How to Cook the Ultimate Steak in your Pizza Oven

Here at Igneus, we often talk about how a pizza oven is for so much more than just pizza, and one of the examples we often give when people ask us for ideas, is steak. The high, intense heat of a wood-fired oven mimics the cooking methods of a professional steakhouse grill, giving your steak that perfect sear and gnarly texture, whilst simultaneously keeping the steak moist, juicy and super tender. It also has the added advantage of imparting a wonderful smoky flavour that simply cannot be matched using conventional cooking methods. So, in this article, we explain how you can make a perfectly cooked steak in your very own Igneus Pizza Oven.

Preparing the Steak

When it comes to choosing the perfect cut of steak, our go-to is Ribeye. The generous marbling of fat that runs throughout the steak ensures the meat stays moist as the fat renders down as it cooks, and imparts a unique rich, buttery flavour. Ribeye has the perfect balance of richness and tenderness, making it the ideal choice. Other options include Sirloin, T-Bone and even Flatiron steaks work well. Whichever cut you choose, we recommend ensuring it’s no less than 1 inch in thickness to help prevent overcooking. It’s always better to cook one thick steak than two thinner steaks especially if you like yours served pink.

The first thing to do is bring the steak up to room temperature. This allows the meat to relax and prevents the shock factor when it hits the high temperature of the pizza oven, which gives the steak a tough texture. Next, season generously with flaky sea salt and black pepper. If you really want to elevate the flavour of your steak you could marinade in a little olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs such as thyme and rosemary for a few hours prior to this step.

Setting Up Your Igneus Pizza Oven

This is the key step in creating perfectly cooked steak. You’ll want to get your oven preheated to around 400°C. Once up to temperature, it’s time to preheat a cast iron skillet. Don’t skip this step as it’s vital in creating the seared, charred texture of the steak. You’ll know when the skillet is up to the desired temperature when it starts to smoke.

Let’s Cook!

Now it’s time for the fun bit – cooking your steak! Oil your steak using an oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil or olive oil (not extra virgin as it can impart a burnt taste onto your steak). Carefully remove the smoking skillet from the oven. We recommend using Heat Resistant Gloves for this job. Place the steak in the skillet and return to the oven. Aim to turn your steak every two minutes or so, to allow the meat to caramelise. Don’t be tempted to turn the steak too often as every time you do so the skillet loses temperature and doesn’t allow for the deep, rich char. When turning the steak, use tongs rather than piercing the meat with a fork. This helps to lock in the juices and keeps the meat lovely and moist. On the final turn, you can add in some extra flavourings such as a couple of cloves of garlic, fresh herbs and a generous knob of butter. Baste the juices over the meat and return to the oven.

How long you keep the steak in the oven will largely depend on how you like it cooked, and the thickness of the meat. For a cut such as Ribeye or Sirloin, medium rare is ideal. For this, you’ll want to aim for an internal temperature of around 55°C, but see our guide below for other options depending on your preferences.

• Rare: 50°C
• Medium-Rare: 55°C
• Medium: 60°C
• Medium-Well: 65°C
• Well-Done: 70°C

Resting the Steak

Once you’re happy the steak is cooked to your liking it can be tempting to dive straight in. But try to resist the urge. Always rest your steak for roughly the same amount of time as it took to cook it. Quite often this is around 7-10 minutes. Doing this allows the meat to relax and allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat. When resting, pour over all the pan juices too so that no flavours are lost.

What you serve your steak with is completely down to your personal preferences, but we think keeping it simple and letting the quality of the meat be the star of the show. Serving with a simple salad, roasted cherry tomatoes and homemade chimichurri is a winner every time!

Final Thoughts

Cooking steak in your Igneus Pizza Oven is a game-changer, delivering a perfect balance of tenderness, juiciness, and smokiness that’s hard to beat with in-home cooking methods. With the right preparation and technique, you can achieve steakhouse-quality results in your own garden. As ever, if you require any information about any oven in the Igneus range, you can contact us on 01423 575885 or browse our full range of products here.