Cooking the Perfect Steak

I always used to have trouble cooking steak. Then I got a cast iron skillet. What a difference it makes.

Ingredients:

One inch thich steak

McCormick Steakhouse Seasoning grinder(Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper is a good substitute if you do not have this)

Vegetable oil

To prepare:

Pre-heat the cast iron skillet in the oven at the highest temperature your oven will go to. Mine is 500 degrees. After pre-heated take the cast iron skillet and put it on the stove with the heat on high. Take your steak and brush it with the vegetable oil. Then coat the outside with the steakhouse seasoning. Do this to both sides.

Place the steak(s) in the cast iron skillet so they do not touch and let them sit there undisturbed for 2 minutes. For the next 2 minutes, put them in the oven cast iron skillet and all. This ability to go from the stove to the oven is one of the cast iron skillet's great qualities.

Take them out of the oven and put it back on the stove on high heat. Turn steaks over. Cook for 2 minutes on high heat. The steaks may be close to done now depending on how you like them. You will probably need to put this back in the oven for another 1-4 minutes depending on how thick the meat is and how you like it done.

I use a meat thermometer to test doneness. I highly recommend this method as it takes out all the guesswork.

A couple useful links are below one for a great steak sauce and another for temperature guide to cooking meat.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/MeatTemperatureChart.htm

http://www.cooksrecipes.com/beef/sirloin-steak-with-balsamic-sauce-recipe.html