Le Creuset Grill Pans

That’s been my approach so far. Minimal oil and letting the grill heat up. I think I need to let it heat up even longer (maybe like a pizza stone for 30 min). I have no range hood but haven’t tried anything like a rib eye that would be overly fatty/smoky.

You can try for a longer heat-up. I will too. Maybe smaller pans are different but in my experience trying to get char on medium temp overcooks the meat before any char is created, especially on fatty ribeyes.

There are plenty of ways to cook food, my love, but the concept of this pan is to replicate grilling indoors. :slightly_smiling_face:

Is all one looking for is grill marks? Then okay. I see no point in them myself.

For steaks of anywhere from 1/2" to 1-1/2" I sear in a screaming hot CI skillet, turn and put into a 400 oven. Just takes a few minutes to reach our desired temp of “about” 117. Been doing this for ten years since jfood recommended it on CH. I do something similar with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

I thought I had a pic of potatoes I’ve done a couple of times but here’s the piece with a photo:

https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-rosemary-roasted-potatoes-side-dish-recipes-from-the-kitchn-46732

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Cath, dear, the topic is Grill Pans. :slightly_smiling_face:

I’ve cooked many a great steak in my CI on stovetop and the stovetop-to-oven method. With char or “grill marks” comes a smokier flavor. You have a house with an outdoor grill. She has an apartment with a grill pan and she’d like tips on how to use it.

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Yes, honey. But she seemed to be asking opinions and a few of us thought they weren’t real useful. I gave examples of times we don’t use the outdoor grill. I’ll shut the eff up from now on.

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Probably. While CI is known for heating up slowly, I’ve been kind of surprised at how long it takes to heat evenly.

If you end up doing a rib eye, we’ve used the reverse sear method (look it up on Serious Eats) and LOVE it. Perfectly medium on the inside and perfectly seared on the outside. :smiley:

I think so. I personally don’t notice much of a smokier flavor myself, so, TBH, we use the CI skillet much more than the grill. I think we might use the grill more often, if we didn’t have one that is such a PITA to use (2-burner Lodge on that it very difficult to handle). I’ve often thought about purchasing one that’s shaped like a skillet but has the grill portion “inside,” but I can’t justify the $ for how infreq we would likely use it.

I think I need to lock-down the heat-up/tempurature with smaller/thinner items before attempting a thick steak. I’ve done the sear then oven method before (in a pan), but haven’t tried a reverse sear method.

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I think the type of stove you have is also a factor. I have 2 front power burners that light my CI up almost too fast for some things.

I think the bottom line is you can get advice and opinions from all of us but you have to play around with it to figure out what’s right for your pan and stove. For a long time I didn’t like mine and didn’t use it much, but I enjoy it much more now. Enjoy!

Another one here for reverse sear. Think it’s a far superior method for a consistent tastier end result. I find it easier and faster too since you’re already starting with a warm piece of meat and adding the final color and crust.

Also, I rest out of habit and usually doing last minute plating of other items too, but multiple reliable sources have said and tested that with reverse sear, there is no need to rest since lower temp doesn’t impact the meat as harshly as traditional high heat.

I did a thick 2 lb tomahawk recently with the overnight salt/dry brine, then low temp in oven with a temp probe. Finished it with high heat for the crust and it was so good. I did tent for about 10 minutes but that was because I blew the timing on other dishes.

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I’ve read about it and am going to try it when I blowout my new oven that’s becoming not so new anymore. We just had the smoke detectors temporarily disconnected to do it because they went off immediately when we first tried and our whole placed smelled like airplane fuel. I’m scared.

Question: can @LAgirl do it with the grill pan?

Hahaha! That’s when you know you’ve got the searing going right! But the reverse sear method is easiest with a thick steak. Anything under an inch is tricky, 1.5-2 inches would be better.

I’m sure the grill marks will come out great. The concern would be the color on the parts that don’t make contact. They’ll remain the pale brown from the low heat.

Although another way would be to add a third step if inclined. For years, our Xmas rib roast, I’ve used the Keller torch then low roast method. I take a torch and give the outside a start. Not looking for a dark sear, the meat is more grayish before I place in the low oven. By time it comes out, beautiful dark outside, red inside all the way to surface with no grey band.

Theoretically @LAgirl could do something similar here. Torch outside lightly. Low slow oven, then finish on top of grill pan. Color, grill marks and even temp inside. All without having to resort to an outside grill. Completely understand the challenges of dense LA housing and lack of easy access to an outside grill.

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J. Kenji Lopez-Alt says no need to rest. If he says it, it must be true. :slight_smile:

We don’t rest our meat after reverse sear, and it’s been totally fine.

ATK (back under Kimball, I think) had a reverse sear method for flank steak. I don’t recall what, if any, differences there were from the “usual” reverse sear, but the ATK technique makes great flank steak, too.

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Cool, thanks! Interesting about the thin flank steak. All ATK recipes are behind a paywall though. Given their practices in making it impossible to unsubscribe I’m loathe to even do a free trial. :frowning_face:

true, but thanks to the comments here and everybody’s help I’ll have a much better starting point!

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I think @SpockSpork may have the recipe written down or saved on DVR…

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Hi @LAgirl -

How’s it going with your new grill pan? :slightly_smiling_face:

I made these and thought you might like to see the results and my thoughts & pics. These are San Lucas Ribeyes from Yummy Market on S.Vicente & Hauser. The thinness make these great for the grill pan and the fatty keeps them from drying out. Note: they don’t do well if previously frozen.

Seasoned w/Salt, Adobo Seasoning, Smoked Paprika.

Pre-heated pan on high 10+ minutes, then oiled pan (not meat), seared steaks for 3 minutes one side & 2 minutes on the flip side. Easy peasy.

I’ve been doing a little experimenting since the discussions on this thread. :slightly_smiling_face: Thoughts: my pan is finally seasoned enough so no more oiling the meat (pan only) and the dried spices cause good smoking which imparts good flavor. :hearts: I tried cooking steaks on medium, pre-heating pan for 10-15 minutes. The results were mixed. I think it might work better for thicker steak. The thin came out tender & somewhat juicy, but not smokey or crispy, as the fat doesn’t render enough on medium, and the insides cooked thru while trying to render and crisp up the fat (not a problem if you don’t like a little pink). High is working for me. :wink:

Steak Bowl - Rice, Tomato, Grilled Onions, Avocados

With Dressing - Fresh Salsa Verde, Spicy Aguachile Liquid, Lime, Grapeseed Oil, Garlic, Cilantro, Salt

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heya! I haven’t used the pan in a week or so, but planning on a cheeseburger for tomorrow night!

The last thing I made was a ribeye as well. I let the pan heat up for 20-30 min (I just left it on to get really hot and wasn’t really paying attention to the time), then grilled it w/ just s/p on both sides. I can’t remember if I brushed the pan with oil first (possibly. I have blurry brain from staying at home constantly and can’t remember days, etc). The flavor was great, but it could have been cooked slightly more in the middle. My steak was the thinnest one that I saw, but not as thin as your steaks. I think that is the key…so next time.

I also grilled some portobello mushrooms (brushed with olive oil) and they came out good. Overall, I still need to work w/ the temp of the pan and my timing. Like anything else, there’s a learning curve.

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Lower the temp a little . Grilled meats do not have to be cooked over such high heat . I’ve never used this myth technique.

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