The Principles of Good Steak!

Its a Sunday, and if you’re at home wondering what you should do after you’ve done just too much tennis/halo/modern warfare/reading/tv/blogging etc… why not try cooking up a nice juicy steak? Its really the easiest thing to cook! As Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White said, all you need is to follow some simple rules, and have a bit of confidence!

1) Get a good cut of beef. Sirloin. Ribeye. Tenderloin. Angus beef. Grass fed beef. Grain fed beef. Wagyu beef. Kobe beef. Any of these will make a great flavorful beefy taste. Get a steak that’s at least 1 inch thick. Its very difficult to get good color if that piece of beef is too thin! Try to find as much marbling as possible within your budget. More marbling=better flavor.

2) Don’t cook it if its cold! You have to take it out of the fridge for at least an hour (from the freezer at least 2 hrs) in advance. If you cook a cold steak, the outside is going to be overcooked, and its gonna stay raw inside! Make sure its room temperature and the meat is complete relaxed before you put it in a pan.

3) Get your pan screaming hot. You need to hear the beef sizzle when you put it on! You want that brown caramelization on both sides. You don’t wanna boil steak… you wanna FRY that bugger.

4) Don’t move/jiggle/toss that steak in the pan. Once you put it on, leave it alone! Don’t poke it or whatever thing other than making sure that side is in full contact with the pan. And cook it on one side for 2-4 minutes and then flip it just once. BUT DON’T WALK AWAY FROM YOUR KITCHEN. WATCH IT OTHERWISE IT WILL BURN!

5) If you like it medium rare like I do, I look at the side of the steak, and check if the red is turning opaque. Usually its 2-3 mins on each side for me… but if you’re afraid of it being undercooked, leave it for 4 mins max each side. Bear in mind this is just a rough gauge for a 1 inch thick steak. If its thinner, less cooking time. If its thicker than 1 inch, wow… can you finish that?

6) This is a tip from Marco Pierre White. After cooking 1 side, flip it and let the other side cook for about 2-3 mins, till you see the blood pierce the top of the beef. If the blood just starts to pierce up, medium rare. If the blood starts make small pools, its medium. If you do it this way, you don’t need to cut into it to know if its cooked. This is a very good way to tell!

7) After its cooked. Leave it to rest for at least 2-3 mins. If you cut into the beef right after it comes off the pan, the juices are going to leak and steam out! Let it rest so that the beef relaxes… and the juices will get retained within the meat. The result is, juicy bites every time.

8) Practice makes perfect. Cooking steak is all about feel and intuition. You need experience to know when the beef is cooked exactly the way you want it.

Seasoning Tips

1) Seasoning with salt and pepper is the simplest and tastes fantastic. You can try other seasoning rubs or marinades… but just sprinkling enough salt and pepper will work! Kosher salt and sea salt are the best. I also personally love Lawry’s seasoned salt. Try it if you can find it.

2) Instead of putting oil in the pan, put oil on your steak! That way, the seasoning will stick to it and impart the flavour into the beef.

3) Add some freshly chopped rosemary if you have some. It just takes the flavor to another level.

4) After flipping the steak once while cooking, get a knob of butter, throw it into the pan with some peeled garlic cloves, and baste the steak with the melted butter and garlic. That hint of garlic and butter is going to smell and taste brilliant.

Watch these videos and have a look at how the experts do it!

Jamie Oliver: (nice step by step instructions)

Gordon Ramsay: (quick and straightforward principles)

Marco Pierre White: (simple steak recipes)