Gordon Ramsay’s cast iron steak method sears beef in a smoking hot pan, ideally cast iron, then finishes it in the oven at 160°C (325°F) for 8 minutes. The technique comes from his Healthy, Lean and Fit cookbook where he uses it on beef tenderloin. It gives you a crust on the outside and even medium-rare all the way through.
“Your meat is now ready for the next stage, be it roasting in the oven” he writes in the UCC. The line sits right before his stovetop-only sirloin method. He uses the oven finish for tenderloin and venison, and stays on the hob for sirloin.
The reason cast iron works better than non-stick is heat retention. A heavy skillet holds its temperature when cold meat hits it, so the sear doesn’t stall. Ramsay says “get the pan really hot, hotter than you’d normally dare” because without colour there is no flavour.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Cast Iron Steak (Oven Finish)
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy2
servings5
minutes15
minutes250
kcal20
minutesFrom Healthy, Lean and Fit, beef tenderloin seared in a heavy skillet then roasted at 160°C for medium-rare. The same sear and oven technique works for any thick steak. His Secrets cookbook uses a higher 220°C for venison with the same method.
Ingredients
2 beef tenderloin steaks, about 140g (5 oz) each
Rapeseed or canola oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat: Set the oven to 160°C (325°F / Gas 3).
- Season: Brush the steaks with a little oil and season all over with salt and pepper.
- Sear: Place a heavy skillet or cast iron pan over high heat until smoking hot. Carefully add the steaks and sear all over until well coloured.
- Oven: Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 8 minutes for medium-rare.
- Rest: Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. The resting time is as important as the cooking.
Notes
- Rest under foil for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The temperature keeps rising after it leaves the oven.
FAQs
When should you finish steak in the oven instead of on the hob?
Ramsay uses the oven finish for beef tenderloin in Healthy, Lean and Fit at 160°C (325°F) for 8 minutes, and for venison fillet in his Secrets cookbook at 220°C (425°F) for 4-5 minutes. The times and temperatures differ between the two books depending on the cut.
For thinner steaks like sirloin, he stays on the hob the whole time. The sirloin steak method from the UCC sears for 2½-3 minutes per side with a butter baste and skips the oven entirely. The steak is thin enough that the sear cooks it through.
Which cut works best in a cast iron skillet?
Any thick steak benefits from cast iron’s heat retention. Rib-eye is the most popular choice because its fat marbling bastes the meat as it renders. Sirloin is leaner with a cleaner flavour.
Tenderloin is what Ramsay uses in the Fit Food oven method.
For that cut specifically, filet mignon covers his pan-only technique with a mushroom gratin from the F Word.
Flat iron steak also works well in cast iron because it’s thick and evenly shaped. Ramsay’s steak au poivre uses the same hot-pan sear technique on rib-eye. The coffee rub steak uses thick bone-in rib-eye from the Uncharted cookbook.
Why does Ramsay cover the steak with foil when resting?
The Fit Food recipe covers the steaks with foil after they come out of the oven. This traps residual heat so the steak continues cooking gently while the fibres relax. The Secrets venison version uses “butter paper or buttered greaseproof paper” instead of foil, which adds a thin layer of fat to stop the surface drying out.
Resting for the full 10 minutes is not optional. The fibres need time to relax and redistribute moisture through the meat. If you cut too early, the juices run out onto the plate instead of staying in the steak.
What oil does Ramsay use for cast iron steak?
The Fit Food recipe uses canola oil, which is rapeseed in the UK. The UCC sirloin method uses groundnut oil. Both have a high burning point, which matters because the pan needs to be smoking hot before the steak goes in.
Ramsay says “if it’s not hot, it won’t colour the meat and without any colour, there’ll be no flavour.” He also warns not to use butter for the initial sear because it burns at high heat. Butter goes in later for basting in the stovetop method, or not at all in the leaner Fit Food version.
How is this different from the stovetop butter baste method?
The UCC stovetop method adds butter and thyme in the last 90 seconds and bastes the steak continuously. It’s richer, faster and works for thin to medium steaks that cook through in 5-6 minutes total. Ramsay’s steak Diane uses a similar fast stovetop approach for minute steaks.
The oven finish skips the butter baste entirely. It’s leaner, more controlled, and gives you even doneness on thicker cuts where the outside would overcook before the centre catches up. The steak marinade covers which cuts benefit from extra flavouring before cooking.
