How To Sear Meat When There’s No Grill Available
A crispy sear and visible grill marks make your meat look and taste even better when you cook. Preparing meat on the grill is the most popular way to ensure each juicy cut is properly seared and marked with signature lines. But if you live in an apartment with no yard, or if it’s too cold to cook outside, you’ll need to find a way to sear meat without using a grill.
When you want to sear meat but don’t have access to a grill, you can use a hot cast iron skillet or a grill pan instead. If you have a broiler, try broiling your meat on high to give it a crispy outer layer. You can put meat in the air fryer, or use some panini presses to provide the meat marks similar to a grill.
Meat doesn’t taste the same when it doesn’t have a nice sear, and it certainly looks less appetizing when grill marks or a broiled char are absent. Therefore, you'll want to know how to get grill marks and a crispy exterior to your juicy cuts of meat, even when there’s no grill available. Below is a list of several creative and effective ways to sear meat without a grill.
Six Ways To Sear Meat Without Using A Grill
1. Use A Hot Cast Iron Skillet
One of the best and most popular ways to sear meat without a grill is cooking it on a hot cast iron skillet. Cast iron is great at searing beef and chicken because it can get very hot and maintains heat exceptionally well.
Furthermore, you can cook meat in a hot cast iron skillet on a stovetop, in the oven, or even over an open flame. Its versatility and ability to maintain a high heat make cast iron skillets the perfect option for those looking to sear meat without using a grill.
2. Put Your Broiler On High
Another great way to sear meat when a grill isn’t available is to use your broiler. Broilers have different purposes, but one main reason people use this oven feature is to give food a nice crisp. When you put meat in a broiler pan and place it near the broiler when it’s on high, you can get a nice crisp on the edges of your meat. This is a great way to give a grill flavor to beef and even chicken when you don’t have access to a grill. A broiler can cook fast, so you should always keep a close eye on your meat when you cook it this way.
3. Buy A Grill Pan
If you live in an apartment with no outdoor space but love grilled foods, then consider investing in a good grill pan. A grill pan is typically made of cast iron or another heavy metal that can retain heat well.
Unlike normal pans, these pans have grooves in them that help give meat marks just like a grill would. They also elevate your meat from the bottom of the pan, allowing juices to fall beneath, which further helps sear the meat.
You can get a great grill pan for less than $50, and store it in a kitchen cabinet when it’s not in use.
4. Use Your Air Fryer
If you have an air fryer, you’ll be happy to know that it can give your meat a crispy exterior when you don’t have access to a grill. To sear meat in the air fryer, cook it at a high temperature, and cook it for at least 3 minutes per side to ensure it gets good grill-like markings and texture on both sides.
This is a great way to enhance the mouthfeel of your meat without adding additional calories, or firing up the grill.
5. Try Your Panini Press
While some panini presses are strictly for making hot sandwiches, some are capable of searing and cooking meat. Multi-purpose presses like the George Foreman Grille can be used to grill meat, press paninis, and put char marks on just about anything.
If you don’t have a grill and don’t particularly love cooking and the cleanup associated with it, then using one of these versatile panini presses is an effective way to sear meat.
6. Cook On An Outdoor Fire
If you have an outdoor fireplace or fire pit, put it to good culinary use. Fire pits and fireplaces are known for creating ambiance, but they are also effective vessels for searing meat.
You can place a grill over a fire pit to make your own grille, or opt to cook meat on skewers or in a metal basket. All methods work, just find a hot spot on the fire, and ensure it has hot coals and any fuel has burned off before cooking.
Mistakes To Avoid When Attempting To Sear Meat Without A Grill
1. Avoid Moving It Around Too Much
When cooking meat on a hot surface, it is very tempting to move it around and check to see if it’s searing. While you don’t want to burn your meat, you should avoid moving it around. Letting meat sit still on a hot surface is the best way to form a visible and crispy sear.
When you move meat around, it is less likely to form distinct grill marks, and instead is more likely to cook through without getting crispy. Trust the timer and your meat thermometer.
2. Don’t Put Meat On A Lukewarm Pan
Another common mistake to avoid is putting your meat on a pan or in the oven before it is at its highest temperature. It is sometimes hard to have patience, but if you wait until the cooking surface is very hot, then you will be rewarded with a crispy sear without overcooking the meat.
When you put meat in a lukewarm pan or oven, then it will cook slower. This will allow liquids to release, which will create a soggy external texture. It will also cook the meat before it has a chance to get crispy.
3. Dry Meat Is Better Than Wet
Marinating meat is a wildly popular practice throughout the world. It can add flavor and yield juicy cooked meat. When you are trying to sear your meat, however, it’s important you put the cut of meat on dry, rather than soaking wet, when you cook it on a pan.
Dry meat in contact with a hot pan will cook the meat directly. If the pan is wet, then it is more likely to steam cook the meat, especially when you cook it in a pan. If you want to marinade your meat, cook it on an open flame like a fire pit or in a broiler.
4. Avoid Buying Thin Cuts Of Meat
To get a sear on any piece of meat requires time. The more time you keep meat on a hot surface, the better the sear. If you have thin cuts of meat, however, they will cook through in a matter of minutes, or even seconds.
To achieve a great sear without using a grill, try to use thicker cuts of meat. This allows you more time to achieve a sear, which will likely yield more favorable results.
5. Don’t Overcook The Meat
Lastly, remember that while a seared cut of meat is ideal, you don’t want to overcook the product in the process. A perfectly cooked piece of meat with no grill marks is more desirable than an overcooked meat with a sear.
Use a meat thermometer when cooking meat, especially when you try one of the methods above for the first time. This will ensure you don’t overcook your meat when attempting to sear it without a grill.
Wrapping Up How To Sear Meat Without A Grill
Grill marks on a cooked steak are a stamp of quality, and it often means a delicious steak. If you want to achieve a crispy outer layer on your beef with signature grill marks but don’t have a grill, you'll be happy to know you have other options. You can sear your meat on a cast iron skillet, or get grill marks on it by using a grill pan or cooking it on a fire pit. You can broil your meat on high or put it in your air fryer to get a crispy outer layer, and you can even sear meat on some panini presses.
Related Guides:
Tom Gaffey is an expert writer who currently resides in Washington D.C. Tom has a passion for real estate and home improvement writing, as well as travel and lifestyle writing. He lived the last twelve years in Hawaii where he worked closely with luxury resorts and event planners, mastering his knowledge of aesthetics and luxury products. This is where he found his passion for home improvement and a keen interest in DIY projects. Currently, Tom resides in Washington D.C, and also working on his debut fiction novel.
More by Tom Gaffey
