How to Cook a Great Tasting Steak
Choose your cut of meat., Salt your steak generously and let it come to room temperature., Preheat your oven to broil and place a cast iron skillet inside the oven while it heats., After the steak has gotten to room temperature, brush about 1...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose your cut of meat.
Choosing the right kind of steak is a very important step that many people overlook.
You'll want a thicker cut of meat, at least an inch thick but hopefully thicker.
You'll also want to choose a piece of meat with good marbling, which means thin little veins of fat in between the meat.
Finally, be aware of the cut of meat you get.
Thicker is better.
Why? A thinner steak is harder to cook well:
Perfectly cooked on the outside often means overdone on the inside, because it's so thin.
But not just this.
Your steak will shrink a bit as it's cooked — the muscle fibers will tense up (like a balled fist) and some juices will be lost (although hopefully not too many).
A thicker steak makes it easier to get a perfect crust on the outside and a juicy, pink center on the inside.
Marbling is the amount of intramuscular fat in a piece of red meat.
Cuts with good marbling are often tender, luscious, and more flavorful.Wagyu or Kobe beer, for example, are renowned across the world for their marbling and taste.Look for a cut of meat with good marbling on it for best results.
It's cost more, but it's worth it for a great-tasting steak.
What cut of meat are you going to spring for in your meal? This is a question that only you can answer.
When you think of steak, you're probably thinking "ribeye," so that's a great start.
T-bone, porterhouse, sirloin, and strip steak are all great options, too. -
Step 2: Salt your steak generously and let it come to room temperature.
The bigger the cut of meat, the more generously you should salt it.
And be sure to salt it for at least 40 minutes.If you salt immediately before cooking, the salt leeches moisture to the surface of the cut, leaving you with a drier steak.
If you salt and let the cut wait for 40 minutes or longer, the moisture drawn out by the salt eventually seeps back into the meat, tenderizing it and giving it more flavor.
Be sure to let your steak come to room temperature, too.
Steak that's at room temperature cooks more evenly and takes less time to cook. , You want your cast iron skillet to be really hot when you take it out so that it sears the steak quickly.
For best results, leave in the oven for at least 20 minutes.
Position the highest rack in your oven about 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to
15.2 cm) below the broiling range. , Although olive oil is great for other types of cooking, it's a little too strong for this cut of meat.
Best to choose a neutral oil. ,, If your skillet has raised ridges, place it at one diagonal for 15 seconds, and then on the same side, at the other diagonal for a crosshatch pattern.
Do not cook for longer than 30 seconds per side.
Your steak should begin to sizzle immediately on the hot pan. , Cook on one side for 2 minutes, and then the other side for an additional 2 minutes.
Flip using tongs, not a fork, as this will cause juices to leak out.
Cooking the steak on each side for 2 minutes will give you a perfectly-cooked medium-rare steak.
If you prefer your steak medium, then add an additional one minute cooking time to each side.
That means cooking at 3 minutes per side instead of two.,, Why do this now and not before cooking in the oven? It's very possible that pepper placed on the steak before cooking will burn, causing a slightly acrid taste.
Many professionals have taken to peppering their steak afterwards instead. , The steak will continue cooking somewhat during this time.
Also, the juices that were sent into the middle of the steak during the cooking process will eventually spread out evenly throughout the steak, giving you a juicier piece of meat when you finally cut into it. -
Step 3: Preheat your oven to broil and place a cast iron skillet inside the oven while it heats.
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Step 4: After the steak has gotten to room temperature
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Step 5: brush about 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil over its entire surface.
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Step 6: With sturdy oven mitts
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Step 7: take your skillet out of the oven and onto a burner set to high.
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Step 8: With tongs carefully place your salted and oiled steak onto the hot pan for 30 seconds a side.
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Step 9: After both sides are slightly browned
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Step 10: place the skillet in the oven using your oven mitts.
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Step 11: Take the pan out of the oven using mitts and turn off the oven.
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Step 12: Season both sides literally with pepper.
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Step 13: Remove the steak from the pan
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Step 14: place on a warm plate
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Step 15: and cover with aluminum foil for at least five minutes.
Detailed Guide
Choosing the right kind of steak is a very important step that many people overlook.
You'll want a thicker cut of meat, at least an inch thick but hopefully thicker.
You'll also want to choose a piece of meat with good marbling, which means thin little veins of fat in between the meat.
Finally, be aware of the cut of meat you get.
Thicker is better.
Why? A thinner steak is harder to cook well:
Perfectly cooked on the outside often means overdone on the inside, because it's so thin.
But not just this.
Your steak will shrink a bit as it's cooked — the muscle fibers will tense up (like a balled fist) and some juices will be lost (although hopefully not too many).
A thicker steak makes it easier to get a perfect crust on the outside and a juicy, pink center on the inside.
Marbling is the amount of intramuscular fat in a piece of red meat.
Cuts with good marbling are often tender, luscious, and more flavorful.Wagyu or Kobe beer, for example, are renowned across the world for their marbling and taste.Look for a cut of meat with good marbling on it for best results.
It's cost more, but it's worth it for a great-tasting steak.
What cut of meat are you going to spring for in your meal? This is a question that only you can answer.
When you think of steak, you're probably thinking "ribeye," so that's a great start.
T-bone, porterhouse, sirloin, and strip steak are all great options, too.
The bigger the cut of meat, the more generously you should salt it.
And be sure to salt it for at least 40 minutes.If you salt immediately before cooking, the salt leeches moisture to the surface of the cut, leaving you with a drier steak.
If you salt and let the cut wait for 40 minutes or longer, the moisture drawn out by the salt eventually seeps back into the meat, tenderizing it and giving it more flavor.
Be sure to let your steak come to room temperature, too.
Steak that's at room temperature cooks more evenly and takes less time to cook. , You want your cast iron skillet to be really hot when you take it out so that it sears the steak quickly.
For best results, leave in the oven for at least 20 minutes.
Position the highest rack in your oven about 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to
15.2 cm) below the broiling range. , Although olive oil is great for other types of cooking, it's a little too strong for this cut of meat.
Best to choose a neutral oil. ,, If your skillet has raised ridges, place it at one diagonal for 15 seconds, and then on the same side, at the other diagonal for a crosshatch pattern.
Do not cook for longer than 30 seconds per side.
Your steak should begin to sizzle immediately on the hot pan. , Cook on one side for 2 minutes, and then the other side for an additional 2 minutes.
Flip using tongs, not a fork, as this will cause juices to leak out.
Cooking the steak on each side for 2 minutes will give you a perfectly-cooked medium-rare steak.
If you prefer your steak medium, then add an additional one minute cooking time to each side.
That means cooking at 3 minutes per side instead of two.,, Why do this now and not before cooking in the oven? It's very possible that pepper placed on the steak before cooking will burn, causing a slightly acrid taste.
Many professionals have taken to peppering their steak afterwards instead. , The steak will continue cooking somewhat during this time.
Also, the juices that were sent into the middle of the steak during the cooking process will eventually spread out evenly throughout the steak, giving you a juicier piece of meat when you finally cut into it.
About the Author
Samuel Diaz
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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