This is Cook Like a Pro, in which experts share tips, tricks, and techniques that elevate a good dish to an unforgettable one.\nThe Pros > H. Alexander Talbot & Aki Kamozawa\nIdeas in Food\nWhen the duo behind the Ideas in Food blog explained their get-it-right-every-time method for steak, we were, um, skeptical. Season, freeze, fry, slow-roast, then fry again? It sounded nuts. Then we tasted. Minds. Officially. Blown. This technique guarantees your $50 dry-aged porterhouse (or rib eye, or T-bone) will be deeply caramelized on all surfaces and perfectly pink in the center. Yes, there are eight (basic if unorthodox) steps, but the steakhouse-quality results speak for themselves. We’ll never doubt again. —Claire Saffitz\n\nFreeze-Fry Your Steak\n1 2\"-thick porterhouse steak (about 3 lb.)\n1 Tbsp. kosher salt\n1 Tbsp. light brown sugar\n½ tsp. cayenne pepper\n4 cups rice bran oil or vegetable oil\n4 Tbsp. unsalted butter\n1 tsp. spice mix of choice (we like vadouvan; any masala will also work well)\n1. The First Cut\nScore the steak ¼\" deep over all surfaces (sides, too) in a crosshatch pattern, spacing cuts 1\" apart.\n2. The Massage + Chill\nMix salt, sugar, and cayenne in a small bowl and rub mixture all over the meat, really massaging it into the score marks and crevices. Upend the steak—balancing on the flat side of the bone—on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet (this combo of rack and sheet allows air to circulate) and chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight.\n3. The Freeze\nTransfer the steak, still upright on the rack, to the freezer and freeze solid, at least 6 hours and up to 24.\n4. The First Fry\nPreheat your oven to 200°. Pour oil into a skillet (it should be about ¾\" deep) and heat over medium-high until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°. Transfer frozen steak to skillet and cook, turning once, until all sides, including the fat cap, are deeply browned and a crisp crust has formed, about 3 minutes per side. Oil should come halfway up side of steak—add more if needed.\n5. The Oven Transfer\nReturn steak to rack and baking sheet, this time laying it flat. (Reserve skillet and oil off heat.) Roast in oven until steak is no longer frozen (the interior will still be cold but thawed enough to allow the insertion of a probe thermometer), 30–35 minutes. Meanwhile, make the spiced brown butter.\n6. The Spice Mix-In\nCook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spice mix of your choice. Let butter cool, 20–25 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl.\n7. The Butter Basting\nRemove the steak from the oven and spoon about a third of the spice-infused butter over, turning to coat both sides. Poke thermometer probe into the center of the strip side and roast steak, basting every 30 minutes or so with remaining butter, until thermometer registers 120°, another 1–1 ½ hours. (Alternatively, use an instant-read thermometer to check steak every 15 minutes after the first hour, and again every 5 minutes after 1 ½ hours. Once thawed, the temperature of the steak will rise about 1 degree per minute, so use that as a guide.)\n8. The Final Fry\nRemove steak from oven. Reheat reserved oil in skillet back to 350° over medium-high. Give steak a second fry, turning once, until a deeply browned crust forms on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer back to rack and let rest 10 minutes; this redistributes the juices inside the steak (resting: another pro move). Why sear again? It not only recrisps the first crust that softened during roasting, it also locks in juices and further develops flavor. 4 servings\n\nKnow the Score\nThis technique, done before freezing, creates more surface area, which means more crunchy texture at the end. We’ll try it on all our steaks now. It’s also great for encouraging\nthe formation of crispy bits.\nWatch the video!\nGet the Recipe: Slow-Roasted, Twice-Fried Porterhouse","isBasedOn":"https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/clap-steak-ideas-in-food","articleSection":"recipes","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Bon Appétit","sameAs":"https://www.bonappetit.com/contributors/bon-appetit"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Michael Graydon Nikole Herriott","sameAs":"https://www.bonappetit.com/contributor/michael-graydon-nikole-herriott"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Joe Wilson","sameAs":"https://www.bonappetit.com/contributor/joe-wilson"}],"dateModified":"2015-03-30T09:22:45.000-04:00","datePublished":"2015-03-30T09:22:45.000-04:00","headline":"Freeze-Fry Your Steak. You Heard Us","image":["https://assets.bonappetit.com/photos/57d6d684cba257a52320dcbc/master/w_2800,h_2034,c_limit/slow-roasted-twice-fried-porterhouse.jpg"],"keywords":["techniques","cook like a pro","steak","web"],"thumbnailUrl":"","url":"https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/clap-steak-ideas-in-food","isPartOf":{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Bon Appétit"},"isAccessibleForFree":true,"alternativeHeadline":"Yes, there are eight (basic if unorthodox) steps, but the steakhouse-quality results speak for themselves.","description":"Yes, there are eight (basic if unorthodox) steps, but the steakhouse-quality results speak for themselves.","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/clap-steak-ideas-in-food"},"publisher":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Bon Appétit","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.bonappetit.com/verso/static/bon-appetit/assets/logo-seo.png","width":"479px","height":"100px"},"url":"https://www.bonappetit.com"}}
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Yes, there are eight (basic if unorthodox) steps, but the steakhouse-quality results speak for themselves.
By Bon Appétit
Photography by Michael Graydon Nikole Herriott
Illustration by Joe Wilson
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
</head>This is Cook Like a Pro, in which experts share tips, tricks, and techniques that elevate a good dish to an unforgettable one.
The Pros > H. Alexander Talbot & Aki Kamozawa
Ideas in Food
When the duo behind the Ideas in Food blog explained their get-it-right-every-time method for steak, we were, um, skeptical. Season, freeze, fry, slow-roast, then fry again? It sounded nuts. Then we tasted. Minds. Officially. Blown. This technique guarantees your $50 dry-aged porterhouse (or rib eye, or T-bone) will be deeply caramelized on all surfaces and perfectly pink in the center. Yes, there are eight (basic if unorthodox) steps, but the steakhouse-quality results speak for themselves. We’ll never doubt again. —Claire Saffitz
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Freeze-Fry Your Steak
1 2"-thick porterhouse steak (about 3 lb.)
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cups rice bran oil or vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. spice mix of choice (we like vadouvan; any masala will also work well)
1. The First Cut
Score the steak ¼" deep over all surfaces (sides, too) in a crosshatch pattern, spacing cuts 1" apart.
2. The Massage + Chill
Mix salt, sugar, and cayenne in a small bowl and rub mixture all over the meat, really massaging it into the score marks and crevices. Upend the steak—balancing on the flat side of the bone—on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet (this combo of rack and sheet allows air to circulate) and chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight.
3. The Freeze
Transfer the steak, still upright on the rack, to the freezer and freeze solid, at least 6 hours and up to 24.
Frying means an even deep-brown crust all over, with none of those too-dark areas that can occur when charcoal grilling steaks.
4. The First Fry
Preheat your oven to 200°. Pour oil into a skillet (it should be about ¾" deep) and heat over medium-high until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°. Transfer frozen steak to skillet and cook, turning once, until all sides, including the fat cap, are deeply browned and a crisp crust has formed, about 3 minutes per side. Oil should come halfway up side of steak—add more if needed.
5. The Oven Transfer
Return steak to rack and baking sheet, this time laying it flat. (Reserve skillet and oil off heat.) Roast in oven until steak is no longer frozen (the interior will still be cold but thawed enough to allow the insertion of a probe thermometer), 30–35 minutes. Meanwhile, make the spiced brown butter.
6. The Spice Mix-In
Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spice mix of your choice. Let butter cool, 20–25 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl.
7. The Butter Basting
Remove the steak from the oven and spoon about a third of the spice-infused butter over, turning to coat both sides. Poke thermometer probe into the center of the strip side and roast steak, basting every 30 minutes or so with remaining butter, until thermometer registers 120°, another 1–1 ½ hours. (Alternatively, use an instant-read thermometer to check steak every 15 minutes after the first hour, and again every 5 minutes after 1 ½ hours. Once thawed, the temperature of the steak will rise about 1 degree per minute, so use that as a guide.)
8. The Final Fry
Remove steak from oven. Reheat reserved oil in skillet back to 350° over medium-high. Give steak a second fry, turning once, until a deeply browned crust forms on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer back to rack and let rest 10 minutes; this redistributes the juices inside the steak (resting: another pro move). Why sear again? It not only recrisps the first crust that softened during roasting, it also locks in juices and further develops flavor. 4 servings
Know the Score
This technique, done before freezing, creates more surface area, which means more crunchy texture at the end. We’ll try it on all our steaks now. It’s also great for encouraging
the formation of crispy bits.
Watch the video!
Get the Recipe: Slow-Roasted, Twice-Fried Porterhouse
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