Warm weather is the perfect time to fire up the grill and enjoy the beautiful weather while grilling some tasty steaks. However, mother nature isn’t always the most cooperative and sometimes inclement weather may force you to relocate your cooking space back indoors. When that hopefully rare occasion occurs, learn how to grill steak indoors so you can rest assured that your meal will still be amazing if you follow the simple indoor cooking tips below from Chef Karl.
Steak Cooking Basics
Every Omaha Steaks item comes with a handy steak cooking chart located inside the item’s cardboard packaging. While tastes will vary when it comes to doneness preferences for all of your guests, this guide is always a great starting point when it comes to gauging how long you should cook your items on any grill or in any oven. In a real pinch you can even use your finger as a guide: rare meat will be soft and wobbly, medium will have a springy firmness and well done will feel very firm and unyielding. Steaks will cook a little after you remove it from the grill or oven, so we recommend removing from broiling when the steak tests slightly less done than desired.
Broiling in the Oven
Broiling is a rapid, high heat cooking method that is used for tender cuts of meat and fish. Some basic rules apply like always using a two-part pan for broiling meat and make sure to preheat the oven. If you’re using an electric oven, make sure to leave the oven door slightly ajar during the cooking process. For best results, make sure your food is 2-3″ away from the heat source.
Convection Ovens
With convection ovens you can roast in 1/3 less time and bake at temperatures 25-50 degrees lower than a conventional oven. Be sure to check your owner’s manual regarding the type of cooking pans recommended for use in your convection oven.
Microwave Ovens
Many Omaha Steaks items can easily be prepared using your microwave. To achieve the best results with items like red meats, roasts, steaks and chops, traditional broilers, grills, and ovens will still be your best bet. Tender red meats have a tendency to cook unevenly in the microwave oven. Microwaving can present additional challenges as it generally does not result in the characteristic flavor and browned appearance as grilling or broiling, and it is difficult to achieve the exact doneness. Microwave times listed in our provided cooking instructions are based on a 750 watt microwave, so be sure to check for any differences in your own appliances.
Indoor Grills
There are literally hundreds of indoor grills available at home and appliance stores – many of which are often referred to as George Foreman grills. We’ve achieved excellent results using these indoor contact grills in our Omaha Steaks test kitchen. Contact grills cook meat from both sides simultaneously at a high temperature, searing and completing cooking in roughly half the time of one sided grilling – so be sure to pay extra attention to any items cooked on contact grills as the total cooking time will be significantly reduced.
Now that you know how to grill steak indoors, remember your best result for any type of indoor or outdoor cooking can be achieved through using a quality kitchen thermometer and free SteakTime grilling app for Apple and Android mobile devices. Happy grilling!
