Howdy, partner! Saddle up, cowboy! You are in for a sizzling hot, wild ride out on the range and then back to the kitchen to learn a thing or two about cooking steak.  “Home, Home on the …”  Oh, sorry about that. I get a little carried away when I start thinking about all of the delicious ways to fix a steak. 

There are a lot of recipes out there so we have picked our top 5 recipes that cover a variety of methods and types of steak recipes.  We have steak recipes for the oven, steak on the grill, healthy steak recipes, steak quesadilla and fajita recipes, and we even get a little crazy with some steak recipes for the crock pot (yes, this is for all of you multi-taskers and over-achievers out there). 

My belly is starting to growl just thinking about all of the delicious ways to cook a steak.  Happy Trails to you. 

What Makes the Perfect Steak? 

Some people get pretty heated when talking about the proper way to cook a steak. When someone asks for their steak medium rare, I can see the look of horror on my Uncle Bill’s face.

He will preach medium-well steak until the cows come home. Holy cow- don’t even get him started on that rant.  He is a retired cattle farmer and a self-proclaimed expert on cooking the perfect steak. 

What does make the perfect steak? We know it can be confusing and there is a lot of conflicting information so we have narrowed it down to three categories for you: the cut of meat, the way it is cooked, and the way it is prepared. 

For example, if you have a fattier cut of meat like a rib-eye, it actually tastes amazing when it is cooked medium instead of medium rare in a cast iron skillet.

Of course, it ultimately comes down to personal preference, but we recommend keeping these three categories in mind. 

2 Steak Recipes for the Grill 

Would you like to cook a steak on the grill tonight? One of our most distinguished steak recipes for the grill is Ray Cane’s Bone-In Ribeye.  Ray keeps it simple with a really fine cut of bone-in ribeye and some simple, tried and true ingredients like extra virgin olive oil and a good steak rub like Crown National's beef rubs. 

Having the bone in really adds to the succulent, juicy flavor and has added nutrients.  Grilling it without the bone is like eating a biscuit without butter.  Get your coals nice and hot and coat both sides of the meat with olive oil and then sprinkle both sides generously with your seasoning rub. 

Sear the steak for three minutes per side.  Transfer to the outer edge of grill with less charcoal and put the lid on the grill. 

Cook about 8-9 minutes per side for medium rare and about 10 or so for medium.  Keep in mind, the steaks will continue to cook for a bit once they are removed from the grill. 

Looking for a leaner grilled steak recipe? Try Brother Ben’s Grilled Filet Recipe. Brother Ben has a country accent a mile wide and pronounces it Minion, but don’t let his accent or old overalls fool you. He is- hands down-the best grill master this side of the Mississippi and one of the wisest men that I know.  

Brother Ben’s Filet Mignon  

Here is the quick list of ingredients:  

• 1-2 Tablespoon’s of butter per filet

• 4 strips of bacon

• 4 filet mignon steaks

• Jimmy’s Steak Marinating Sauce

• Toothpicks 

Wrap each steak with a strip of bacon and secure with a tooth pick on each side.  Brush butter on both sides of each steak and drizzle a sauce like Jimmy’s Steak Sauce on top of each steak.  Grill on gas grill for 8-10 minutes per side for a medium-plus temperature. 

A Steak Recipe for the Oven

Three cheers for steak night!   This mouth-watering, oven steak recipe is for Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches! These are a favorite for kids and adults. I recommend doubling the recipe because they are THAT good. 

Philly Cheese Steak Ingredients

• 2 Rib-eye steaks sliced thinly across the grain and then chopped roughly into small pieces 

• 4 Hoagie rolls (you can get from the bakery at the grocery store) 

• ½ green pepper sliced 

• 1 large sweet onion sliced in thick slices 

• 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms 

• Seasoning salt, such as Jimmy's General Seasoning Salt

• 4 Tablespoons of salted butter 

• 8 slices of cheese (Provolone or Munster) 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Prepare 4 sheets of foil, slice the hoagie roll and set aside. 

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium/high in a non-stick pan.  Add mushrooms and ½ the onions.  Cook for 5-8 minutes until onions are brown and the mushrooms are cooked down.  Remove and place on a plate. 

Add another tablespoon of butter and cook the remaining onions and bell pepper over medium/high heat for 5-8 minutes.  Add to separate plate. (If everyone likes all of the ingredients you can put them on the same plate but we keep it separate because the kids don’t normally like the mushrooms and peppers.) 

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and add 2 Tablespoons of butter. Season steaks with the seasoning salt and add to the skillet. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 2-4 minutes.  Meat should be browned by now. 

Divide the meat and veggie mixture into 1/4ths and cover each pile with 2 slices of cheese while still in the pan.  Allow the cheese to melt for 1 to 2 minutes. 

Take a spatula and place each pile of meat, veggies, and melted cheese into one of the sliced hoagie rolls.  Seal each roll tightly inside of a sheet of foil and place in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve fresh out of the oven.   

A Steak Recipe Idea for the Crockpot 

Cube steak, flank steak and swiss steak are all popular types of steak to cook in the crockpot.  You can also do beef and broccoli and Salisbury Steak.  Salisbury Steak is a comfort food that is kid approved and loved by adults, too. 

It is similar to a hamburger in that you actually used ground beef but when you shape the patty, it is more similar to a steak shape. 

Crockpot Salisbury Steak can be a little bland if you don’t season it well.  We recommend using Crown National's hamburger seasoning to add a richness to the steak and delicious brown gravy.  Serve with mashed potatoes and you will have happy smiles all around the dinner table. 

A Healthy Steak Recipe 

Using the oven to cook steak is an easy and healthy way to cook a steak.  There are many steak recipes for the oven - here's one of our favorites.  It is a no-frills get-down-to-the-meat-of-the-matter recipe (pun fully intended!). 

First you are going to sear the steak on each side in a skillet with a little oil. The sear gives the outside that charred and delicious crust.

Next, you are going to season the steak with an all-purpose steak seasoning like Jimmy's General Seasoning Salt.  

Preheat the oven to 300F.  The time that you cook the steak is going to depend on the thickness of the steak and whether you like it rare, medium rare, medium, or well-done. To keep it simple, we will assume the steak is 1 inch thick and we like it medium. 

Cook on the first side or 2-3 minutes.  This will be the case for all thicknesses and all preferences in the amount of pink.  Where it varies is when you flip it to the other side.

Since we will be cooking to a medium steak, which is 140 to 150F, we will cook the flip side for 8-10 minutes.  Serve with a side salad and roasted vegetables. 

A Steak Quesadilla Recipe

If you really want to get your taste buds talking, try steak quesadillas for dinner tonight!

You can use sliced skirt steak or slice a New York strip into thin slices. Season it well with Jimmy’s General Seasoning Salt (or the seasoning of your choice) and cook in a skillet with a little butter, peppers, and onions. 

After you cook the meat and veggies, set them to the side. Add a little more butter to the skillet, lay a flour tortilla in the pan and spread part of the meat and veggies. 

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the meat and veggies and then lay another flour tortilla on top. Let this cook on medium high for a few minutes until the cheese starts melting and the tortilla is a golden color on the bottom.

Carefully flip the quesadilla. (You may need to add a little more butter to the pan).  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Slice into triangles and serve with sour cream and guacamole.   

Happy cookin'!