When I shared my favorite basic crispy air fried wings method recently, I talked about how my husband Trey has been doing more of the cooking since our son was born.
This method for how to broil steak (and specifically how to broil bacon wrapped filet) is another recipe that I have to give him all the credit for. 🙂
We broil steak in the oven for dinner probably once a week as it’s a super fast and filling dinner with tons of side options, depending on what we have and are in the mood for.
Related: 60 Easy Dinner Recipes
I like to broil steak instead of baking, as you get these little crispy charred bits, which I love. Plus, the whole production is super quick even if you like your steak more on the done side (like me).
How Long Does It Take To Broil a Steak?
This of course depends on a few factors, including type of steak, ounces, and thickness of the cut. We typically buy 8-ounce bacon wrapped filets that tend to be 1 1/2 inches thick.
Trey likes his steak cooked more to a medium doneness level, which takes around 4 minutes on each side.
I like my steak cooked more to a “done” doneness level, with very little pink on the inside. I know, I know! Serious steak lovers will probably say I’m doing it wrong and I get it.
But, as someone who was a vegetarian for many years, although I have incorporated more meat into my diet, I just don’t like the texture of raw or undercooked meat.
I don’t really enjoy sushi and I don’t like much if any pink in my steak. Sue me! So for me, I typically cook my steak for 6 minutes on each side and an additional 5 minutes on the stove top.
What Kind of Pan Do You Use?
We use a cast iron pan for this meal. I like using a cast iron pan because it can go from the oven, under the broiler, and then to the stove top for my additional cook time with no problems.
We usually wash our cast iron pan only a couple times a month (never with soap, never in the dishwasher). This leaves a little residue in between most cooking sessions and this adds to the crispy charred bits on the steaks.
You can read more tips about cleaning a cast iron skillet here.
Before broiling, I season both sides of the steaks (we normally make two at a time—I only photographed one here as I was working during the day and happened to be alone) with an all-purpose seasoning that contains salt. There are LOTS of options.
Once our broiler is preheated, I put the pan in. I broil for 4-6 minutes, then use kitchen tongs to flip the steak over. Then, I broil for another 4-6 minutes.
For Trey’s steak (medium done) I will then remove the steak from the pan onto a plate and place a bowl over the top. You can also wrap the steak in foil and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
For my steak (done), I will cook it on the stove top for an additional few minutes. I also use the kitchen tongs again to kind of rotate the steak on its side to get the bacon to crisp up a little more. Then I will remove to a plate, cover with a bowl, and let it rest for 5 minutes.
You can serve all sorts sides with this—truly anything. If we haven’t had any greens yet in the day, I’ll make a simple salad. If I’m feeling really hungry or more indulgent, I’ll air fry some French fries.
Side Dish Options:
- Air Fried Okra
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Emma’s Favorite Baked Macaroni
- Crispy Air Fried Brussels Sprouts
As with any simple recipe, the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference. So, getting a quality filet mignon is key. If you are able to get steak locally grown, that’s always awesome too.
We almost always buy bacon wrapped filets, but if we don’t get them we’ll sometimes add a small (one tablespoon or less) pad of butter to the steak when cooking. But the bacon adds a little fat, so I don’t think this necessary.
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Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce bacon wrapped filet steak
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
Instructions
- If needed, preheat your broiler (some require preheating, some do not).
- Season both sides of the steak and place in a cast iron pan.
- Place under the broiler for 4-6 minutes, depending on how done you want your steak.
- Use kitchen tongs to flip the steak. Broil for another 4-6 minutes.
- For steak on the medium side, remove from the pan and cover with a bowl or foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- For steak on the done side, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes in the pan on the stove top. Then allow to rest.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I always make steak with this method, works every time!
I must try this! You didn’t mention putting oil in the pan before putting the steak(s) in; however, the photo shows oil in the pan. Is that oil that was already in your unwashed pan, or did the bacon render the oil? If neither, how much and what type oil did you put in the pan before broiling, please?
Tip for your pan. Scrape the bits with a metal spatula, remove all the debris. Sprinkle a generous layer of kosher salt and a generous dollop of cooking oil. Use a paper towel to scrub the oil salt mixture around in the pan to “clean” it, rinse, done. Leaves an oil residue to cook with next time, salt scrubs it clean but doesn’t ruin the seasoning of the pan
thanks for this recipe! It looks tasty. I never comment but curiously has got the better of me… what is broiling? (I will google too because I would like to try!). Maybe it’s my limited cooking knowledge or not a term we use in Australia? Please tell me more on how you wash a skillet? Especially since you say no soap? If no soap then how??? And when does it need to be cleaned? Thank you 🙂
I’ve not yet had the pleasure of visiting Australia so I’m really not sure if the term varies there, I guess so? Broiling is a setting on most ovens (or at least most ovens in the US) and it’s a very high heat setting where the heat is mostly coming from the top of the oven.
We ‘wash’ the cast iron skillet with hot water and scrub the surface with a bristle brush (no soap, as you read before). After that we dry the skillet with a clean dish towel and rub a little oil (usually olive oil, as that’s what I have out on our counter most often) over the surface to prevent any oxidation / rust.
Ah grill! (As Jean says below). I have only ever used the ‘grill’ setting on my oven to grill cheese ha ha! This opens my mind to the possibility that the setting can be used for other things – mindblown.
Thanks for the cleaning instructions. I have a cast iron skillet also! but never known what to do with it. I am now fully equipped to tackle this recipe and clean up afterwards!
I will 100% give this a go. Thank you.
I’m in NZ but broil = grill.
Thanks Jean!
I’m a meat lover, so this is a staple of my diet! Since I’m from the other side of the pond, I was wondering — is this a personal preference or kind of an American thing, not to wash the iron skillet too often? I know some Italians would never dream of washing their caffettiera because the buildup is apparently essential (or so I was told!), is this kind of the same?
I can’t speak for all Americans, but at least in our household we don’t ‘wash’ the skillet very often because exactly as you say, the build up in the pan is essential for cooking. It adds some flavor but also little charred bits to the steaks (or other things we cook in the pan). But we do sometimes ‘wash’ it, especially if we’ve used it for something with sauce.