The Hungry MouseSteakhouse-Style Pan-Roasted Sirloin Steaks
If you go to any of the big steakhouses in the U.S., chances are that this is how they cook a lot of their meat. Fast and furiously on top of the stove to create that handsome, flavorful crust—then into the gentler, indirect heat of the oven to finish cooking. Here’s a step-by-step guide to replicate those steakhouse steaks at home.
Steakhouse-Style Pan-Roasted Sirloin Strip Steak, cooked to medium
What is pan roasting mean, anyway?
Pan roasting is just what it sounds like: Steaks are seared quickly on top of the stove in a heavy-bottomed pan, then finished in the same pan in the oven.
This helps ensure that your steak has that nice, brown crust on the outside—and a properly cooked center. By removing the pan from the stovetop’s direct heat, you won’t dry out the outside before the inside is done to your liking.
For this reason, pan roasting is an especially fabulous technique for thicker cuts of steak.
A steak dinner fit for a baron
We recently had the Baron von Hammer—an old, esteemed friend of The Mouse House—over for Sunday dinner.
Now, the Baron is one of my favorite people to feed, so I made a special stop at our butcher and had them cut a few 3-inch thick sirloin strip steaks for me.
This recipe is more technique than actual recipe—and really helps bring out the beefy flavor of a cut like sirloin. While it’s not as tender as filet mignon, I love sirloin for its meaty flavor and texture.
The only seasonings I use are olive oil and a little salt and pepper—and a pat or two of cold butter for a garnish. The creaminess of the butter mingles with the steak’s juices to create a simple but beautiful little sauce, right on your plate.
Take it over the top with a thick slice of Fresh Herb Compound Butter.
Steakhouse-Style Pan-Roasted Sirloin Steaks
Thick-cut sirloin strip steaks
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
A pat or two of plain butter or compound butter, for garnish
Season the sirloin steaks
Grab your steaks. Drizzle them with a good amount of olive oil. Pour on enough to completely coat the steaks.
With your hands, rub the oil all over the steaks so they’re covered on all sides.
Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste, on one side.
Set them aside on the counter to knock the chill off them while you heat up your pan and the oven. Grab a fan and throw open a window to deal with the smoke you’re about to make in your kitchen.
Sear the sirloin steaks
About 15 minutes before you’re going to cook, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
When your oven is hot, set a heavy-bottomed pan on top of the stove over high heat. I used my old 13-inch cast-iron skillet (which needs to be reseasoned…more on that soon). It’s big enough to handle all three steaks without crowding them too much, and handles high heat really well.
Heat the pan on high heat until it just smokes. When it’s hot, drizzle in some olive oil.
Tip the pan around to distribute the olive oil. Then add your steaks, seasoned side down. Leave the heat on high.
They should start to sizzle immediately.
Sprinkle the unseasoned side of the steaks with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. Cook like this for about 3 minutes, without touching them. (The more you move them around, the more you’ll inhibit a nice crust from forming.)
After about 3 minutes or so, you should have a good, brown crust on the bottom. When they look about like this, flip them over. Keep the heat on high.
Cook for about 3 minutes on this side.
You should be making a fair amount of smoke. That’s just fine. (And it’ll be over soon.)
Pan roast the steaks
About about 3 minutes, the bottom of your steaks should have a matching brown crust. Pop the pan into your preheated 375-degree oven. Be careful moving it…it’ll most likely be spitting a little.
Roast the steaks in the oven at 375 degrees for another 3-10 minutes, depending on how thick your steaks are and how you like them done.
The thinner they are, the sooner they’ll be done. Steaks that are only about an inch thick may be done sooner than 3 minutes, so start checking early.
How do I know when the steaks are cooked?
Good question. Like I said, the cooking time will depend on how thick your steaks are. The rarer you like your steaks and/or the thinner they are, the sooner you should start checking them.
Because you seared them, your steaks will have a harder outer crust. When you press down on the surface with a finger, a rarer steak will feel a little jiggly in the middle, while one that’s more well done will feel firmer.
If you have a meat thermometer (insert it in the middle of the fattest part of the steak), here’s what you’re shooting for. Remember, your temp will rise about 5 degrees or so after the meat comes out of the oven. To help keep from overcooking your meat, use these temperatures as a guide for doneness:
120 F = rare (cold, red center)
126 F = medium-rare (warm, red center)
134 F = medium (pink center)
150 F = medium-well (brown on the edges with a small amount of pink in the center)
160 F = well done (brown throughout)
When the steaks are done to your liking, yank the pan out of the oven. (Be careful, that handle is hot!) Transfer them to a plate.
Loosely tent a piece of foil over the plate for about 5 minutes. Letting the meat rest will help keep all that glorious juice in the steak.
Serve and enjoy!
After five minutes, plate your steaks. Top with a pat or two of cold butter. Serve immediately.
Steakhouse-Style Pan-Roasted Sirloin Strip Steak, cooked to medium
45 Comments on “Steakhouse-Style Pan-Roasted Sirloin Steaks”
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that looks delicious! very informative too because I’ve always wondered the process of pan roasting. I can’t wait to try this one out.
Oh, yay! Glad to be of service.
Let me know how it goes.
+Jessie
This makes me so happy that I’m not a vegetarian! Love your photos.
Oh, LOVE you!
Thanks so much.
+Jessie
Hey Jessie! I’ve been craving a good steak for quite awhile, and you just made it worse! They look beautiful, I can almost imagine the inside melting in my mouth.
Oh, gosh….I’m sorry? Mwahahahahaha….
Thanks, honey. Definitely a totally fabulous way to cook a big hunk of meat.
+Jessie
Oh Grumpy would think he died and gone to heaven if he came home to me making these.
Awww, shucks.
Love that Grumpy. You should totally make him a nice, fat steak.
+Jessie
Now, I really have to find that iron skillet! Dave won’t even have to go outside and stand in front of the grill. He’ll love that.
Wheee! Definitely track one down. (And if you can’t, I have a metric ton of cast iron pans.) I like Lodge brand a lot. You can find them all over, most of them come preseasoned these days, and they’re totally inexpensive.
+Jessie
Great photos and I do love the way you explain the whole process.
Thank you, kindly! Hope you like this recipe if you give it a shot.
+Jessie
My mouth is watering!
I love steak cooked this way with a homemade compound butter of the Turkish paprika and garlic.That hits the spot with me.
Great pics, too!
those are strip loin steaks, not sirloin steaks
Actually, if you note in the recipe, I called them sirloin strip steaks–which is what they are most commonly sold as, at least here in Boston. (Keep in mind, butchering terminology can vary based on region.) Technically, I think it might even be a boneless top loin steak, though I have yet to find a butcher who sells this piece of meat with that label.
+Jessie
oh my god i think i may love you. one of the better steak recipes i’ve seen. very nicely done. if i wasn’t married i’d SO be hitting on you right now!!
Let me just say that I am vegetarian (please, there are specific reasons why this must be at this time) but my hubby is not. It is kinda hard to fix meat if you don’t season to taste. But this… this… was the bomb! Had my hubby singin’ (and I didn’t even taste it)! If I make another one of these… I don’t know… might not be veg anymore, lol! No seriously!
We just ate this for dinner and it was soooooo gooooood! Thanks!
wow!!!! i followed this recipe with some cookware that’s less than impressive but my steaks turned out perfect! it tasted as good as dining out at a nice restaurant.. ive tried pan roasting before with little success, so i’m so happy i know how to do it now. thank you so much.
Thanks for the great recipe — I prepared this last night and I think it was truly the best steak I have ever had!
that’s some strong work!!! thank you very much!!! before i found your website i couldn’t boil water. However, with your easy to follow instructions and pictures i was able to pull off a romantic dinner i cooked myself!!! Do you have any wine suggestions?
Beautiful pictures that enhance the wonderfully descriptive cooking method! Any chance you have a blue cheese sauce recipe (or maybe horse radish sauce) you could share that would complement these gorgeous steaks? thks…….
Finally a website that really helped me cook a steak as well as a restaurant!! I too used cookware that isn’t nearly as impressive and it was still a success. Putting a cast iron skillet on my Christmas wish list. And now I won’t be afraid to plan steak for dinner. Thank you!
I just made these steaks tonight– they turned out just like the photos. Tasted AMAZING and the recipe was very quick and simple with hardly any cleanup afterwards. Thanks for sharing! I will use this recipe all the time!
My only tweek is that I put a pat of compound butter on before I tent the steaks then when I’m ready to plate, I pour the resting juices over the steaks. I’ve had restaurant steaks that were not this good. Yummy!!!
Thank you – great explanation and DELICIOUS steaks!
Thank you very much! This was a very helpful post for someone who is scared of cooking red meat for fear of destroying it! haha! Our steaks turned out great
I tried this about two week ago and they were THE most flavorful and delicious steaks I have ever done. We’re having them again tonight (by request)!
Hands down probably the best steak I’ve ever had. I will be craving another one soon and I’m a meat hater. This was divine!
Pingback: A Perfect Sunday Dinner: Pan-Roasted Sirloin Steak « Sher In the City
This is it!!!! the best recipe for steak i have ever found. Turned out perfectly – and w/your pictures and recipe it was easy to follow. thank you and i know i will cook my next steak just like this. definitely a keeper
This was my first time to try a stove to oven steak recipe and it worked perfectly. I have been chasing this result in cookng a steak indoors for a while now! Thanks for sharing and the pics!
AND…trying out your herb butter next…yummy
I just finished cooking & eating this steak. This is the BEST and most TENDER steak I’ve EVER prepared. Seasonings were PERFECT! Thank you so much for the step by step instructions & awesome pictures. I will be a frequent user of this website.
My Big Green Egg is out of commission so I am eager to do my steaks like this tonight!
On that topic of reseasoning your cast iron skillet, let me tell you a fabulous method which I discovered…
First, I put all my skillets in my self cleaning oven and ran the cycle for about 3 hours. This burns all the built up crud off and you are left with the bare cast iron. Clean out the baked off particles.
Wash skillets in clear water, and scrub any residue off with a soft bristle brass brush until your surface is clean. Dry the skillets in a 500 degree oven to prepare for the oil coating.
Use FLAX SEED OIL which gives a harder finish than any other oil.
-Coat the skillets with a soft cloth (old tshirt) Then wipe almost dry.
-Bake in oven for one hour. Let cool on stove top, then repeat coating/baking at least 6 times. I got tired of waiting for them to cool the last few times so I wore my heavy mitt and coated them hot. Just make sure you wipe them all over and all most dry each time. This leaves a wonderful smooth surface and you have a brand new skillet!
OMG-
Loved this method. I’m a guy with three grills and use them quite a bit.
I finally discovered how to coom steak house quality.
Thank you soo much.
OMG-
Loved this method. I’m a guy with three grills and use them quite a bit.
I finally discovered how to cook steak house quality.
Thank you soo much.
I’m trying these tonight.
Well I did cook these sirloins. Oh my. The steak was wonderful but I didn’t have my pans hot enough. I will do better next time.
Sweet baby Jesus…I had doubts about cooking top sirloins but these were probably the steaks I have ever cooked
Best steak I have ever made inside.
Absolutely perfectly cooked to medium rare on the 3 -3 – 3.
Thank you!!
can you use a different kind of pan if you don’t have a cast iron?
I did everything as you described except I used a heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet. The steak turned out PERFECT! Served with a Caesar salad and garlic bread sticks. we’re going to be perusing your website very frequently for more delicious recipes and how-to’s.
Took a picture of my steak – looked just like the one pictured here.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I never knew how to cook beef, except for ground beef. These were delicious! This is the first time I’ve ever succeeded at preparing steaks, so I’m excited about trying more of your recipes.
I think this is exactly the right approach – sear the outside, then finish it in the oven.
I tried this recipe exactly as suggested, but unfortunately it turned out pretty poorly. The meat was done properly, but putting the stove on high with olive oil burnt the oil and left that burnt oil aftertaste. It made it a little more difficult to enjoy.
I tried again this evening using safflower oil, which has a much higher smoke point, and medium-high heat, They turned out perfectly. Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll cook steak this way much more often from now on.