A charcoal grill is the best way to cook a steak and I will fight anyone who say different. A good steak can come from pretty much any heat source though. A pan on a stovetop? Directly over a fire? Gas grill? Those can all turn out a great steak but the added flavor from charcoal is hard to beat. But a pizza oven??? What in the world? Why? How do you cook a steak in a pizza oven? Those are all questions I had before I tried cooking some steaks in my Ooni pizza oven.
I have about 12 different charcoal grills to choose from when I want to cook a steak but when I got my Ooni Koda 16 inch gas powered pizza oven a couple months back I wanted to try cooking steaks in it. I have seen others do it but wanted to try it myself. Many steak restaurants cook steaks in an infrared salamander that isn’t all that different from a pizza oven so why shouldn’t it work?
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How to cook steaks in an Ooni pizza oven
If you aren’t familiar with Ooni pizza ovens here is a quick rundown: Ooni has been around for a few years now and are one of the most popular backyard pizza ovens. They have gas fired versions and wood fired versions. They even have some that will use both types of fuel. From my research the gas fired versions are much better than the wood fired ones so I went with the Ooni Koda 16 gas powered pizza oven.
The Ooni ovens can get up to around 950 degrees or even a bit more. A good Neapolitan pizza can cook in about 90 seconds in one of these ovens. A good salamander at a steak restaurant can get to 1500 degrees and the home models like the Otto Wilde Grill get about that hot as well but 950 degrees is definitely hot enough to cook a good steak.
How to cook a steak in an Ooni pizza oven
Cooking a steak in an Ooni pizza oven is a fairly simple process. The two pieces of equipment I would recommend are a cast iron pan and a good thermometer. Other than that some tongs and pot holders are about all you need but you most likely have those.
When it comes to cast iron there are definitely a few options. A $20 Lodge 10 inch skillet is a excellent all around pan that will do a great job in the Ooni. The one problem with that pan is the handle gets HOT!!! I will usually have a silicon handle holder and a big heat proof BBQ glove on when I am cooking steaks in my Ooni and even with the double protection there I still can’t hold the pan for very long.
A cast iron pan with a handle like a Finex skillet would stay cooler and would be a good option. Next time I cook a steak in my Ooni I will give it a go with my Finex skillet and see if it stays a bit cooler.
Ooni makes some cast iron pans that were smartly designed with removable handles like the Grizzler pan. The Grizzler is the perfect size for the Ooni 16 but they also have smaller pans for some of the smaller ovens. The handles lift off so unless you forget to take them off they won’t get too hot. If you are one of those people who like grill marks the pan is reversible and has a flat side and ridged side. Personally I like a sear on the whole steak and not just some burnt grill marks but that is just me.
Now, finally, let’s talk about how to actually cook the steak.
Season your steaks how you like. I personally prefer just some salt and I usually salt the steaks generously the night before and let them sit uncovered on a rack in the fridge. This allows the salt to draw out some moisture and then get reabsorbed into the steak so the salt goes all through the meat. It also makes for a nice, dry exterior which promotes a good sear.
First, you want the pan to be hot so light the oven up and get the pan preheating. For a super thin steak (1/2 inch or less) get the pan very, very hot. For a thicker steak (1 inch or more) I prefer a medium heat pan. If you have an infrared thermometer (and you should have one) you want the pan to be in the 400-500 degree range. That will get you a great sear on the steak without burning it before the middle is cooked. On the Ooni Koda 16 that is about a medium flame.
You want to add a little oil to the pan but be careful to not add too much. The first time I cooked a steak in the Ooni pizza oven I had a bit too much oil in the pan and got some nasty flare ups. You can see in this video:
Once your pan is heated up and you a small bit of oil (maybe a teaspoon or even less) you can add the steaks to the pan. There will be a lot of popping and hissing but it will be fine.
One of the things that makes the Ooni pizza oven a great steak cooker is you get some great heat coming from the pan but also plenty of heat coming down on the top of the steaks as well. So there is conductive heat coming off the pan and convective and infrared heat coming from the flames.
I am a huge fan of flipping the steaks regularly. I do this when I grill (unless I reverse sear but that is a story for another day) and I am a fan of doing it in the Ooni as well. By flipping regularly you will get a great sear on both sides of the steak and also not overcook the middle.
When you are flipping the steaks be sure to move them around the pan too. Since the Ooni has burners on the left side and the back the steaks near the heat will sear faster. So move the steaks in the back of the pan to the front and from the left to the right. If you have a pizza oven other than the Ooni 16 you will only have the heating elements in the back.
Chances are your steaks will start to cook on the outside a bit quicker than you want. If that is the case make sure the pan is a bit more to the front and right of the pizza oven and that will slow things down a bit.
Flip the steaks every minute or so if you can. Don’t go much more than 2 minutes. As you are flipping be sure to take the temperature of the steaks. The Thermowork Thermapen One is perfect for this job. It takes temperature readings in less than a second so you can get a quick temperature without burning yourself. There will be a lot of heat coming out the front of the oven and the pan will be blazing so you don’t want to be holding the pan or reaching your hand in the oven. Pull the pan out of the oven a bit, flip and move the steaks, and take a quick temperature reading.
Once the steaks get to temperature (or even a couple degrees less) take them out of the pan and rest them on a rack for a few minutes before eating. For NY strips and ribeyes I like 125 degrees. For a filet mignon or sirloin I like 120 degrees. If you have done everything right it should take probably 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the steaks.
If you do everything right here is what your steaks should look like:
That was one of the more delicious steaks I have had in a long time. Perfect sear and a perfect medium rare.
Here is another video of the whole process on some other ribeyes I cooked in the Ooni that will show you the process:
So to wrap it all up:
- Preheat the cast iron pan to around 500 degrees
- Use just a little bit of oil
- Flip the steaks every minute or so and move the steaks around in the pan
- Use a good thermometer to measure the temperature of the steaks and pull them when done
Will I give up my charcoal grills and cook steaks exclusively in my Ooni? Of course not. But I will definitely keep the Ooni in the mix Now that I know how to cook steaks in an Ooni pizza oven. The Ooni Koda 16 will run you about $500 which is the price of a good grill and the Ooni will also cook better pizzas than any grill I have tried. If you love pizza, love cooking outdoors, and also want to cook a good steak every now and then pick up an Ooni Koda 16 gas powered pizza oven.
Now, what else can I cook in my pizza oven??? I hear some wings calling my name.
