How to cook frozen steak perfectly! Tender and delicious in the oven without defrosting it beforehand. Served with rosemary butter for dinner, you’re going to love this as frozen in steak in air fryer and a number of other ways.
Ever wondered how to cook frozen steak? If you are forgetful and it is almost dinnertime we have a way to save the day! From rock hard to fork tender, follow these direction on cooking frozen beef and let us know what you think. Just one tip for cooking frozen meat to tender we have shared lately. (affiliate links present)
How to Cook Frozen Steak in the Oven
I first made Instant Pot steak which was a hit. Unfortunately I don’t always remember to defrost meat in time so occasionally they were still rock hard and I needed to figure out how to cook those well.
Then came frozen steak in air fryer. A great way as well if you have that countertop machine on hand. If not I thought I would share this other “old fashioned” method. Everyone has an oven in their house, and a baking sheet. If you bake it is likely you’ll have the cooling wire rack you’ll need as well.
Table of contents
Frozen Steak Recipe
If you buy meat in bulk this will come in handy. We order a big box at the beginning of the year so we have a large freezer full of protein all year long.
Beef is a must and occasionally we will buy half a pig too, just depends on what the local farmers have. It is great. If you have never done this it has been life changing, saves so much time and money. Just defrost, cook and enjoy or we have tips like how to cook frozen bacon too (if you’re forgetful like me).
Of course I try my best to take dinner out the night before, but that doesn’t always happen. The longer it sits the more ice may accumulate on the outside. Just scrape that off before you brown the outsides quickly on the stovetop or sous vide frozen steak.
What is most important when it comes to beef recipes to me are the seasonings on the outside. You can just sprinkle with salt and pepper on the baking sheet, or use our steak dry rub instead. Either way this rosemary butter is a great addition to add to the top once it is served. It will melt all over and create so much more YUM.
Can You Cook Steak without Thawing?
Yes!! Follow our directions here to do it. Cook time will vary depending on how thick your pieces are and how well done or rare you want them to be. Use an instant read thermometer to test if you want them medium rare etc… You can use this steak temperature chart to get it just right. Thick cut pieces will take a few minutes longer to reach your desired “doneness”.
To get it perfectly cooked you really should remove them 5 degrees before ideal for you. Reason is that when they rest for 5 – 15 minutes the internal temp. will rise another 5-10 degrees F. Then sear, and bake as directed below.
Can you cook frozen steak in a frying pan?
Yes, with a lid on but it is better seared and then baked in the oven. First you’re going to heat a pan on the stovetop with a bit of hot oil to cook steak just on the outsides so they are browned. If you have a grill plate you could use that too so they have more of a barbecued look to them. 2-3 minutes on each side of the steak usually does the trick.
What is the Best Way to Cook Frozen Steaks?
If you had thawed steaks you could follow the same steps, it would just take less time to bake. Sheet pan steaks are great when you have a crowd and don’t want to stand by a grill the whole time. The biggest difference between the grilling fresh vs. How to Grill Frozen Steak is the texture.
You’ll have a crisp on the outside with those methods but you need to pay attention to them a bit more than these. Smoked steaks are amazing too if you have a Traeger. Here is a quick step by step on how these are done:
Can you bake frozen meat?
Yes we have step by step directions for you here below. You want to sear it for a few minutes first still to brown a bit and lock in the juices. Then you bake at a low heat so it can slowly heat up ensuring the middle cooks as evenly as the outsides for a perfectly pink bite.
- Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F. Line your cookie / baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling / metal rack on top.
- In a large skillet heat oil. Add steak to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned.
- Remove and place on wire rack. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or dry rub for steak. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on steaks thickness and how well done you want them.
- Remove and allow to rest for about 10 min. Use a fork to mix together ingredients for rosemary garlic butter. Top on each steak, slice and enjoy with some baked cabbage steaks.
Home cooks everywhere are surprised as ever at how well these turn out, seriously. You can now freeze your steaks and not worry if you forget all about them before dinnertime.
What is a gray band on steaks?
This pink color is seen just beneath the surface of the meat and gives the appearance of a grey band between the cooked exterior and the raw interior. It is often considered desirable especially in barbecue or smoked meats, associated with a nice smoky flavor and tender texture.
How to Cook Frozen Steak in a Pressure Cooker
Now if you want to use your multi cooker on the countertop you totally can too. We have directions for Instant Pot frozen steak here for you. Using a trivet they will steam nicely but you won’t get that sear on the outside unless you do that after they are done.
If you have leftovers allow them to cool completely. Wrap individual pieces with plastic wrap to lock in the juices, and then slide into a small freezer bag. Refrigerate and reheat within 3 days. Pouring a bit of onion gravy on top when reheating is fabulous.
If you do remember to defrost, give our How to Cook T Bone Steak in Oven a whirl too. 😉 If you buy in bulk and DO remember to thaw them beforehand I suggest you give our steak in air fryer a whirl too. Don’t skip the step of wrapping each piece with bacon, it is out of this world.
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How to Cook Frozen Steak
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 3-4 steaks frozen, medium thickness and size
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- rosemary garlic butter
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp rosemary fresh is best
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place metal rack on top.
- In a large skillet begin to heat oil. Add steaks to skillet and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until seared.
- Remove and place on wire rack, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on steaks thickness and how well done you want them.
- Remove, allow to rest. Use a fork to mix together ingredients for rosemary garlic butter. Top on each steak, slice and enjoy.
Sara Welch
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
These were some great tricks and tips! Turned out perfectly tender, juicy and delicious; a great way to enjoy steak in a pinch!
Holly
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
This is a great tip! I often buy meat when it is on sale at the grocery store and freeze it, however, I don't always remember to defrost it the night before. In the past, it wouldn't have occurred to me to cook it frozen. I decided to give it a try after running across your post and they turned out great! Perfectly juicy and tender.
Carrie Robinson
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
Oh wow! I didn't even think that it was possible to cook a steak from frozen. Was great! :)
Gianne
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
The step-by-step instructions were easy to follow, and the end result was a perfectly juicy and delicious steak. It's such a convenient and time-saving method.
Colleen
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
I had never tried to cook steak from frozen, and I'm always forgetting to take them out of the freezer the night before. This was perfect.