Recently, it has come as a shock to me, that many friends & customers do not know how to cook the perfect steak. It should be no surprise. When starting this business, I had no idea how to cook a steak either.
Most people nowadays are too busy to cook. And most people think preparing steaks is difficult.
COOKING STEAK IS EASY! With a hot pan, most steaks can be grilled in 5 min, and ready to eat after 10 min (allowing the steak to rest after).
I’ve now lost count of the dinners & barbecues, at first making mistakes (the quality saved me) and the becoming a grill & pit master. I’ve probably cooked around a thousand steaks and multiply that by the amount of burgers.
This blog article, will cover how to cook a NY Strip, Ribeye, T-Bone, & the most difficult one of all Fillet.
Use these first-hand tips to make sure every steak is cooked to perfection. (perfection should be crispy outside & a pink/rare inside).
Step 1: Preparation
Before you begin cooking that expensive dry-aged steak, there are a couple of things you will need to do before.
First, get rid of the excess moisture on the outside of the steak using a paper towel. Removing this moisture will ensure you get that crispy outside.
Second, allow the cuts you are preparing to come to room temperature. This will allow the meat to cook evenly, ensuring we get that evenly cooked pink inside.
It is during the preparation that you will want to salt the outside of the steak. Do this after you’ve removed the moisture and waiting to come to room temperature(or for wet-aged steaks, salt the night before for added flavor)
Step 2: Pan-fry
Next you will want to get a good quality pan.
The truth is, most people will not have a good quality pan, so here is what you do.
Use butter to cook (never use vegetable oils), plop into the pan, and let melt (remember grass-fed butter and beef is good for you).
Make sure the pan is hot! We are going to sear the outside.
Once you get up to the point where you’re unable to put your hand close to the pan, throw the steak in.
Here is where it gets tricky. How do you get the perfect medium/rare? You don’t want to over do it, but don’t want to under do it.
In a hot pan, flip the steak every 30 sec. until you get the steak to your desired tenderness. This will make sure you do not burn the outside, while the middle remains raw.
How to check for tenderness?
Press down on the steak.
If it is loose, then it’s not done.
If it’s hard you’ve gone too far.
The trick is to get a “feel” for when the steak is ready.
As you’re flipping the steak, press down, and you should gradually begin to feel the steak firm up.
On a hot pan (with a 300g cut), this process should take no longer than 5 min.. Just remember, as the steak begins to firm up, take it out when you think ready.
Remember, you don’t want well-done, if you take out the steak early, you can always put it back on the pan.
Step 3: Let Rest
Once you think the steak is ready, take out of the pan and let rest for atleast 5 min.
This step is the biggest mistake most amateurs make. This will leave a huge mess on your plate, the steak will be too hot to eat, and you will lose a bunch of flavor.
So why is this important?
All the fats and juices (the best part) will reabsorb into the steak. Allowing this piece of meat to rest for 5 minutes, will ensure you get all the flavor.
Be sure to pepper your steak at this point.
Then enjoy! That wasn’t hard, was it?
Step 4: Fillets & Thick Steaks
While Ribeyes, NY Strips and T-Bones are quick and easy (as described above), there should be a special mention for fillets & thick steaks (400g +).
To ensure you do not get a raw middle, you can try above with a fillet, but remember to keep pressing down. Instead of 5 min. On a hot pan, fillets can take a long time to grill, sometimes taking twice as long, or up to 10 min.
Be patient.
Instead try reverse-searing!
Put the steak on a baking tray, and put into the oven at a low temperature (120°C-160°C).
As the steaks warm up, press down, and you should begin to feel the meat firming up.
From here, take out of the oven, and put into a hot pan, then sear the outside!
Reverse-searing is that simple.
Cook in the oven first,
sear the outside after.
This is also a great trick for parties or when you have many guests. Just remember, to let rest afterwards.
Practice Makes Perfect
If ever you want to practice on how to make the perfect steak, the best way is to try our Steak Lover Box with 4 different types of steaks.
As you cook each steak, get a feel for when it’s ready (not too loose, and never firm).
The ultimate test will be the fillet. Leave this until last, but hopefully with three different steaks you cooked before, you will have mastered how to cook the perfect steak.
With enough practice, you can master anything!
But how do you not burn the butter in a very hot pan? Use clarified butter?
A clean pan and clarified butter is the key. After using the iron cast pan last weekend, cooking steaks, then burgers then steaks again.
I experienced burning (black carbon) the second time round with the steaks. As long as the pan was clean, nothing burned.
In fact, oils that are safe to cook with a “high” flash point are animal fat, coconut oil, avocado oil and clarified butter.
Just be sure to stay away from seed soils a.k.a vegetable oils (sunflower, canola, safflower, rape seed). Concentrations of linoleic acid in these oils cause inflammation, damage mitochondria, and cause nerve damage.
Hope that helps!