Do you ever crave that smoky grilled flavor, but don’t have a charcoal grill or barbecue pit in sight? Well, you are in luck! We are going to show you how you can get that smoky, savory, grilled flavor right in your kitchen using liquid smoke and a sturdy pan.
And, this method isn’t just for inside the kitchen! Liquid smoke will also give food cooked on a gas grill a smoky flavor without the need for wood chips. Just follow the same steps, but substitute the skillet for a gas grill.
What you will need:
Start off by picking out your favorite cut of meat or vegetables. We used 2, 1.5” thick New York Strip steaks (but don’t let that inhibit your creativity, this will work on poultry, pork, wild game, or vegetables).
- 1 bottle of Stubb’s Liquid Smoke- We are using Mesquite, but Hickory is good too.
- 1 bottle of Stubb’s Steak Spice Rub
- ½ stick of unsalted butter
- 1 9-12” Cast Iron Seasoned Skillet- If you don’t have one, this is a great investment piece. You can fry, braise, bake, tenderize meat, or even hammer a nail into the wall with them (just kidding on that last part, obviously)!
Pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees. Drop your skillet into the oven and let it preheat for approximately 20 minutes.
Using Stubb’s Hickory or Mesquite Liquid Smoke, apply approximately 1/8 a teaspoon of liquid smoke to each side of the steak and gently rub in.
After rubbing in the smoke, liberally apply Stubb’s Steak Spice Rub to both sides and gently press into the meat so that it does not come off if you pick the steak up. Let your steak stand for approximately 15 minutes while you wait on the pan to heat.
After your pan is thoroughly heated through, carefully (using oven mitts), place your skillet onto the burner of your stove. Turn your burner to high. Let the pan heat for about a minute, and then drop the butter onto the sizzling pan.
Once the butter has melted, place your steaks on the sizzling skillet. Cook for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare on a 1-1.5” steak, 4 minutes per side for medium, and if you must, cook 4.5 minutes until your steak is charred for medium-well.
Remove your steak from the pan and let rest for five minutes, and prepare your taste buds for a flavor explosion! Your steak (or chicken, etc.) will have a nice smoky flavor like it just came off a charcoal grill.
