.
Heat a large skillet greased with ghee over a high heat. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on one side, lifting once halfway through cooking to redistribute fat underneath each steak. Using tongs, turn and cook until well browned on the second side for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes.
It is essential to sear the steaks briefly in order to keep the meat directly under the crust from turning grey.
Transfer all the steaks to a clean wire rack and reduce the heat under the pan to medium. Holding two steaks at a time together, return to the pan and sear on all sides until browned, for about 1 1/2 minutes.
Repeat for the remaining two steaks. Transfer the steaks onto a wire rack, loosely cover with a foil and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, prepare your favourite steak sauce or try with Gremolata, Hollandaise, Ranch Dressing, Marinara Sauce or Keto Cheese Sauce.
Serve with Creamy Keto Mash or Greek Salad!
Recipe
How To Cook The Perfect Steak
★★★★★4.9This recipe is from the Cook's Illustrated Meat Book which is a must-have for all meat lovers. Quality steaks ...
- Hands on
- 15m
- Overall
- 45m
- Servings
- 4
- 0 g
- Net carbs
- 41.2 g
- Protein
- 38.5 g
- Fat
- 524
- kcal
Ingredients makes 4 servings
Instructions Reverse-Seared Method
Preheat the oven to 135 °C/ 275 °F (fan assisted). Remove the steaks from the fridge. Pat the steaks dry using a paper towel. Cut each steak in half vertically to create four evenly sized steaks. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Press the sides of the steaks in until uniform 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick.
Place the steaks on a wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminium foil.
Place in the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes until meat registers 32-35 °C/ 90-95 °F (for rare to medium-rare) - I like mine rare - ...
... or 25-30 minutes until meat registers 38-40 °C/ 100-105 °F (for medium). If using filet mignon steaks, increase the cooking time by about 5 minutes.
Heat a large skillet greased with ghee over a high heat. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on one side, lifting once halfway through cooking to redistribute fat underneath each steak. Using tongs, turn and cook until well browned on the second side for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes.
It is essential to sear the steaks briefly in order to keep the meat directly under the crust from turning grey.Transfer all the steaks to a clean wire rack and reduce the heat under the pan to medium. Holding two steaks at a time together, return to the pan and sear on all sides until browned, for about 1 1/2 minutes.
Repeat for the remaining two steaks. Transfer the steaks onto a wire rack, loosely cover with a foil and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, prepare your favourite steak sauce or try with Gremolata, Hollandaise, Ranch Dressing, Marinara Sauce or Keto Cheese Sauce.
Serve with Creamy Keto Mash or Greek Salad!
Nutrition per serving
Carbs 0%Protein 32%Fat 68% of calories
- Net carbs
- 0 g
- Total carbs
- 0 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugars
- 0 g
- Protein
- 41.2 g
- Fat
- 38.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 17 g
- Calories
- 524 kcal
- Sodium
- 392 mg · 17% RDA
- Magnesium
- 43 mg · 10.8% RDA
- Potassium
- 654 mg · 32.7% EMR
Nutrition by ingredient
| Per serving | Net carbs | Protein | Fat | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef, short loin, top loin, steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, raw | 0 g | 41.2 g | 31 g | 456 |
| Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Pepper, black, spices | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Ghee | 0 g | 0 g | 7.5 g | 68 |
| Total | 0 g | 41.2 g | 38.5 g | 524 |
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Nut free
- Nightshade free
- Pork free
- Avocado free
- Coconut free
- Fish free
- Shellfish free
- Beef free
- Low FODMAP
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Comments & ratings (6)
A steak, on it's own, is NOT Keto!! That high of a protein imbalance will kick you out of Keto in less than 4-hours!! Keto means 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs. Unless you add a significant amount of fat to that streak, you will be kicked out of Ketosis just as soon as your liver converts that high amount of protein into glucosidase. To enjoy steak the proportion of fat MUST be balanced up by some means, such as a high fat garlic butter mushroom cream sauce, and that sauce eaten with every bite of steak. To "fix" this dish the total fat content will need to be 70g, not 38.5g as in this recipe. Go-Keto!!
Thanks for the one-star review of a recipe you haven’t actually tried—just to give me your very official Keto Police tip based on some, well, creative facts. I’ve approved it for educational purposes, and let’s be real, a bit of fun too. We all have those days.
Have you ever ventured onto a low-carb recipe site before? Because, according to your logic, most of what I share wouldn't qualify. Imagine the horror: all the fat-free, carb-free gummies, electrolyte drinks, and grilled chicken dishes vanishing overnight because they didn’t pass the “perfect macro” test. Just because I didn’t personally handcraft each dish to meet your exact keto spreadsheet.
But hey, I get it—you’ve probably fallen into the “keto myth” rabbit hole. And let’s not ignore the fact that protein has come a long way in recent research when it comes to keto. To help you out, here are a few reads that might change your perspective:
👉 Beyond the Labels: A Fresh Take on Keto and 'Non-Keto' Foods
👉 High-Protein Diets: Is More Protein Actually Better?
So, no, my steak recipe doesn’t need “fixing.” It’s doing just fine, as is. But thanks for your, um, input.
Cheers!
Also, gemolata made with pink grapefruit is especially yummy.
I don't like my steaks thick so I pan fry them rather than fiddling with the oven. Doesn't take long when you're aiming for rare.
I use a Cooks Illustrated slow roast recipe for beef and pork roast. Don't have that cookbook but I imagine they would be in there. You salt the beast and leave it in the fridge at least 12 hours then cook in a slow oven to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below your target, turn off the oven and let carryover take it to temp. I don't bother with searing the roast even though the recipe instructs me to do so. I don't need to get the pan dirty. Try the recipe if you have it.
Thank you Karen, I definitely will! 😊
That's how I like my steak, medium-rare and ideally ribeye! I've never tried the reverse searing and I'll have to get some proper thick cut steaks and give it a try 😊