How To Cook Steak In A Pizza Oven

Ingredients

You can cook any classic steak cut in a pizza oven. For roasts, however, you will want a lower heat. This guide is specifically meant for individual steaks that you would typically use on your grill, like a Grilled Ribeye, Grilled New York, or even Grilled Filet Mignon.

You can also explore any of our Grilled Steak recipes and swap out for the pizza oven.

• Thick Steak – Buy a thick steak to avoid overcooking at such high heat. At least 1 1/2 inches thick, ideally.
• Seasoning – We use a simple salt, pepper, and garlic recipe, also known as SPG Rub.
• Fat – A good fat, like butter, beef tallow, or a high-heat oil, helps with the sear and developing the crust. If you use butter, you can pour the butter over the steak when it’s done for a great brown butter flavor.

Key Tools

To cook steak in a pizza oven, you want two important tools.

• Cast Iron Pan – A cast iron griddle pan or flat pan (without sides) that can handle heat closer to 600 or 700 degrees. Cast Iron is ideal. You don’t want sides so the meat is directly exposed to the flame. Any sides on the pan will act as a shield and your edges won’t crust up. We used the Finex Griddle Pan or consider the more affordable Lodge equivalent.
• Leave-In Thermometer – Because you are cooking at such high heat, it’s important to monitor the internal temperature of the steak (because it will cook fast, and you don’t want it to overcook while you’re not paying attention). We use the Thermoworks RFX Thermometer. This leave-in meat probe can handle up to 1,000 degrees of heat and can broadcast the temperature directly to your phone (via an app) using radio waves. Buy direct from Thermoworks.
• Good High-Heat Gloves – Because of how hot the pan will get, it’s worth investing in a high-heat/high-quality set of welders’ or BBQ gloves. Believe me, your hands will thank me!

Step by Step Instructions

First things first, you do not want to cook the steak directly on your pizza stone. That will ruin your stone over time with the rendered fat and the grease. Instead, you use a pre-heated cast iron pan and sear it, similar to how restaurants use a tool called a salamander. The key is to flip the steak so you have even cooking.

Here is how steaks cook in a pizza oven.

Pizza ovens are designed to create a circular convection current of high heat.

The heated pan sears the steak. The flame helps cook the edge and creates convection heat. The hot airflow bouncing off the ceiling and walls cooks the rest of the steak. So you want to balance those three elements of the sear, the heat, and the convection to get even cooking.

Step One: Season Steak

Start by seasoning your steak. If you have time, we recommend seasoning the day before and allowing it to cure (or dry brine) for more flavor. We use our SPG rub. You can also use our more savory Beef Seasoning with herbs. Be sure to avoid adding sugar to your seasoning, as it can burn at such high temperatures. And we don’t want you burning anything, especially a gorgeous steak!

Myth Busting: You do not need to let your steaks come to room temperature. It’s a myth, and there’s no need to waste your precious time. Instead, spend that time seasoning the steak the day before for a nice dry brine.

Step Two: Preheat Cast Iron Pan

It’s important to preheat your cast iron pan right on the pizza stone close to the flame. This allows the heat to build up and allows you to get that nice sear on the meat. Otherwise, the steak will end up gray with no browning (or Maillard reaction).

Right before you cook your steak, insert a meat thermometer probe to monitor the internal temperature of the steak as it cooks to avoid overcooking it. That’s why we use the RFX because it can handle up to 1,000 degrees and will monitor the temperature of the steak as it cooks.

Step Three: Cook Steak

When the pan has reached 500 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s time to cook the steak. If you own a pizza oven, you want a good IR Thermometer so you can measure pizza stone and surface temperatures. You can use that to take the temperature of the pan just before placing the steak on it to ensure it’s hot enough.

Remove the pan from the oven (using gloves!!!), drop half the butter in the pan, and then allow it to melt. It should sizzle right away. Remember, hot hot hot! Then slowly lay the steak in the pan away from you so it doesn’t splatter. And place the pan back in the oven.

Sear in the center of the oven for up to 3 minutes.

Cooking thin steaks takes less time but the chances of overcooking go up. Which is why you want one at least 1 1/2 inches thick. Don’t walk away from the oven.

Step Four: Flip and Finish

Once three minutes goes by, you should see a nice sear; it’s time to pull out the pan (with gloves!!), add the rest of the butter, and then flip the steak using tongs. Place the cast iron back into the oven and allow the steak to continue baking until it reaches your desired internal temperature.

If you have really thick steaks, you will want to flip multiple times so you can get even cooking on both sides. We recommend 3-minute increments to start, then every 1 minute after. Just keep flipping until you reach your desired finishing steak temperature while maintaining that awesome sear!

When it reaches the perfect steak temperature for you, remove it from the oven and take the steak off the pan, and then transfer it to a cutting board. Leaving it on the pan will continue to cook it (and we don’t want that!). So remove it immediately!

Step Five: Rest Steak, Slice, Serve

Let your steak rest for 10 minutes to allow carryover cooking to occur. Then slice the steak against the grain. We like to pour the browned butter right from the cast iron pan onto the sliced steak for even more amazing flavor.

Serve with your favorite steak sides.

For even more flavor add a Compound Butter as it rests. For garnish, freshly chopped parsley is always a nice touch.

Side Ideas

When it comes to steaks in a pizza oven, we love classic pairings. Our Oven-Roasted Potatoes are a great option. If you want fancy, try our Mushroom Risotto or Duck Fat Potatoes – just make them in advance of cooking the steak. To make the steak go further for a crowd, use the steak in our Steak Salad Recipe.