Steaks still in the freezer? Date night fail? Nope.
Maybe you’ve been rushed off your feet all day (for a change) and you suddenly remember it’s Friday - date night - and you promised you’d cook something special?
Or perhaps you just have a sudden overwhelming craving for juicy, tender steak?
Well, follow the process below and you’ll have tender, sous-vide like, steak - from frozen - in just 35 minutes.
It sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, I didn’t believe this was possible either, so I used my husband and I as guinea pigs this weekend and it was delicious!
The frozen steak is given a quick sear on each side, popped into the oven for around 25 minutes for medium-rare and then left to rest for a bit.
While the steak was in the oven I prepped and cooked the veg. Super simple.
A few notes on grass-fed beef.
Firstly, grass-fed beef is leaner than grain-finished beef and so it cooks a bit differently.
Steaks cook quicker on the grill and ‘low and slow’ cooking techniques—like braising and stewing—are best for larger cuts. That is why this method—sear and slow roast—works so well on Balsar Glen’s steaks.
Secondly, the fat on 100% grass-fed beef is yellow. This varies from a mellow creaminess to a bright sunshine yellow depending on the age of the cow.
The fat on the steaks used here is so bright because they’re from a 7-year old cow. She’d only ever eaten grass, forbs (aka weeds) and leaves—cows love a good browse!
Grass is rich in vitamin E and carotenoids, and cattle that graze only on grass store more beta-carotene in their fat and milk. Beta-carotene is the precursor to Vitamin A. It’s what adds the mellow yellowness.
To learn more about fatty acids in 100% grass-fed beef, click HERE.
Or click HERE if you to read a bit about phytonutrients.
And finally, 100% grass-fed meat tastes different from grain-finished beef. It is bursting with flavour—I told hubby it tasted of wildflower meadows, and he just gave me a patient look, but did agree it was delicious!
(UPDATE - I wrote this post a couple of years ago, before we were actually selling our beef direct and I am happy to say that a few of our customers have mentioned this ‘herbiness/grassiness’ too, so now I feel less weird typing that!)
Some people compare it to the difference between lamb and mutton, others say it has the rich flavour they remember from their granny’s stews.
Either way, it’s delicious.
Steak from Frozen: Initial Sear, then Slow Roast Method
Adapted from Diana Rodgers, Simply Meat.
Serves: 2
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 grass-fed rib eye, fillet or sirloin steak (approx 1” or 25mm thick)
1/3 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp cooking fat of your choice
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 135°C/gas mark 1 and place a cast iron skillet (a heavy bottomed frying pan or cast iron casserole dish would do also) over high heat. Add the salt and cooking fat to the pan. Place the frozen steak on the pan, and after about 20 seconds, press down a bit to grind the salt into the meat. Sear a total of about 90 seconds per side to achieve a nice brown coating.
NOTE: I could have probably done mine a bit longer as I had two steaks in the pan, so don’t worry about going over the 90 seconds.
2. Transfer the steak to a roasting tray with a wire rack and roast the steak until it reaches 52°C for medium-rare, about 20-25 minutes for a 1” steak.
NOTE: I used a meat thermometer for this at took the meat out after 25 minutes and it was 50°C. I’d say it was more rare than medium rare, which was fine for us.
3. When the steak reaches optimum temperature, remove it to a cutting board and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
4. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, slice and serve. Enjoy!x