The day I stopped being afraid of making a pan sauce in the same pan as the steak

I used to always pull the steak out and deglaze in a separate pan, but one afternoon last spring I was short on time and just threw some butter, garlic, and a splash of broth right into the hot cast iron with all the browned bits and the whole thing came together in under 2 minutes with way more flavor than my usual method.

3 comments

3 Comments

jakejones2d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly my buddy Mike did the same thing last month. He had a ribeye in a stainless pan and was about to wash it out but I told him just toss in some shallots and a little chicken stock. He looked at me like I was crazy but two minutes later he had this glossy pan sauce with all those beefy bits dissolved in it and he was legit mad he never tried it before.

jana_jones2d ago

Gotta jump in here and say that chicken stock is fine but you're missing out if you don't use beef broth or even water with a little butter instead. Chicken stock adds a totally different flavor profile that clashes with the beefy goodness you're trying to build. The real pro move is deglazing with a splash of red wine or some whiskey first, let that cook off, then add your stock. And don't forget a knob of cold butter at the end to make it all silky. Mike would've been even more mad if he saw what he could've had.

vera_robinson3621h ago

You said "deglazing with a splash of red wine or some whiskey first" but careful with whiskey - it can get real bitter if you let it cook down too much. A cheap red wine is safer and let's those beefy bits really shine without the risk. Have you ever tried a splash of dry vermouth instead, it's a nice middle ground?