Ginger Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry — When the Cast Iron Gets Passed and Love Does the Cooking

Mama gave me Grandpa Eldon’s cast iron skillet Saturday. She had brought it up to Tulsa for the small pre-Christmas dinner Friday-night. The skillet is the same one Grandpa Eldon had used for forty years — a sixteen-inch Wagner from the 1950s with a polished cooking surface from decades of seasoning. Mama had been quietly intending to pass it to me for a year. The Christmas-week was the timing she had chosen. Brayden is one hundred and sixteen weeks old.

The ginger black pepper beef stir fry is the small ceremonial first-cook in the new-to-me old cast iron. The dish is thin-sliced beef (sirloin or flank), marinated in soy-sauce-and-cornstarch, stir-fried over high heat in the cast iron with a generous amount of fresh ginger, garlic, and coarsely-cracked black pepper, finished with a small splash of rice wine vinegar and chopped green onion.

The technique on stir-fry in cast iron is the pan-heat. The cast iron needs to be smoking-hot before the oil goes in. The oil needs about thirty seconds to come to temperature. The beef goes in next and is not stirred for the first forty-five seconds (which lets the meat develop the sear-crust). The aromatics go in next. The whole stir-fry is done in under three minutes.

Saturday night I made it. The skillet performed exactly as it had been performing for seventy years. Mama watched from the kitchen counter with Brayden on her lap. Dustin had three helpings. The cast iron is now ours.

Ginger Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak or sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (generous)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 cup snap peas
• 3 green onions, sliced, for garnish
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup beef broth or water
• Cooked white or jasmine rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Marinate the beef. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and cornstarch. Add the sliced beef and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
2. Make the sauce. Stir the beef broth into any remaining marinade and set aside.
3. Heat the pan. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and swirl to coat.
4. Sear the beef. Add the beef in a single layer — work in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Sear 1–2 minutes per side until browned and just cooked through. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
5. Cook the vegetables. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds until fragrant. Add bell pepper and snap peas and stir-fry 2–3 minutes until just tender-crisp.
6. Bring it together. Return the beef to the pan. Pour in the sauce and toss everything together over high heat for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef and vegetables.
7. Serve. Spoon over steamed rice and top with sliced green onions. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg