How to Cook a Frozen Steak (Without Thawing First)

Reverse searing is my preferred way of cooking a frozen-solid steak; no thawing required. Thanks to Skillshare for Sponsoring this video! Get two months of Skillshare Premium for FREE by using my link: skl.sh/adamragusea3
Thanks again to Berry College student Andrew Roell for those steaks. More on the Berry beef program: www.berry.edu/studententerpri...
Nathan Myhrvold's frozen steak recipe (blowtorch optional): cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1...
America's Test Kitchen recipe for frozen steak, with special freezing method to minimize ice crystals on the surface: • Science: Make the Best...
Pamphlet from Penn State (my alma mater!) about how color temperature affects the appearance of meat: animalscience.psu.edu/extensi...
Procedure for my steak:
Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature, which will probably be 170-200 F. (There's a chance your oven might have a plate-warming or proofing setting that's even lower. I'm not sure if you should use that; it might be too cool. Let's say 170 minimum.)
I think this works best with thick steaks - about an inch. Take them out of the freezer, unwrap them, and put them on a rack over a baking sheet. Put the whole rig in the oven until the internal temperature of the steak is 10-15 F less than your desired final temperature. I pull mine at 115 F. This could take 1-3 hours depending on your oven and the thickness of the steak.
Put a neutral oil in a pan and heat it until smoking. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, and sear them in the pan just until the exterior is brown - about a minute on each side. In the last 30 seconds, I put in some butter, a couple garlic cloves and a stick of rosemary, and baste the steak with the infused butter.
Rest and serve as you normally would.

[@aragusea]

Q: Why did you season your steak and not your cutting board, like you did in this video? kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmPXg6uDlJaJqac A: I try to only demonstrate or test one unusual technique at a time. This is a basic tenet of experimentation. You change one variable at a time. If you do two different things at once, you might not be sure which variable caused which result. I just didn't want to muddy the water or ignite people's passions by distracting them with the whole board sauce thing. One weird technique at a time. Also, I don't cook things the same way every time. I like steak lots of ways. Q: Would sous vide do a better job? A: Maybe, ask Guga! I, like most people, don't have an immersion circulator. But most people have an oven and a pan. Certainly sous vide would do it faster, but faster isn't always better. The very long, slow cooking seems to tenderize the steak. Kenji speculates this is the result of enzymatic action that is activated by the low oven temperature: www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how-to-reverse-sear-best-way-to-cook-steak.html Q: Did you seriously just leave your sink water trickling for half an hour to thaw that steak? A: Yes. It was maybe a toilet flush worth of water. Fresh water is not scarce where I live. This is an ecologically insignificant amount of water, especially considering that it takes almost 2,000 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef. If you want to do something good for the environment, eat less meat. I've been lowering my meat intake quite a lot for that reason. Barely trickling cool water is the best way to speed-thaw meat, for reasons discussed here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmHEmX6Fg5ephLs

[@thepunisher4356]

I tried the water trickling method and it worked far better than I anticipated it to. I used ground beef instead of steak but still got the desired effect that I wanted.

[@chanceDdog2009]

Can we sear it using clarafide butter?

[@aragusea]

​@@chanceDdog2009 absolutely. smoke point of clarified butter is even higher than veg oil.

[@Llxr]

Noobie question: When you cooked the first steak and basted it what did you do with the liquid that was left over?

[@aragusea]

@@Llxr just dumped it out. the milk solids in the butter will be burned black by that point, can't be reused.

[@brownguy903]

Pulled out the goddamn "Beef Lighting Guide" to prove he didn't overcook the steak, what a legend

[@aniqanuar6320]

no one expected that mini presentation

[@luf4rall]

for all the nitpickers

[@frezzingaces]

Who the fuck at a university sat down and was like fuck this is a problem that needs researching and solving.

[@TheDreamerBelle]

@@frezzingaces Prolly someone good at grant writing who wanted to be paid to eat steak.

[@sleepyguy4237]

@@frezzingaces Trust me dude there are absolute nitpickers who complains for the littliest of shit that you need a god damn research paper to prove them wrong. Example are the youtube comments.

[@mauz791]

**vinegar leg is on the right flashback**

[@i.1smar]

damn...

[@sliver3703]

i have ptsd now thanks

[@user-zj4hq9yi5t]

HAHAHAHHAAHAHAH MA NIGGA

[@deleted2869]

@@sliver3703 lmao

[@resistantjeans6887]

Hahahaha damn this made me laugh Good morning KZbin 😊

[@pi3ater]

i didnt see you season your cutting board -.-

[@lampion22]

he seasoned his mouth

[@HaHa-vy9ct]

Its actually not that good of a method.

[@alexanderl4333]

Puts steak in icecubes

[@wajd9235]

He probably seasoned the cow while it was alive

[@bensufengyang]

Bouta say lol

[@Passionforfoodrecipes]

He seasoned the steak?! My world is imploding, up is down down is up!

[@KoopahPlaysMinecraft]

why i season my packaging, NOT my steak

[@ashtoniwnl]

Passion for food he only added salt for the crust and his cutting board looked seasoned to me

[@ericfarkas148]

@@ashtoniwnl Did you not watch the video?

[@dandanthedandan7558]

Milkylul FN Check pinned comment for further explanation

[@Passionforfoodrecipes]

Check the dictionary under humor to gather further insight!

[@Mozen224]

Adam has crazy eyes, see how he stares THROUGH you when talking about skillshare? Terrifying

[@deluge-rainstorm9055]

He'll sear YOU in a pan if you don't use Skillshare.

[@bigfootwithinternetconnect2330]

Looked like he had 3 gunmen aiming at him

[@SrGrisman]

Hein Coetzee maybe they don't mean to be rude but yes, it does sound rude

[@lostuser1094]

Mohammad Ramadan *handsome eyes

[@jcnot9712]

_why I talk with my eyes NOT my mouth_

[@hans3331000]

i season my skillshare before basting it with butter,

[@PooplexCanal]

Okay Timothy, very cool!

[@ham856]

i season my butter before i baste my skillshare

[@OFFICIAL_VIDEO_AWARDS]

Lol

[@Ryan_Tse]

I mifflin before my dunder

[@Neion8]

Don't season your skillshare, season your brain!

[@kamino4167]

Hi Adam, I've made the broiled cookies and they came out perfect just like in your video. Thanks for the great recepies.

[@fishstew2573]

I’m also thinking about trying!

[@BaioWithMayo]

Same! That was the video that got me into his channel and I tried it that night. Have even used it on just regular store bought stuff and it makes them SOOO much better

[@yeti_melon]

You boiled cookies, what???

[@spa7us]

I made the recipe as well, but I didn’t broil them. I also cooked them way lower than he recommended

[@skjaldmoo]

@@yeti_melon it's broiled, not boiled

[@ProntoPotatoes]

" *Why I cook my steak, THEN thaw it* "

[@choppyglocky]

why i season the students at berry college and not the ribeyes i got from cattle reared by students over at berry college

[@funsouls2889]

Can u make the creme brûlée mentioned at 1:12

[@vinegarlegate24]

Creme brûlée isn't complicated, you just need a blowtorch. Apart from that, it's just fancy custard.

[@mydogskips2]

He just put out a video explaining his way to make creme brulee, and WITHOUT a blowtorch.

[@funsouls2889]

mydogskips2 this was BEFORE that video

[@mydogskips2]

@@funsouls2889 I know, I was just letting you know that he did make the creme brulee video, if you were still interested.

[@cloutt_y6181]

He did

[@barcelone1997]

The steaks were really high with this episode on cooking frozen steak, but thankfully, as is not rare with this channel, Adam delivered a great informative video. Well done Adam.

[@jeckert547]

I’m already trying this myself! There are steaks in my freezer, and I used to thaw them in the fridge. It would take days. Didn’t realize I could pull a steak out of the freezer and eat it the same day. So, it’s in the oven now. Thanks Adam!

[@ybyoufried]

Most underrated cooking channel on KZbin 💯 every video I learn more and more about food science

[@HepCatJack]

Cook your steaks at low temperature in the pan, with a cover on so that the heat will be retained and help thaw the top of the steak. Baste as it's cooking, then flip. Once it's cooked and no longer frozen, sear by increasing the temperature. By then, the low heat will have caused the water to evaporate without exploding, it will only bubble a bit.

[@izLoganGFX]

This is really awesome. I'm a long time fan but this really helped me out; I'm moving out of Boston at the end of an internship in a week to go back to home then school and I still have two beautiful cuts of beef in the freezer. I'll certainly be using this in the coming days. Thanks so much and keep up the great work, Adam.

[@exelmendoza2031]

Damn, im so proud of you Adam!, i literally watched your channel blow up! I love your content, recipes and your humility, keep up the amazing content :)

[@qlein2]

" *why I season my blowtorch, NOT my steak* "

[@depressedhamburger4880]

Kurosu why I season my propane not my blowtorch

[@ketsu9670]

@@depressedhamburger4880 why I season my igniter and not my fuel.

[@cammy649]

Why I sear my blowtorch, not my steak

[@omegapirate64]

Funny

[@etherdog]

Adam, so glad you cited Kenji. I've done this method about 100 times and it is always a winner (low in the oven then sear). I am also gratified that your choice of sponsors are of high quality.

[@j0hnappls33d]

i love adam's videos bc they don't have fancy editing yet is so clear about everything. love u man season your board

[@rockshot100]

GREAT vid Adam. One tip, since I live in muggy, hot Tampa, I have the stand and burner from one of those turkey fryers outside, with a propane tank and a large iron skillet. So instead of filling the house up with grease, smoke and worse, additional heat, I just sear away out there. I love this set up, it also doesn't use too much propane either since you are not heating up a big grill for 3 burgers. BTW, I also put the crockpot on the lanai to keep bills down and very little clean up.

[@christosbelibasakis2296]

When can we have another white wine recipe Adam?

[@salamikuchentv4129]

There are so many good white wine recipes out there. You can use white wine in the most recipes, like rice, soups, sauces, Goulash or many other things. Just try it.

[@jamesanthony5874]

/All/ recipes are white wine recipes ;-)

[@Mrfostie]

I liked that you've learned to double your video output by making two videos out of one dish. Smart! And more videos for us to enjoy.

[@careylymanjones]

Several commenters have asked about sous vide for steak. I've been using sous vide quite a bit, lately, for various meats - steak, pork, chicken breast. I'll season and vacuum seal any meat I'm not using immediately, and toss it in the deep freeze. When it's time to cook it, I just give it an extra hour in the water bath, internal temp usually is within a half degree Fahrenheit of the selected temperature. For steaks I usually set the temp to 130.5 F. Sous vide is a godsend for the novice cook who'd like to cook steak but doesn't want to risk ruining a $10-20 piece of meat. With sous vide, if you can sear, you can do a really good steak. And frozen or thawed doesn't matter, just add about an hour to thaw and everything else is the same. And the same basic technique works just as well for pork chops or chicken breasts. Only the temperature settings change. Another thing I love about sous vide is that cooking time is VERY flexible. If the baked potatoes are taking longer than you planned, it's no big deal. The meat can stay in the bath an extra 20 minutes with absolutely no problem.

[@rollingrock5143]

I discovered this at home on my own using a simple large toaster oven. It's awesome to see my experiments validated. :-)

[@mikeylozada]

Hey Adam, my gf and I made your roasted tomato sauce recipe the other night, it turned out great! Thank you!!

[@foxbricks6173]

You are doing a lot of good for the world, no stupid content just entertaining yet informative

[@27nightjars]

you revolutionized steaks for me with your dressing of the cutting board video, so of course now i gotta try this way too!

[@ZacharyLaid]

Dude my mouth waters every time Adam posts a steak video.

[@whatsbehindthesky]

I listened to this video with headphones and the audio quality is SO GOOD! I can definitely tell you were a public radio reporter. Signed, a less-experienced public radio reporter

[@richardamerike7328]

Sweet video man. Moved along nicely. Nice work

[@victoria001av]

Nice to see that the channel is getting better in monetize it and indexation 😃 Good Content Adam. Still remember your Why to season a chop table and not the steak... a classic. Regards from Panamá 🇵🇦

[@Gruskinator]

If you want to reverse sear but still don't want grey bands, flip your steak more often in the pan. this will prevent most of the heat from penetrating into the inside. You might have to cook it a bit longer on the pan though. This is well documented, just look up why you should flip your steak more often.

[@foxfox4738]

I'll keep being first until we see some FERMENTATION!

[@uscdude159]

Give the people what they want Adam !

[@v7ran]

I mean he sort of did it in his Pizza video Black beans video Braised pork video

[@BangiBoom]

Adam Ragusea: uploads a new video Me: this does put a smile on my face

[@jeanpierre.durrant]

Thanks for the advice. I had some good quality rib eyes stuck in my freezer! I needed to eat one today, so I looked for some ideas. In the end, I had a really nice lunch, so thanks for the tips!

[@HaoTran-tt3sm]

you didnt season your board or butter :(

[@thalesvondasos]

-"Without Thawing First" -puts the steak into the oven for 1 hour

[@maxguichard4337]

I guess the point is that he's using the reverse-sear method anyways so, in his case, thawing isn't necessary.

[@mydogskips2]

@@maxguichard4337 No, thawing isn't necessary, if you're willing to wait TWO HOURS to have your steak. I'll thaw mine and then reverse-sear it and be done in half the time. He said the steak thawed in only 30 minutes, and another 30 should be more than enough time to cook the steak. I would think any differences in the final product would be minimal and due more to the cooking process than the thawing one. And let's be real here, throwing the frozen steak in a really low oven is just another(really slow) way to thaw the steak. Essentially, you're just slowly thawing the steak then cooking it low and slow before searing, i.e. reverse-searing. If someone wants to sous vide their steak for 4 days they can be my guest, but until someone shows me how and why I'm wrong by serving me such a steak I'm going to believe cooking a steak the traditional way is probably just as good, or maybe just slightly less good. I'm willing to make the trade-off to eat today.

[@KL-op2ur]

Agreed, the fastest method is that and then cook like normal....

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

Me: So... you thawed the steak in the oven?

[@NikoBellaKhouf]

@@mydogskips2 sous vide only takes 2 hours and you don't have to babysit it.

[@RyuujinMaria]

Where I'm from we have a dish called Tjälknöl, which this reminds me of. Steak cooked in the oven on low heat over many hours, and then left to rest in seasoned brine in the fridge for another few hours. Served cold in thin slices. Delicious!

[@clydu91]

The dedication to the craft is frankly admirable.

[@Kyle1_q]

Can you make a video about creme brûlée, it’s one of my favorite desserts

[@user-qk2hw6pi8i]

Just gonna take out my flamethrower or should i say Flamethawer… 😞

[@Twofix]

What a Boring comment...

[@nateg452]

@@jackalpartisan whooosh

[@WumbologyTest]

@@jackalpartisan woosh

[@WumbologyTest]

@@jackalpartisan who's gonna tell him

[@youcansave15ormoreoncarins75]

@@Twofix So was your comment too, and the fact that you capitalized boring.

[@moonlambo5229]

Totally going to try this. Great video. Thanks!!!

[@g-g43]

My second time making steak and it’s incredible! I did 2 minutes on the first side and 1 on the other

[@danielmilligan2539]

Why I season my Ice, not my steak

[@mcrus5347]

Alex Ragusea: Why im seasoning my cutboard and not the steak. Also Alex Ragusea : *seasons the steak* 🐯 (one of my favorite channels) Love it

[@DrRemuss]

You didnt pay attention enough though... it's Adam, not Alex :(

[@hetzr]

wth man, how is your channel not bigger? Love your vids!

[@pavelmyronyuk2229]

Making streaks today’s, couldn’t come with this video at a better time ;) have a gooood dayyyy

[@Davitul1]

Did... Did we get a fast explanation of a real and complex effect of light incidence on cooked meat?

[@Rod180798]

That blew my mind.

[@kayagorzan]

2:29 Season your pan , board , hand , eye , foot , wall , ceiling Not your steak

[@vrldf8181]

Oh wow... I've never heard this joke being told in his videos. What an original, tremendpusly funny piece.

[@beersn0b]

This is why I love sous vide! Especially in the summer when I refuse to turn the oven on.

[@hitta750]

It's enjoyable seeing all this effort put into the theory of optimal thawing when my $20 microwave has a defrost setting and does the job perfect in a few minutes

[@Janine.Najarian]

Unthawed? Just say Frozen. *chugs white wine from the bottle* Ya baloney e_e

[@joubesc5347]

This guy is really smart

[@TNUni167]

Love your videos, Adam. Very detailed. Could you please let us know what's the brand and model of your pan? Looks high quality.

[@Wealth.is.Health]

You're a legend man. Thank you for this!

[@abasotto1697]

I season my freezer before freezing my steak.

[@basedoreo2135]

Alternative title: why I season my freezer and not my steak

[@ryantaraskiewicz6815]

Hi Adam, such a great tip thank you so much! Also, the I used the skillshare recommendation you gave in the video. This is just what I have been looking for. Well done Sir (no pun intended). -Ryan

[@adeliciousmeal8203]

Hi, my friend~~Thanks to your great know-how, it helps me a lot. You are analytical and logical and explain it easily. Thanks~~:)

[@melodycreamer1092]

Still so weird to see one of my favorite KZbinrs at my tiny college lol. Let me know if you are ever interested in speaking or visiting! We would love to host you!

[@a4di256]

Adam, you're literally my favorite youtuber, but I gotta know, when are you gonna make some seafood related videos?

[@spookybats]

Thank you. I have two beautiful but frozen ribeyes and was wondering the best way to go about this

[@z4nna]

i’m 18 now and i have never once made or had a pan steak in my life. my family has a BBQ every monday and i’ve only ever had rare BBQ steak. i’m gonna try a pan steak this weekend. fingers crossed it goes well

[@sharky1__]

But I thought you season your cutting board, not your steak

[@stanclc9249]

*gasps* a hypocrite!

[@mattis1389]

He trying to mess with ouer minds

[@KidPrarchord95]

He wanted to make the video easier to follow for newcomers.

[@sushh1]

shoutouts to Guga Food / Sous Vide Everything!

[@Christopher_Gibbons]

It is amazing how quickly and completely the reverse sear has taken over as the standard. It feels weird now to hear someone suggesting the old way.

[@Jhet]

Probably one of the most awaited videos ever

[@subspace3787]

*2 years later...* Yes hello this is steak recipe nr. 165

[@Rod180798]

I wouldn't complain

[@spanner5940]

Why i season my freezer rather than my steak.

[@user-ji3ew9qf1i]

Amazing videos ! Keep it up adam

[@literaIIyshy]

I wish you could make a video on cooking instruments and pans, knife and pots because I think that's a really important part of good cooking that people often overlook

[@Beastofbergen]

Careful not to overseason your videos with ads Adam

[@CamDMC123]

Does he have a lot of ads I have yt red?

[@rowynnecrowley1689]

@@CamDMC123 No idea. I have adblock.

[@mitchw7118]

“You’ve probably got one of these little torches” Nah, I’ve got a tiger torch 😂😂

[@143CrazyLife]

I always feel like I’m watching good eats when I watch one of your videos

[@darksaezuru]

BRO. The fact you pulled out the color temperature scale with natural lighting… I had to pause and subscribe. You are a demon hahahahaa.

[@Butt-rocker]

Why didn’t you season the stovetop, instead of the steak? Thanks for the likes!

[@Badenhawk]

Dummy. He obviously seasoned the torch.

[@sk8erin8er]

No you idiots he seasoned the Berry College students that raised the cows

[@sidagrawal7378]

This is by far the funniest comment chain I have ever seen

[@Centech1]

He seasoned the berry college’s students mothers mothers grandmothers vagina (1920)

[@MichaelRei99]

All Day Son don’t be jealous because you haven’t grabbed any!

[@preetykumari3961]

But you only season your chopping board.

[@gustavo31313131]

Amazing video as usual!!!

[@JamesTricker369]

This dude gives me major Alton Brown vibes and I love it. Very educational and informative while also being entertaining. Nice job. SUB.

[@Riick14h]

Nobody: Adam: How to cook a steak. (Without butchering)

[@borkborkie5471]

Me: I don’t have a blow torch.. Me: *3 secs later realizing I have one bc I go camping and it’s useful to help start fires* oh-

[@mandymchale2767]

between this and babish’s newest video im learning a lot about steak

[@Tomanna]

I'm so glad your ads are so much more natural now

[@gornobaneca3296]

"Vinegar leg is on the right" flashbacks

[@joeolle2463]

Umm he didn’t season his cutting board

[@MattyRox]

Great video Adam.

[@uthinkimfunnysonny]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL THIS IS WHAT KZbin WAS MADE FOR

[@teddydgameboysp]

"Why I season my Freezer, NOT my steak."

[@vrldf8181]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha I've never heard this joke.

[@cutesweettea]

why i thaw my oven, NOT my steak edit: also adam, would you be able to make more vegetarian/vegan recipes :D and more testing vids.... ok just more vids in general

[@MorbidMindedManiac]

Why I thaw the freezer, not the steak

[@thatfoxxy]

@@MorbidMindedManiac why i thaw the cow, not the steak

[@gavinl6302]

Our boi Adam back at it again

[@Gruskinator]

I can't wait to see what creative commenters come up with for every new installment of the Adam Ragusea Show. This youtube channel has by far the best comments.

[@PasteldeRebaja]

Thanks for messing up your kitchen with oil for letting us know what would happen if we do it

[@TheSpyfreak]

Why i season my fridge not my food

[@nicolle2126]

Seeing as you're a fan of Chef John, would you ever consider exploring the science behind his "Hot roux + cold liquid = no lumps" adage versus the traditional technique for roux?

[@mohibunnabichowdhury8423]

Dear Sir, i cannot thank you enough for this tip.

[@TheAirsoft220]

nobody: adam: I got it from students at berry college this is just a joke by the way 💯

[@mauz791]

@ながとやひこ さげ ok

[@adventurepromo]

i got excited about the Berry College part. That's my school he's talking about there! They should promote their dairy and beef products more.

[@AaronOverEverything]

ながとやひこ さげ too long... nobody’s got time to read all that... just letting you know...

[@Janine.Najarian]

@ながとやひこ さげ you ever heard of a paragraph, sport?

[@TheAirsoft220]

@ながとやひこ さげ i read that whole thing and i understand that the ads within the video are somewhat distracting i suppose. i do believe that adam does a great job of making them simple and interesting enough for the viewer without being completely obnoxious about the whole thing. so there's that.

[@ExtraAlien51]

Where's the real Adam? No white wine, no Adam.

[@awiestory9062]

Thank you Adam..! 🙏

[@JustinWheeler_LA]

Adam, what Camera are you using (since you mentioned it)? Great video as always, will definitely give this method a try.