Attempt 11: Rib-eye steaks marinated with fennel & rosemary

I'm always fascinated of how steak could be so damn tender without even boiling it until tenderize. Although my mother told me to beat the meat, but i never actually want to beat up a meat when it is already dead.

In this second attempt of cooking outside the box will be intriguing for my critic tasters (that would be my dad and especially my sister).

Prepare the tool kit a skillet, food thongs, baking pans, pre-serving plate, serving plate, and paper towels.

The ingredients are 1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh rosemary (usually you can get it in a supermarket in a bottle which McCormick is my preferred brand), 4 tsp. ground fennel seed (i bought it ungrounded - it was the only fennel seed available), kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 2-bone standing beef rib roast (about 5lb.), chine bone and fat cap removed, cut between the bones into 2 rib-eye steaks (i was not sure what a rib-eye steak looks like - all i know its beef and i don't know where it was located in a beef meat to be called a rib-eye steak but to be sure just ask your butcher to cut you some rib-eye steak or just buy at a supermarket that has labels on it). Now when everything is ready.

To marinate the meat combine the oil, rosemary, fennel seed, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Put the steaks in 2 shallow baking pans. Pour the remaining marinade over the steaks. Cover & marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit. Remove the steaks from the marinade, scrape off the herbs, and pat dry with paper towels. Season each steak with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Heat 2 12-inch oven proof skillets (preferably cast iron) over high heat until hot. Turn your exhaust fan on high. Cook the steaks, undisturbed, until a deep brown crust has formed, 3 - 4 minutes more. Alternatively, heat one skillet, sear one steak at a time, and transfer to a baking sheet for roasting.)

Put the skillets in the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thick part of the steaks registers 115 - 120 Fahrenheit for rare, or 125 - 130 Fahrenheit for medium rare, about 20 minutes for rare and about 25 minutes for medium rare. Transfer the steaks to a large cutting board, tent them loosely with foil, and let them rest for at least 10 minutes. To serve, carve the meat from the bone and then cut the meat across the grain 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush the sliced meat with the reserved marinade and serve.

I cooked this attempt twice the first time was bland and too well-done. The second time it was fine but not as I wanted it to be.