Steak.. The best way to cook it?

First of all, you shouldn’t cook it to medium well. Medium-rare is really the best, but medium will do if you’re not feeling adventurous.

Second, buy a thick-cut steak.

Third, don’t marinate it. Marinades work better for flank or skirt steaks, not the premium cuts you’re talking about. But, you absolutely do need to salt your steaks.

Here is the method I used to make the best steak ever, from Cook’s Illustrated. It involves preheating your steaks in a low oven before searing them on the stovetop. The preheat has the effect similar to dry-aging the beef, and helps them get a good crusty sear. You can also use the drippings in the pan to make a delicious sauce.

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Rib-eye or filet mignon of similar thickness can be substituted for strip steaks. If using filet mignon, buying a 2-pound center-cut tenderloin roast and portioning it into four 8-ounce steaks yourself will produce more consistent results. If using filet mignon, increase the oven time by about 5 minutes. When cooking lean strip steaks (without an external fat cap) or filet mignon, add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pan. If desired, serve with a pan sauce, relish, or butter; see related recipes.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless strip steaks (1½ to 1¾ inches thick (about 1 pound each) (see note above)
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Pat steaks dry with paper towel. Cut each steak in half vertically to create four 8-ounce steaks. Season entire surface of steaks liberally with salt and pepper; gently press sides of steaks until uniform 1½ inches thick. Place steaks on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet; transfer baking sheet to oven. Cook until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of steak registers 90 to 95 degrees for rare to medium-rare, 20 to 25 minutes, or 100 to 105 degrees for medium, 25 to 30 minutes.

2. Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until smoking. Place steaks in skillet and sear steaks until well-browned and crusty, about 1½ to 2 minutes, lifting once halfway through to redistribute fat underneath each steak. (Reduce heat if fond begins to burn.) Using tongs, turn steaks and cook until well browned on second side, 2 to 2½ minutes. Transfer all steaks to wire cooling rack and reduce heat under pan to medium. Use tongs to stand 2 steaks on their sides. Holding steaks together, return to skillet and sear on all sides until browned, about 1½ minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 steaks.

3. Transfer steaks to wire cooling rack and let rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes while preparing pan sauce. Arrange steaks on individual plates and spoon sauce over steaks; serve immediately.

I like simplicity….get a big thick steak, rub on some oil, salt, and pepper….toss it on the grill, flip in about 7 minutes. Voila! If you like it medium well, I don’t think it’s ever gonna really be that juicy….

The trick to getting the nice finished steak is in knowing how to pick out the best steak before you start cooking. Look for lots of marbling.

More about salt and chewiness: salt doesn’t make meat chewy. It actually tenderizes the meat. But for certain cuts (and particularly for hamburger patties), if you let the salt sit on the meat too long, the tenderness can go too far and give the meat a “mushy” texture.

However, salt is absolutely essential for bringing out the flavor of steak. Or anything, really. You’re supposed to put salt in baked goods, too.

Salt and pepper and cook til medium – with a good steak.

Crappy meat can be hid marinated.

Medium-well in a Steak House may get you a briquet not a steak.

Medium is where you start to lose the juiciness/taste and go to dry/bland.

Go with a thick cut and use an instant thermometer, take it to 128* or 130* F for internal temp.

Pittsburgh Rare is the way to go with steak IMO.

Get a pan super super hot. Cover the steak in some seasoning or cajun mix. Throw steak in pan and sear the shit out of both sides. Remove from pan and enjoy steak with crispy outside with a delicious juicy center.

Rub it with my secret dry rub, let it rest covered on the counter until the coals are ready. Throw a handful of hickory chips on the coals wait 3 minutes and drop the steak on the medium hot grill. Cook for about 3–4 minutes. Turn the steak once and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Remove the steak from the grill and let it sit under foil or a lid for about 5 minutes. Enjoy.

Medium well ruins the meat. Don’t bother.

I let the meat stand outside of the fridge for 20–30 minutes so it is not so cold, and then I just rub Good Seasons Italian dressing straight from the packet onto the meat (I usually buy New York Strip, sirloin or tenderloin) right before cooking it on the stove. I use a tasteless olive oil like Bertolli Classico just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, but veg oil would be fine too. Probably ideally it would be best to seer the meat and finish in the oven, but I don’t bother, I just make sure the sides get done by turn the steak up on its side.

Actually, it is fantastic on the grill also if you like to grill.

I love this steak with salad, because the Italian seasoning combines really well, and with rice also. If you like macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes with your meat the combination of flavors might not be as good.

I actually like oyster sauce on steak also, especially on the grill or broiled.

I eat my steak medium. My husband who for years always ate his steak rare or medium rare, now after finally trying my steak a couple of times has decided it is better slightly more cooked, so now he orders some cuts medium like me.

I know some people say don’t salt the meat before cooking, but I disagree, a little salt right before cooking to bring the flavors out. The italian rub and oyster sauce does not need any extra salt added in my opinion.

Fry it at high temperature for a very short time on both sides (to seal the meat and give it colour), then put it into a preheated oven for, uh, ten minutes, I think. Maybe less. 200° should suffice. After that, salt and pepper.

You might enjoy this Ultimate Grilled Steak recipe from my favorite cooking show host Melinda Lee. She’s my Go-To person for all questions relating to cooking. You can check her out here. I listen to her on the radio every weekend. Below is one of her recipes for steak.

ULTIMATE GRILLED STEAK, ITALIAN-STYLE FOR TWO

This is a great luxury meal – and I encourage you to find a really fine steak to make it perfect. The porterhouse is the traditional cut for “Bistecca alla Fiorentina” the cut includes both a sirloin and a tenderloin, attached by the T-bone, which (bone) adds lots of flavor, as well. Alternatively, a spencer steak may be substituted (also called a rib eye, or a shell steak or Delmonico on the East Coast). The spencer steak is part of a prime rib cut – almost impossible to find on the bone (that’s usually when it’s called a “shell” steak), but almost impossible to ruin either way, because it is well-marbled and extremely flavorful. A T-bone steak may also be used for this recipe – the T-bone is like a porterhouse, except that it is cut closer to the center of the steer, and has a bigger sirloin portion, but a smaller filet; it’s also very difficult to find (or order) a really thick cut T-bone – and this steak should be at least 1½ inches thick. I think a filet mignon (tenderloin) is a poor choice for this recipe, because, although it is exceptionally tender, it has very little true “steak” flavor.

The point is to buy the highest grade of meat you can find within your budget: at least choice, and prime grade is even better. Dry aged beef, should you find it, is the most tender and most flavorful of all. You can ask your butcher to cut the steak of your choice for you in the thickness you like.

SERVES 2

One, 2 pound bonelesss – or 2 pound bone-in – steak
(see introductory note, above)
[the steak should be 1½ – 2 inches thick]
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
3–4 cloves, garlic – chopped fine
1½ tablespoons, chopped rosemary
[or substitute a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopping only a small bit]
6 fresh sage leaves, torn into pieces or thyme leaves, torn from their stem [optional]
¼ to ½ cup, extra virgin olive oil

Remove the steak from the refrigerator, and allow the steak to stand at room temperature for one hour or slightly more (so it will not be chilled in the center, and will cook evenly). Pat the steak dry with paper towels, and rub the steak generously with salt and fresh pepper to taste.

While the steak is resting at room temperature, prepare the serving/marinating platter: scatter the chopped garlic and rosemary (and sage or thyme if you are using it) over a heatproof serving platter. Drizzle full-flavored olive oil over all. Set aside until needed (after grilling).

Over a medium-hot fire, grill the steak until it is charred and crusty on both sides (turning once only) – about 8–9 minutes per side.

Cook’s Note: This recipe is for rare steak. If you prefer the steak medium rare or more well-done, grill it first over high heat to sear (about 1–2 minutes on the first side, and 1 minute on the second side) then move the steak over lower heat to cook more slowly to finish to desired degree of doneness.

The temperature of a rare steak will measure 125 degrees or so in the center (using an instant-read thermometer, inserted from the side); 130–132 for medium rare, and about 135 or so for medium.

When the steak has reached the desired degree of doneness, remove it from the heat and place it on the prepared platter, turning the steak several times to coat all sides with the oil and herbs. Allow the steak to rest, turning once or twice more, for about 10 minutes.

To serve: slice the steak in thick pieces (about ¼-inch thick or so) – and serve (some of each section the sirloin and the filet, if using porterhouse or T-bone cuts) with some herb marinade spooned over each serving

@ragingloli, it’s actually a myth that searing meat “seals” in the juices. Seared meat isn’t any moister than non-seared meat.

The purpose of searing is simply to develop flavor through the Maillard reaction (and possibly a crisp-textured crust).

Also, 200 degrees ain’t hot enough to cook nothin’. Unless you’re talking Celsius.

Also, the advantage of doing the oven step before the searing step (as in the CI recipe) is that the oven completely dries the surface of the meat. If you try to sear wet meat, the moisture has to evaporate before the meat can actually brown (because with moisture there, the temp never gets above 212, the boiling point of water, and the Maillard reaction takes place at a much higher temperature).

@Qingu
Of course I mean celsius. What else could I possibly mean?

Monterey Steak Seasoning, unless it is a Prime Cut, in which you will only use salt and pepper. Medium Rare please.

I just like to shallowly cut a checker pattern on either side, and cook the steak in a cast iron pad on low to medium heat in bacon grease and butter, until it’s medium-rare to medium. Maybe a dash of black pepper.

Let the meat become room temperature
Rub with salt, pepper maybe a little Worcestershire sauce
Heat a pan to a solid medium but not medium high
rub the pan with a few slices of garlic in butter (if you like garlic)
Cook the meat uncovered for about 5 -7 minutes then flip over for another 2–3 minutes
Remove from the pan onto a plate and cover for about 5 minutes

Thanks for sharing your steak secret guys! I’ll try all of the above and see which comes out the best. ;-)