Originally published on April 3, 2015
We’re big meat eaters around here, so I’ve cooked a fair amount of steaks in my lifetime. It’s something that can be quite daunting at first, if only because you’ve paid so much money for this one piece of meat and you really don’t want to screw it up. I’ve been there and I get it. Unfortunately, it’s something that’s quite easy to do because steaks can go from blue-rare to well-done in just a matter of minutes. Not to mention that if you don’t treat it properly before and after you cook it, this could also ruin that tender cut you were hoping to enjoy. So, here are some tips on how to cook the perfect steak so the next time you’re staring one down, there will be no intimidation. Just fearless ambition that you in fact, can do this.
The Marinade/Rub
- Whether you use a wet marinade or a dry rub will depend entirely on the kind of steak you’re cooking. Tougher cuts of steak such as flank steak or round steak respond best to wet marinades because the marinade will break down the fibres of the meat over a period of time, actually making it more tender. The best cuts of steak including strip loin, sirloin, and filets should never be used with a wet marinade. These cuts are already very tender and leaving them in a marinade will greatly affect their texture. For these types of steaks, a dry rub comprised of different spices will give you the flavour you want, without interfering with the steak’s natural texture.
The Pan
- Steaks cook best in a pan, not on a barbecue or outdoor grill. While I myself am looking forward to summer when I can, at least once, throw some steaks on the grill, they won’t develop the outside char that makes a steak perfect. They will however, still be juicy and delicious.
- Use a cast iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet for your steak. These will get incredibly hot, allowing that outer charred crust to form.
- Make sure your pan is big enough. If you go cramming six steaks into a pan that was only meant to hold three or four, you’re going to have real problems. Your steak will never develop colour and instead, you’ll be left with a sad-looking grey piece of meat that you just don’t know what to do with. If your pan is not big enough, just cook the steak in batches. They cook very quickly, so you can prepare the others while the cooked steaks are resting.
The Oil
- An oil with a “high smoke point” are the only ones that should be used. This means that they can reach a very high temperature before burning and starting to smoke. Avocado oil, grape seed oil, and almond oil all have very high smoke points. While olive oil can be used, you must keep an eye on your steak to make sure they’re not burning during cooking.
- Never use butter. While you might think it will give you better flavour, butter has one of the lowest smoke points of all the fats and will burn very, very quickly. Before you even have both sides of your steak cooked, at least one of them will be burned. Not charred, but burned.
- Know how to use butter. Did I say “never use butter”? Well, you can use it, just not as your main oil. When the steak has cooked on one side, flip it. While the other side of the steak is cooking, place a nob of butter to the side of the pan and place some thyme or rosemary twigs on top. Let the butter melt and then, tilting the pan so you can scoop up the flavoured butter with a spoon, use that butter to baste the steak during the remainder of the cooking process. This will give extra flavour and that perfect sheen to your steaks. You can also, once your steak is done cooking, add a nob of butter right on top of the steak. It will melt and coat the steak with that perfect smoothness and creaminess that only butter can bring.
- Oil the pan, not the steak. Some cooks insist on slathering their steak with oil and then adding it directly into a dry, hot pan. This can make cooking steak even trickier because, if you wait too long to place the steak in the pan, the oil will settle into the steak, giving it a greasy look and feel even after it’s done cooking. Your best (and easiest) bet is to add a tablespoon or two of oil into the pan, let it get really hot, and then add the steak.
The Seasoning
- While you can get crazy with the different seasonings and rubs for your steak, just a little salt and pepper are all that’s really needed. But, because certain types of steak can be very thick, just sprinkling a little bit on usually isn’t enough to get the flavour throughout. Instead, mix together a bit of salt and pepper on a plate. Then, minutes before your steak is to be cooked, simply press it into the seasoning, on all sides, before adding it to the hot oiled pan. This will allow the seasoning to really penetrate the steak, giving you more flavour.
The Temperature
- Perhaps the biggest part of cooking any steak is to get the centre temperature right – the temperature (and colour) in the centre of the steak. These temperatures are known as: blue-rare, rare, medium rare, medium, medium-well, and well-done.
- Blue-rare is when the steak hasn’t really been cooked that long at all, typically thrown into the pan letting one side cook for a minute or two, and then flipping it and giving the second side just a minute or slightly longer. When finished “cooking”, these steak will have a very bloody, almost purple in the centre and, true to its name, could still be blue in some parts. The temperature in the centre of these steaks is 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
- Rare steaks are cooked throughout but still have a deep red appearance in the centre. They will release a lot of juice even when on the plate and have a cool centre. Rare steaks have a centre temperature of 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Medium-rare steaks are considered to be “the best” among chefs in the culinary world. These steaks will have a bright pink (but not red) colour throughout and will still be slightly warm in the centre. They will also have juices that will flow out of the steak, but not nearly as much as rare or blue-rare steaks. The temperature for medium-rare steaks is 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Medium steaks are mostly grey throughout, although they will have a slight pink tinge to them. Their centre will be warm. Medium steaks have a centre temperature of 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Medium-well steaks are entirely grey throughout, are hot in the centre, and will not release any juices. The temperature on these steaks is 150 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Well-done steaks are hot and grey throughout, and are the hottest temperature you can take your steak to, being above 160 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s important to know that you shouldn’t go much higher than that temperature because it will dry the steak out. Even well-done steaks should be flavourful and juicy, and still have some texture to them.
- The best way to check the temperature of a steak is with a meat thermometer, especially if you’re fairly new to the process. But, even with a temperature, you should be mindful of “feeling” for the doneness of your steak with the tip of your finger and the skin on your palm. The test is done this way: open your palm so that it’s facing you and make sure your hand is relaxed. Press on the little ball of flesh just under your thumb. This is what rare meat feels like. Now, bring your index finger and thumb together and once again press on that area of flesh; this is what medium-rare steak should feel like when you poke and prod it. Release your index finger and thumb and now bring your middle finger and thumb together, once again feeling that area under your thumb when you do; this is what medium feels like. When you join your ring finger and your thumb you’ll get the feeling for medium-well and when you join your pinky and thumb together, you’ll feel that that little ball of flesh is very tight and has very little ability to “bounce back” or “spring” to the touch. This is what well-done steak feels like. Now you can poke your steak in the centre, compare it with how that little area under your thumb felt, and get an idea for how done your steak is.
- Practice using the finger test every time you cook a steak. It takes a lot of practice (who am I kidding? It takes a ton of frustrating attempts before you finally get the “feel” for it) but over time, you’ll get it. You should also use a meat thermometer while still using the hand method, as it will give you an idea for how the hand should feel when steak is at a certain temperature.
- Never, ever, ever cut a steak open just to check the doneness inside. All of the juices will flow out leaving you with a tough, flavourless piece of meat that up until this point, you’ve worked so hard to attain.
The Resting Period
- Allowing the steak to rest after cooking is an essential component to cooking any piece of meat, but it all started with the steak. Resting allows the juices to work their way back into the meat and settle there, so they don’t end up all over your cutting board or plate. It’s true that even a rare steak can look well-done by the time it gets to the table if you’ve taken it directly out of the pan and sliced it up right away. Cover it with foil to keep it hot, and let it rest. It needs it.
- Steaks need to rest for a minimum of five minutes. Without foil they’ll stay hot for up to ten minutes and with foil, even longer than that.