America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Cast Iron Marinated Steak Tips with Charred Peppers and Onions

By Sara Mayer

Published on July 11, 2017

Time

1½ hours, plus 30 minutes marinating

Yield

Serves 4

Cast Iron Marinated Steak Tips with Charred Peppers and Onions

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil 6 garlic cloves, minced2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juiceSalt and pepper 2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces1 large onion, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

Before You Begin

Sirloin steak tips, also known as flap meat, can be sold as whole steaks, cubes, and strips. To ensure uniform pieces, we prefer to purchase whole steaks and cut them ourselves. Serve over rice, if desired.

Instructions

  1. Whisk ¼ cup oil, garlic, Worcestershire, lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Measure out and reserve 2 tablespoons marinade. Combine remaining marinade and steak tips in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, flipping bag halfway through marinating.
  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch cast-iron skillet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Meanwhile, remove steak tips from bag and pat dry with paper towels.
  3. When oven reaches 500 degrees, remove skillet from oven using potholders and place over medium heat; turn off oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until just smoking. Place half of steak tips in skillet and cook until well browned on all sides and beef registers 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining steak tips; transfer to platter. Let steak tips rest while making vegetables.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-low heat until just smoking. Add bell peppers, onion, ⅓ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until water evaporates and vegetables are tender and lightly charred, 5 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in reserved marinade, parsley, oregano, and any accumulated meat juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve steak tips with vegetables.
Cast Iron Marinated Steak Tips with Charred Peppers and Onions
Photography by Keller + Keller. Styling by Marie Piraino.

Cast Iron Marinated Steak Tips with Charred Peppers and Onions

Save

Time

1½ hours, plus 30 minutes marinating

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
Salt and pepper
2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
Salt and pepper
2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
Salt and pepper
2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

Why This Recipe Works

Grilling might seem like the only way to get a good char on steak and vegetables at home, but you don't always have the space or the equipment (or the ideal weather conditions) for outdoor cooking. We wanted to bring all the advantages of grilling indoors by using the high heat retention of the cast-iron skillet. Steak tips are an affordable and flavorful cut of meat. For deep flavor, we marinated the meat before searing it. If the pan is too crowded, the meat steams instead of searing, so we split the steak tips into two batches and seared one batch at a time. With the meat properly charred, it was time to tackle the peppers and onions. We found that adding ⅓ cup of water to the vegetables and covering the pan released all the flavorful charred beef bits from the bottom of the pan while steaming the vegetables until perfectly tender. When the skillet was uncovered, the remaining water evaporated and the vegetables finished browning.

Before You Begin

Sirloin steak tips, also known as flap meat, can be sold as whole steaks, cubes, and strips. To ensure uniform pieces, we prefer to purchase whole steaks and cut them ourselves. Serve over rice, if desired.

Instructions

  1. Whisk ¼ cup oil, garlic, Worcestershire, lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Measure out and reserve 2 tablespoons marinade. Combine remaining marinade and steak tips in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, flipping bag halfway through marinating.
  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch cast-iron skillet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Meanwhile, remove steak tips from bag and pat dry with paper towels.
  3. When oven reaches 500 degrees, remove skillet from oven using potholders and place over medium heat; turn off oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until just smoking. Place half of steak tips in skillet and cook until well browned on all sides and beef registers 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining steak tips; transfer to platter. Let steak tips rest while making vegetables.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-low heat until just smoking. Add bell peppers, onion, ⅓ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until water evaporates and vegetables are tender and lightly charred, 5 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in reserved marinade, parsley, oregano, and any accumulated meat juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve steak tips with vegetables.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.