Cast-Iron Vs Grill: Which Method Makes The Best Steak?

The mouthwatering tenderness of filet mignon. The rich, marbled texture of skirt steak. The tenderness of slow-roasted brisket. All of these steaks are delicious in their own right, but it takes an expert touch and the right tools to bring out their best qualities. And one of the most important elements that plays into enhancing a steak's overall flavor and texture is choosing the right cooking method.

Steak fans everywhere swear by particular cooking methods that they argue deliver the best-tasting steak — and chief among them are the grill and the cast-iron pan. While these two cooking methods are both frequently used by both home chefs and the pros, which one really is best? I set out to answer this question by cooking bone-in and boneless ribeyes side-by-side to assess the pros and cons of each and determine, once and for all, whether the grill or the cast-iron pan is the best method for cooking steak.

Temperature control can be a bit temperamental with both of these cooking methods, so there's no right or wrong answer. The grill heats up quickly and is easy to adjust hotter or cooler with the simple turn of a knob — and the flames below adjust almost instantly. This allows you to make continuous tweaks as you cook the steak. You can even move the steak to the edges of the grill where there are no flames if you need to, offering maximum flexibility to adjust the entire time it cooks. The flames on the grill, however, can be a bit unpredictable. Though you can easily adjust the heat levels, some flames get closer to the steak than expected and create unavoidable hot spots.

The cast iron, on the other hand, holds heat extremely well. While this is a great way to get a steak that is cooked consistently, it also makes it challenging to tweak the temperature quickly. As I was prepping my steaks, for example, my pan got much too hot while preheating and began to smoke. Though I turned down my burner, I ended up having to remove the pan completely to cool down because it was going much too slow (and I feared my hyper-sensitive smoke alarms would take offense). If you're not careful and encounter the same issue once the steak is already in the pan, it can result in a tough, overcooked steak that is less appetizing to eat.

While the grill offers faster temperature control, the major downside is that the flame isn't necessarily even on all areas. The bone-in and boneless steaks were cooked at the same time side-by-side, but one had much darker char marks than the other because of the inconsistency in the flames. This unpredictability can make it difficult to produce a consistent result. Though shooting for medium doneness, I was okay with my steaks skewing a little rarer or more cooked. This variance, however, could be especially detrimental if you're picky about the doneness of your steak.

Cast iron conducts heat well, especially when compared to the open flames of a grill. This even heat distribution helps the steak cook more evenly throughout. No matter what stovetop you're cooking on — whether induction, gas, or electric (like mine) — the pan will maintain a more even heat, though it may fluctuate slightly. This evenness not only makes it easier to predict your steak's level of doneness, but it also makes it easier to recreate the same results with multiple steaks. After first cooking our bone-in ribeye, I knew its boneless counterpart would take roughly the same amount of time to cook over medium-high heat on the same burner. The grill, conversely, makes it much harder to replicate the results because of the inherent unpredictability of its flames.

One of the most tried-and-true cooking methods for steak is basting. Whether you use butter, oil, or the steak's own fat, basting helps keep the meat moist and lock in flavor. In my case, I used butter, spooning about 2 tablespoons over top of both the boneless and bone-in steaks as they seared in the cast-iron pan. This helped the meat cook evenly, and also allows you to infuse the steak with other flavors like garlic, rosemary, or other herbs and aromatics. (For the fairness of this experiment, however, I stayed away from adding any additional flavors to better compare cast iron versus grill preparations).

This is an area where the grill falls short. Because the steak's fat drips through the grill grate and into the flames, basting is impossible on the grill (unless you were to cook the steak on a grill pan which, let's face it, sort of defeats the purpose of the grill in the first place). On the bright side, though, the grilled steak is cooked in less fat to make it a healthier alternative than basting in high-calorie butter.

One of the biggest arguments for using a cast-iron pan is the savory, crispy crust that develops on the edges of steak as it cooks. As the steak sears in the hot pan, a chemical reaction occurs — called the Maillard reaction — that causes the sugars to reduce and the meat to brown.The result is a caramelization effect on the steak exterior which is the crust we all know and love. The Maillard reaction, however, only occurs on areas where the meat is exposed to heated metal. In the cast iron, the entire steak sears in the pan and caramelizes on both sides. After cooking for a few minutes, both the boneless and bone-in steaks got this distinct crust that just got better and better as it cooked.

The grilled steaks, however, only caramelized where the meat touched the hot metal grates of the grill. Unfortunately, it didn't really have any major impact on the flavor or texture of the final product. The grilled steaks were lacking any exterior crust to speak of and instead just had the visual advantage of the sear marks — which, though impressive to look at, didn't amp up the taste.

While most people have their grill within easy access of their home, there's something to be said for the ease of walking into the kitchen cooking right at your stovetop when using the cast iron. The grill, on the other hand, requires you to gather all of your equipment and ingredients and have it on standby. Things like tongs, spices, aluminum foil, and plates need to be ferried back and forth from the kitchen to your grill, which adds an extra step after preparing your steaks that can be a bit annoying — though not impossible to overcome. I had to make several trips inside from my deck to grab things I had forgotten throughout the cooking process.

My cast iron, on the other hand, was ready to go and within easy reach of all of the things I needed. My kitchen utensils, spices, and dishes are only an arm's reach away from the stove, so everything was literally at my fingertips. This made it easier to manage the cooking time of the steak and required a lot less mental gymnastics to work through the cooking process than when using the grill.

While the grill may be slightly less convenient than a cast iron because of its outdoor location, it definitely reigns supreme when it comes to cleanup. Though the grill grate requires a bit of a scrub down before and after cooking, it's a pretty mess-free cooking option. It prevents smoke, grease splatter, and any other issues from arising inside your home — and any mess that may happen is typically a little more palatable since it's outdoors.

Cooking steak in the cast iron is another story. Because you're usually using a hot pan and a fat like butter or oil to achieve a nice sear, grease splatter is more a matter of "when" — not "if." My glass stovetop was coated in a thin film of grease, and the pan itself was filled with excess oil. Scrubbing out the cast iron, drying, and reseasoning the pan was a bit of a chore, especially alongside all of the usual kitchen cleanup. Once the pan was clean, I still had to finish loading the dishwasher, packing up leftovers, and general tidying.

For some, taste may be the only factor that matters when determining which cooking method is best. The rich, indulgent flavor of steak is beloved by many, and most people have strong opinions on the best way to bring it out. But the real question is, does the cast iron or grill do the trick?

The cast iron-cooked steak had a delicious crust and buttery flavor. It was the perfect balance of rich, salty, and savory. The grilled steak, on the other hand, tasted much less rich than its cast-iron counterpart. It did, however, have a delicious charred exterior and hint of a smoky flavor that was noticeably absent in the cast-iron alternative. Though I personally preferred the buttery notes of the cast-iron steak, I can definitely see the argument for the grilled steak, too (which my husband actually preferred).

We both agreed, however, that the boneless steak was the winner with either cooking method. It was not only easier to cook, but it maintained its tenderness and juiciness better than its bone-in counterpart (though that may be because our boneless cuts were slightly thicker to begin with).

While I tried to answer the age-old question of how to cook the best steak, I can't confidently crown a clear winner in this steak experiment. Both steaks had different distinct pros and cons, making it impossible to clearly rank one as superior to the other.

While I preferred the flavor of the cast-iron cooking and loved the option to infuse the steak with herbaceous flavors via basting, the easy setup and cleanup of the grill far surpassed the cast iron thanks to my affinity for low-mess meals. The grill is a little trickier to master when it comes to proper cooking times and steak doneness because of its less-predictable flames, but for those experienced in using a gas grill it shouldn't pose much of a problem. All in all, you really can't go wrong with either preparation method when it comes to the cast iron or the grill — it really just comes down to personal preference.

To best compare cooking methods, I cooked two cuts of steak — boneless and bone-in ribeye — both in a cast-iron pan and on the grill. All steaks were seasoned with just salt and pepper to keep the flavors as similar as possible. While no additions were used on the grill, I added a pat of butter to the steaks in the cast iron to help baste and prevent them from sticking.

All steaks rested for between five and 10 minutes before slicing. The cooking methods were evaluated based on flavor and texture of the steak, but also on the ease of cooking and cleanup for a more well-rounded assessment.