If you have never cooked chuck steak, you’re missing out on a great beef meal that is high in protein and budget friendly to make. I love to cook chuck steaks in a cast iron skillet with minimal seasoning to get them tender and juicy. Then I slice the steak and serve it with different condiments and a big salad!
Why do I love to cook Chuck Steak?
Often times chuck type steaks are overlooked in favor of rib eye steaks or New York strip. However, last week when I was doing grocery shopping I came across two beef packages of about same weight but the chuck steak was more than half the price than the New York strip steak.
It’s not only about price for me. Sustainability is an important topic that I can go on and on about and it’s especially vital to the Mediterranean way of life. While we do consume way more produce, legumes and grains than meats, we love to use beef, lamb and other meats in our celebrations. But we tend to use all cuts from beef, not just the expensive ones which makes the consumption more sustainable.
I personally love to add a steak occasionally to my diet, especially when I am doing weight workouts. Chuck steak is not only inexpensive and delicious, but it also provides with lots of protein.
How to cook Chuck Steak?
You can cook chuck steak in so many different ways. This recipe focuses specifically on cooking this steak in cast iron. But you can make entire meals around cooking chuck steak in pressure cooker, slow cooker or even dutch oven.
A specific cut of chuck with a layer of fat also makes for perfect pot roast.
- Season chuck steak on both sides with coarse sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper.
- Heat up cast iron skillet.
- Once cast iron is hot, then add chuck steak in the skillet. Add a thin layer of oil.
- Flip the steak with tongs every minute or so. Towards the end, add butter, garlic and any herbs like rosemary or thyme.
- Around 5-6 minutes, a 1-1.5 inch steak will be cooked to about medium or medium rare. (edges are more medium and middle more medium rare). I usually keep it 7 minutes for a proper medium level steak.
- Set aside for 10 minutes before cutting into the steak.
My favorite steak condiments
Whenever we grill or cook steaks on cast iron, we tend to be minimalists on seasonings. Both my husband and I tend to cook the steak to perfection in terms or tenderness and flavor.
But then, once ready to serve we add chimichurri or salsa criolla over the steak when we serve it with a salad. If we are serving a bigger meal with rice or potatoes, then we tend to use also Peruvian aji verde or Bolivian llajua.
How to serve this cast iron steak?
Cooking chuck steak for me means that I am making a quick, effortless meal. So I want to add easy sides dishes too.
I tend to make an easy salad and serve the steak with salad and any of the above condiments, especially if it’s a weekday lunch. It makes for a filling lunch with lots of fresh ingredients.
If it’s dinner or weekend, then I tend to add a side of garlic jasmine rice or rosemary roasted potatoes to steak and salad.
Cast Iron Chuck Steak
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chuck steak about 1-1.5 inch thick
- 1-2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1-2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 rosemary twig (optional)
Instructions
- Pat dry steak with paper towel. Season thoroughly on both sides with coarse sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Place cast iron skillet over stovetop, heat well for about 5 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp of oil (usually avocado oil or grapeseed oil) then add steak on skillet. Flip with tongs every minute or so.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes flipping every minute for a medium rare steak, up to 7 minutes for a medium steak.
- Towards the last minute add butter over steak and let it melt. Smash the garlic cloves and add them to skillet. Then brush the steak with the rosemary twig. Flip one last time. Tilt the skillet and use a spoon to add some of the melted butter over the steak. Brush with rosemary again.
- Remove steak from skillet and let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into it. Once ready to cut, slice against the grain. Serve over favorite side dishes and top off with chimichurri or other condiments of your choice. Enjoy:)
Notes
- Usually I don’t have many leftovers from this recipe because I cook few servings at a time since it cooks so fast and it does taste better just cooked. However, if you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Then warm up in a skillet when ready to use again.
- If steak is thicker than an inch and a half, you might need to cook longer or add it few minutes under the broiler.
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
You’ll get the most accurate results by using a (affiliate link) Meat Thermometer. Cook to internal 125 degrees F for rare, 135 degrees for medium, 145 for medium well and 150 degrees F for well done. If you let the steak rest in cast iron skillet, the internal temperature will continue rising so you might want to remove the skillet from heat about 5 degrees before it reaches the desired temperature.
My rule of thumb for when I don’t have the thermometer available is using the way the steak looks plus I time how long it’s been cooking. Again, this is an estimate and it’s only a guide. It needs the cast iron skillet to be heated well before you add the steak in and the steak is about 1-1.5 inches thick, remember to flip every minute and baste with butter in the end.
Usually this guideline works for me and I adjust as needed:
– 5 minutes gets the steak to medium rare
– 6 minutes to medium
– 7 minutes to medium well
– 8 minutes to well done
These are some of my solutions to make meat more tender.
– Beef for stew: cook in pressure cooker or slow cooker until tender and ready to pull apart. Add beef broth and lots of veggies to flavor the meat.
– Steak cuts – make sure beef is room temperature and well seasoned with salt on both sides.
– Think Steaks – use a meat tenderizer to break the fibers.
– Roasts, grilled meats or cooked in cast iron skillet steaks need to rest for about 10 minutes before you cut them.
I prefer to buy bone in chuck steak. It’s less expensive and it gives the steak a great structure for cooking on cast iron. Plus bone adds so much flavor in my opinion. Be careful to remove the bone carefully when you are slicing or cutting into the steak once done.
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Other Beef Recipes
I enjoy cooking with beef even though I don’t eat it in big quantities or too often. It’s important to me to use a variety of cuts for sustainability reasons. If everyone ate filet mignon, then there’d be no more cows or sustainable ways to grow them in a healthy manner.
- Leeks and Ground Beef Casserole
- Dutch Oven Beef Shanks
- Baked Mint Meatballs
- Bolivian Pique Macho
- Meat and Potatoes Soup
Harry Ikenson
This was the first time I cooked Chuck Steak and it came out perfect. And I finally learned what it means to cut against the grain, However, it took me a bit longer to cook than anticipated. The steak was 1 & 1 /2 inch thick and was just over 2 pounds. I have a question. I did not see a specific setting suggested for the stove, I warmed the skillet on just a touch below high and lowered it to medium high when I started to cook. It took about 35 minutes to cook but it was tender and full of great flavor. Thank you for a great recipe.
Sonila
Thank you so much Harry!! I really appreciate your comment and it makes me happy you had great results. I will update the settings of the stove for other readers, thank you for pointing that out. Both the stovetop settings and the skillet type can make a difference. Also, the size of the steak can make a difference too. 35 minutes does seem a bit long, but it’s hard to judge why. I do notice variations when I cook at my house vs my sister’s or my sister in law’s house. So definitely there’s a margin there that can vary from house to house. I would say maybe increase the temp a smidge next time and see if it lowers the amount of time. Also, warm up the skillet a bit longer. Was it a cast iron skillet you used? I prefer cast iron or very heavy bottom non stick skillet like All Clad for example because they hold on to heat and distribute it evenly. Thank you again!
Juana Roberts-Currie
Thank you for this recipe.Finally learned how to cook a stake in a cast iron put to perfection!
Sonila
Thank you so much Juana, I really appreciate your comment:).
Sue McIsaac
Not a steak eater. Usually BBQ. Had a homegrown chuck steak, so gave your recipe a try. It was good and hubby liked it a lot. Thanks.
Sonila
Thank you very much Sue, I appreciate the feedback and I’m glad your husband liked it!
Michelle
Thank you