How Long Does it Take to Cook a Steak in the Oven

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How long does it take to cook steak in the oven? The answer varies depending on a large number of factors, including:

The desired doneness
The thickness of the steak
The size of the steak
The cooking temperature

Cooking Steak in the Oven

For many, cooking steak in the oven is a last resort when grilling isn’t an option. Steaks cooked in the oven don’t have to be flavorless or uninteresting, however. Cooking steak in the oven is a balancing act. You’d like a juicy, flavorful steak while still making sure that all of the food-borne bacteria has been killed so that you aren’t risking food-borne illnesses.

Cooking steak in the oven doesn’t need to result in dry, flavorless steak. Broiling is an excellent option that cooks thin steaks relatively quickly and retains the tenderness of the meat. Thicker steaks respond better to oven roasting than broiling.

How Long Does It Take to Cook Steak in the Oven?

There are two main ways to cook steak in the oven – broiling and roasting.

Broiling

To broil steak, season both sides and pop under a pre-heated broiler on a broiling pan or rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet. Broil on each side for about eight minutes.

Roasting

When roasting a steak in the oven, low temperature and longer cooking time can result in a flavorful steak. To roast a steak:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Season the steak.
Sear steak in a hot skillet for just a minute on each side.
Transfer steak to a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the preheated oven.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until desired doneness is achieved.

Testing for Doneness

To test for doneness, insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the steak.

Rare – 120 degrees
Medium rare – 126 degrees
Medium – 135 degrees
Medium well – 145 degrees
Well-done – 150+

Steak is at its most tender and flavorful when it is cooked to medium rare. How you cook your steak is a matter of personal preference. Some people like their meat to be nearly alive – cooked just enough to kill bacteria, while others prefer their steaks as a lump of charcoal. Doneness is up to you.

Steakhouse Steak

Now that you are no longer asking "how long does it take to cook steak in the oven", you might want to give this oven-roasted steak recipe a try. It works best for very thick, tender cuts of steaks like baseball cut rib-eyes or thick-cut tenderloins. Choose a steak with a minimum one-inch thickness.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Season the steaks with sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper.
Place steak on a rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet and put in the preheated oven.
Cook the steaks in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The steak will still look fairly uncooked when you remove it from the oven. A thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak will reveal a cooking temperature five to ten degrees lower than the desired doneness.
In the last three to four minutes that the steaks are in the oven, coat the bottom of a large sauté or grill pan with an oil that has a high smoke point, such as clarified butter or grapeseed oil. Bacon fat also works well for this and adds excellent flavor.
Preheat the sauté pan over high heat until the oil is shimmering in the bottom of the pan.
Remove the steaks from the oven and put them in the sauté pan, cooking until the steaks are well-seared on each side, about two minutes per side. Don’t move the steaks while they are cooking so that the steak can develop a nice, caramelized crust.
Sear off the edges of the steak, about thirty seconds per side.
Serve the steaks immediately.

This is a delicious way to cook steaks that leaves them brown and crispy on the outside and pink and tender on the inside. You can serve the steaks plain, with a pat of compound butter, or use the drippings in the sauté pan to make a delicious pan sauce with herbs and some wine or stock.

Tarragon Port Pan Sauce

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chopped, fresh tarragon
½ cup tawny port
1 medium shallot, finely minced
4 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes

Directions

Remove your steaks from the sauté pan and set aside on a plate, tented with foil.
Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan.
Return the pan to the heat. Pour in the port wine, scraping up the brown bits (fond) on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Add shallots to the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the liquid in the pan until it is reduced by half.
Whisking constantly, add the butter to the pan, one piece at a time. Don’t add the next piece of butter until the first piece has completely melted. After four or five pieces of butter, you can start adding butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly, until all of the butter is incorporated and the sauce is emulsified.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the tarragon. Spoon a little bit of the sauce over each of the steaks.

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