Whiskey-Glazed Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet
Two filets, a hot skillet, and a brown sugar whiskey glaze that finishes in the pan.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 89
- protein
- 44 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Beef filets | 2, 6 oz each | frozen at home, thawed in the cooler by day two |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Butter | 1 tbsp | a foil-wrapped stick keeps fine in a cold cooler |
| Garlic | 2 cloves, smashed | |
| Rosemary | 1 sprig | dried works, use about 1 tsp |
| Whiskey | 1/4 cup | |
| Brown sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp, plus more for the meat | |
| Black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Stir the brown sugar and 1/4 tsp salt into the whiskey in a cup until dissolved. Set it out of the way.
- Salt and pepper both filets on every side, edges included.
- Set the skillet over the coals or grate and let it come up slowly, four or five minutes. Cast iron that heats fast heats unevenly.
- Add the oil, then the filets. Leave them alone for four to five minutes.
- Flip, drop in the butter, garlic, and rosemary. Tip the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the meat for another four or five minutes.
- Pull the skillet off the heat and set it on bare ground or a rock, away from the fire.
- Pour in the whiskey mixture. It will steam hard. Let it bubble down on the skillet's residual heat until the glaze is syrupy and the alcohol smell is gone, about a minute.
- Move the steaks to a plate and rest them five minutes before cutting. Spoon the glaze over.
This is a cooler recipe, not a pack recipe. Steak, butter, and a hot cast iron skillet do not travel in a backpack, so it belongs at a car camp or a basecamp where you can carry weight and keep meat cold.
The original flames the whiskey in the pan for show. Off the heat and near a fire ring that is a bad idea, so the glaze here reduces on residual heat instead. It takes a minute longer and ends up the same: the sugar thickens, the alcohol cooks off, and the fond from the sear dissolves into the syrup. Preheating the skillet slowly matters more than people expect, since cast iron over uneven coals will scorch one side of a filet and leave the other grey.
Packing
Filets go in the cooler bottom, frozen, double-bagged. Premeasure the whiskey into a small screw-top bottle so you are not pouring from a fifth next to an open fire. Brown sugar and salt in one small container.
Variations
- No whiskey: apple cider with a splash of vinegar makes the same glaze without the alcohol.
- Add sliced onions to the pan after the flip and let them cook down in the butter.
- Skirt steak or sirloin works. Cut the sear time to two or three minutes a side.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/chattanooga-whiskey-glazed-filet-mignon