I know we all love cast iron and gas grills to sear, but hear me out. As I have said before I am a fan of America's Test Kitchen. They had a recipe (see below) for pan seared strip steaks and it got me to thinking and it works for smoked steaks as well. Basically you get a non-stick pan as hot as feasible and flip the steaks every minute until you get the crust you want. It works great. Here is the recipe for the pan seared strip steaks-
Pan-Seared Strip Steaks
SERVES 4
TIME20 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Pan-searing strip or rib-eye steaks usually leads to a smoky, grease-splattered kitchen—but it doesn't have to. To devise a fast, mess-free method for achieving deeply seared, rosy meat, we started the steaks in a “cold” (not preheated) nonstick skillet over high heat and flipped them every 2 minutes; that way, the meat's temperature increased gradually, allowing a crust to build up on the outside without overcooking the interior. Because we were cooking in a nonstick skillet, it wasn't necessary to lubricate the skillet with oil; plus, the well-marbled meat exuded enough fat to achieve a good sear, and adding more simply encouraged splatter. We started cooking over high heat to burn off moisture and prevent the steaks from steaming but quickly lowered the heat to medium; at this temperature, the meat kept sizzling, but there was no risk of the fat smoking. Before serving, we sliced the steaks and sprinkled them with coarse sea salt so that every bite was well seasoned.
INGREDIENTS
2 (12- to 16-ounce) boneless strip steaks, 1½ inches thick, trimmed
1 teaspoon pepper
*
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
This recipe also works with boneless rib-eye steaks of a similar thickness. If you have time, salt the steaks for at least 45 minutes or up to 24 hours before cooking: Sprinkle each of the steaks with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, refrigerate them, and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking. Serve with Sauce Verte, if desired.
1
INSTRUCTIONS
Pat steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with pepper. Place steaks 1 inch apart in cold 12-inch nonstick skillet. Place skillet over high heat and cook steaks for 2 minutes. Flip steaks and cook on second side for 2 minutes. (Neither side of steaks will be browned at this point.)
2
Flip steaks, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, flipping steaks every 2 minutes, until browned and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 4 to 10 minutes longer. (Steaks should be sizzling gently; if not, increase heat slightly. Reduce heat if skillet starts to smoke.)
3
Transfer steaks to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steaks, season with coarse or flake sea salt to taste, and serve.
