How To Cook Steak In The Oven

Mid-February. Valentine's. Hannah and I had our usual quiet. I made dinner — pan-seared venison with a port reduction (a sauce I learned from the cookbook the cohort instructor lent Caleb), garlic mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts. Two candles. Hannah read me a poem from the same book as last year, a different poem. I told her about an early memory of her — the day I drove her home from a Cherokee Nation event in 2010 in a rainstorm and the wipers on my truck broke and we drove the last twenty miles with our heads out the window squinting through the rain. She laughed. She said: I remember. She said: you were trying so hard not to laugh. I said: I was trying to stay on the road. She said: you were laughing. I said: I was. She said: I knew then. I said: knew what. She said: that I was going to marry you. I said: that's an old story.

Wednesday I drove to Turley. I went to see Terry and to talk to her about the spring visit. I sat at her kitchen table and I told her: I want you to come to the property for a week in late April. She said: I can't. I said: yes you can. She said: my knees. I said: I'll set up the bed downstairs. I said: I'll drive you. She said: a whole week is a long time. I said: I want you there. She looked at me. She said: alright. She said: alright Jesse. She said: I'll come. I said: thank you Mama. She said: it's fine. It's not fine. It's more than fine. The intention from January is happening in April. I will make it happen.

Caleb and Miriam Saturday. Wedding-prep talk most of the afternoon. Miriam has bought a dress. Caleb has bought a suit. The flowers are ordered. The minister is set — a man named Reverend Bear, retired, who married Lily and Ben back in 2022 and who agreed to do this one. The schedule is set. The food is on track. Sixteen weeks until the wedding. The countdown has begun.

The venison that night was wild-harvested, which makes the technique a little forgiving — lean meat, quick sear, finish low — and the method I use now for any thick cut of red meat follows the same logic: get a hard sear in the pan, then let the oven do the rest. If you don’t have venison on hand, a good ribeye or strip steak treated this way will land you in the same place: something quiet and right for a table with two candles and someone worth cooking for.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 ribeye or New York strip steaks, 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick (about 10–12 oz each)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp neutral oil (avocado or canola)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3–4 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

Bring steaks to temperature. Remove steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Pat completely dry with paper towels — this is essential for a good crust.
Season generously. Combine salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Season both sides and the edges of each steak evenly.
Preheat oven and pan. Place a cast iron or oven-safe skillet in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Let the pan heat for at least 10 minutes.
Sear on the stovetop. Carefully remove the hot skillet and set over high heat. Add the oil and let it just begin to smoke. Lay the steaks in the pan and sear undisturbed for 2 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms.
Add aromatics and finish in oven. Add butter, smashed garlic, and thyme to the pan. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast 6–8 minutes for medium-rare (internal temp 130°F) or 9–11 minutes for medium (140°F).
Baste and rest. Remove from oven and tilt the pan to pool the butter. Spoon it over the steaks two or three times. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and rest uncovered for 5–7 minutes before slicing or serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

How To Cook Steak In The Oven — The Valentine’s Dinner That Became a Story We’ll Tell Forever