# Sirloin steak cook time on grill pan?



## rush (Jan 31, 2011)

I know most people will probably recommend a cast iron skillet, but I haven't invested in one... yet.

At this point, I just have a grill pan, which provides less surface contact... so I'm assuming it's gonna take longer to cook the top sirloin I bought. 

I usually make burgers, but this time, I decided I might try cooking up a steak. I was wondering how long I should cook it for medium doneness. 

My top sirloin steak filets are extremely thick and meaty, which complicates matters. I have six chunks, and they're each about 1 1/2" in thickness. Some might even be 2". 

What do you guys think? 

I was thinking I'd cook it for 3 mins. Rotate for crosshatch grill marks another 3 mins... flip and cook 3 mins, and then rotate again for 3 mins. Total time would be around 12 mins on grill pan. 

Do you think that's gonna get it done on 1 1/2" - 2" filets? 

Is it too little? Too much?

Or maybe I should finish it off in the oven? 

Feedback would be much appreciated. This is my first time attempting to cook steak on a grill pan, so I'm very concerned about timing.


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## CraigC (Jan 31, 2011)

What doneness do you want? Are you familiar with the touch/poke test? 
Put together your thumb and index finger tip to tip. Using the index finger of your other hand, poke the skin, on your hand between the two. If you then do the same thing in succession with each finger from index to pinky you will get an idea of the feel of the levels of doneness. Touching the middle of each steak and comparing it to what you felt on your hand will give you a good indication of how done the steaks are.

Thumb to index = rare
Thumb to middle = medium rare
Thumb to ring = medium well
Thumb to pinky = well done, which is a level good steaks should never be taken to.

You could also try an instant read thermometer. I just don't remember off the top of my head what temps = what. Plus poking holes in the steak usually results in lose of jucies, which IMHO makes for a bad steak.

Craig


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## pacanis (Jan 31, 2011)

Something that thick I'd be tempted to reverse sear. If you are just working within your home's kitchen, I would put it in the oven in a roasting pan or a cooling rack set on a sheet pan at around 300F until the temp gets to 110 or so, then slap it on your smoking hot grill pan to color it up and get the grill marks you want. And going by Craig's chart, you'd be looking for thumb to ring finger. Although pulling it off a bit early and letting it rest will continue the cooking process some.


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## justplainbill (Jan 31, 2011)

12 minutes should work for rare to medium rare if meat starts close to room temp and you use a grill press.


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## luvs (Jan 31, 2011)

an indicator is the way the meat yields 2 a pair of tongs, the color of its jus & that


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## Rocklobster (Jan 31, 2011)

Don't forget to let them sit out and come to room temp before cooking.


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## rush (Feb 1, 2011)

CraigC said:


> What doneness do you want? Are you familiar with the touch/poke test?
> Put together your thumb and index finger tip to tip. Using the index finger of your other hand, poke the skin, on your hand between the two. If you then do the same thing in succession with each finger from index to pinky you will get an idea of the feel of the levels of doneness. Touching the middle of each steak and comparing it to what you felt on your hand will give you a good indication of how done the steaks are.
> 
> Thumb to index = rare
> ...


 

Thanks, I tried the smallest steak of the bunch (1 and a 1/2" thickness), earlier today just to test it out. 

I let the meat come to room temperature for approximately two hours, and then I started grilling it. 

3 minutes, rotate, 3 minutes, flip, 3 minutes, rotate, 3 minutes = 12 minutes total

At first, I thought the steak needed some time in the oven, but I liked the way it looked on the outside, so I tried poking a thermometer into it, and it read 125. 

I know poking a thermometer is bad, but I also understood it was a necessary evil, since I've never really grilled steak before. I needed to get a true feel for the timing, doneness, etc. 

I tossed the grill pan in the oven at 450 for 5 minutes and popped it out.

I checked the temp, and I was surprised to discover the temperature had shot up so quickly. It was now 150. 

Overall, the color of the meat was brown with a hint of pink. However, there were thicker regions of the steak, and those areas were light pink. For the most part, I figured I overdid it, and I made some adjustments later on.

The second time around, I cooked two steaks. These steaks were slightly thicker than the first one, but I didn't think it would make that much of a difference.

So again, I cooked it 3 mins, rotated, 3 mins, flipped, 3 mins, rotated, 2 mins, and I stuck it in the oven at 450 for 2 mins, flipped, 2 mins. 

One of the steaks, was very thick... about two inches. I decided to leave that in there for an extra minute. 

The first one I pulled out was about an inch and 3/4 in thickness. I didn't stick a thermometer this time, because it was for my sister. I would estimate that the color was quite pink. No real blood oozing out, but definitely pink. I'd estimate it to be medium, which was my goal. Mission accomplished. 

The second one (2" thickness) that I left in the oven for an extra minute, was a brighter red. This concerned me, because it was for my mom, and she grew up thinking blood in meat = bad. This steak was definitely not the gateway meat to gently introduce her to the pinker side of steak. I would judge that it was definitely medium rare. It was just a vivid pink. My mom stomached it, until she got to the center, where blood slightly oozed out, and she freaked out. Suffice it to say, next time she wants it well done. 

If I had to do it again, I'd probably keep the second steak (2" thickness) in the over for at least another 2 or 3 minutes for it to reach medium doneness. So that would be a total of 6 or 7 minutes in the oven if the steak is 2" again. 

I want a pink steak with no blood. Hopefully, I'll get a better feel for the process, and I'll definitely start acquainting myself with the finger method.


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## rush (Feb 1, 2011)

justplainbill said:


> 12 minutes should work for rare to medium rare if meat starts close to room temp and you use a grill press.


 
That was pretty spot-on with what happened in my case.


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## rush (Feb 1, 2011)

pacanis said:


> Something that thick I'd be tempted to reverse sear. If you are just working within your home's kitchen, I would put it in the oven in a roasting pan or a cooling rack set on a sheet pan at around 300F until the temp gets to 110 or so, then slap it on your smoking hot grill pan to color it up and get the grill marks you want. And going by Craig's chart, you'd be looking for thumb to ring finger. Although pulling it off a bit early and letting it rest will continue the cooking process some.


 
Thanks, I heard reverse-searing is bad, because the whole point of searing, is to lock in the juices. In the past, I didn't know this. I always thought searing was for presentation, and thus the order didn't matter...


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## rush (Feb 1, 2011)

Rocklobster said:


> Don't forget to let them sit out and come to room temp before cooking.


 
Yeah, I let it rest for about 3 mins. 

Overall, I'd say the steak was on the tough side. I'm more of a burger-and-fries guy, and this was definitely not a steak that would persuade me that on a relative basis, a steak can beat out a burger. 

But I also know that sirloin steak is very lean... so no matter how well you cook it, it's still gonna be chewy. My sister commented that hers was pretty tough, even though it was medium. 

Maybe I need to marinate it over night for more tenderness?


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## rush (Feb 1, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

I also watched some videos on YouTube of Jamie Oliver and Alton Brown. Jamie Oliver only cooked his steak on a grill pan for about 2 minutes a side, and he had a nice medium steak. That sorta confused me into thinking I could grill up my steaks in a short time... 'cause his steaks looked pretty thick. It looked like they were at least an inch thick, maybe even an inch and a 1/2 when they were raw. After he started cooking, they looked a lot thinner... maybe it was an optical illusion.

Alton Brown seared his steak 30 seconds a side on a cast iron skillet, and then he tossed it in the over for 4 minutes at 500 degrees. That was all, and the steak looked pretty thick like mine.


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## pacanis (Feb 1, 2011)

rush said:


> *Thanks, I heard reverse-searing is bad, because the whole point of searing, is to lock in the juices*. In the past, I didn't know this. I always thought searing was for presentation, and thus the order didn't matter...


 
That statement should be posted in the wives' tales thread   It's a common belief though.
As long as you were happy with your steaks, that's all that matters


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## rush (Feb 1, 2011)

pacanis said:


> That statement should be posted in the wives' tales thread   It's a common belief though.
> As long as you were happy with your steaks, that's all that matters



Sorry, I'm new to cooking, so I tend to believe what TV chefs tell me. So you're saying Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, and the Bill Nye of Culinary Science Alton Brown are all frauds for pepetuating the theory that searing the steak first, helps lock in the juices?


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## pacanis (Feb 1, 2011)

I can't speak for anyone but me, and cooking a thick steak using the reverse sear method provides me with a juicy steak without that "layered" look when cut open. Cooks Illustrated endorses it and Alton Brown debunked the theory that searing meat holds in juices on one of his shows (to throw out a name you mentioned).
I do cook thinner steaks hot and fast, but anything thick, in the range that you mentioned, is always cooked reverse sear because it allows more latitude trying to get it to the correct doneness. Go ahead, Google it, lol. There are many methods and this is one of them.


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## rush (Feb 1, 2011)

pacanis said:


> I can't speak for anyone but me, and cooking a thick steak using the reverse sear method provides me with a juicy steak without that "layered" look when cut open. Cooks Illustrated endorses it and Alton Brown debunked the theory that searing meat holds in juices on one of his shows (to throw out a name you mentioned).
> I do cook thinner steaks hot and fast, but anything thick, in the range that you mentioned, is always cooked reverse sear because it allows more latitude trying to get it to the correct doneness. Go ahead, Google it, lol. There are many methods and this is one of them.




Oh I see. I watched an episode on YouTube, and he talked about developing the crust. I went back, and he never mentions the purpose of developing the crust. I guess I just subconsciously associated it with locking in the juices, as it seemed like common knowledge to me. Oops. And this is why I have so much to learn from you guys. Thank you so much!


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## pacanis (Feb 1, 2011)

rush said:


> Oh I see. I watched an episode on YouTube, and he talked about developing the crust. I went back, and he never mentions the purpose of developing the crust. I guess I just subconsciously associated it with locking in the juices, as it seemed like common knowledge to me. Oops. And this is why I have so much to learn from you guys. Thank you so much!


 
We're _all_ learning as we go. Well, unless you know it all and aren't open to new ideas  I'm always open to new methods and am glad I tried reverse searing a while back. All you can do is give it a go and see if it works for you. 
And I'm pretty sure everyone at one time or another thought searing meat was to lock in the juices. You are not alone. I used to think so.


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