I usually order a steak when I go out to eat, really because I prefer it cooked by someone who knows what they are doing! But I must admit, I do know how to cook a steak, but there are a few rules to follow;
ONE: One of the biggest factors you need to be aware of is the thickness of the steak. The thicker the steak the longer it will take to get the center to your desired doneness. You also get more time to develop the sear on the outside of the steak – which is why I generally prefer thicker steaks. Before you even start cooking, thickness will tell you if you’re going to be cooking the steak for just a couple minutes on each side, or several minutes on each side.
TWO: Correct Seasoning...ergo Pink Salt Flakes! And peppercorns. That is about all you need, but be generous because lots of your seasoning will end up in the pan or on the BBQ and not in your mouth!
THREE: The Sear...on both sides! To get the perfect sear, get your pan or grill, smoking hot - as hot as you can. Add some oil to the pan (or to the meat for grilling), and if the oil doesn’t smoke, let it continue to heat until it does. Lay the steak, carefully and with confidence, into the pan and you should get big time sizzle. If you don’t, remove the steak, and let it get hotter. Don’t move the steak around. You need maximum heat transfer from the pan to the steak and every time you move that steak you lose heat. And don’t worry about burning!!
FOUR: Doneness and knowing the difference! The touch, or feel, method is what I use, and what you’ll learn after you cook enough steaks. Basically, the firmer a steak, the more well-done it is. With some practice, you can use that firmness, as well as the length of cooking time to know if the steak is rare, medium or well done. When it is done to your liking, finish off with some butter, spoon it over, go on. YUM, it will make the flavours incredible.
FIVE: Let it Rest! As steak cooks, the fat melts and juices heat up, and begin to “run”, or flow more easily throughout the meat. It’s inevitable for some of those juices to seep out (there’s really no such thing as “searing in the juice”), but cutting into a steak that just came right off the heat increases that flow of juice out of the steak. Which results in dry steak.
So, once you take the steak off the heat, you need to let it rest. Resting allows the meat to cool down, and the juices get reabsorbed into the meat. This results in a juicy steak. I generally let my steaks rest wrapped in foil for 2 – 5 minutes before I serve.
Hope this all helps. Go for it, not a Thermomix in sight! (Other than for the Salsa Verde of course!)
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Need
- 750g-1 Kilo beef fillet
- peppercorns as needed
- Generous Pinches pink salt flakes plus some more as needed after cooking BUY
- 1 Batch Salsa Verde Recipe
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for cooking BUY
- butter to finish the steak BUY
Do
- 1
Dry the meat and press peppercorns to taste and plenty of pink salt flakes onto the steak, both sides. Place into the fridge for at least an hour.
- 2
Prepare the Salsa Verde recipe and set aside.
- 3
Heat the BBQ to a very high heat (upwards of 300°C is good) and cook the salted steak on both sides to your liking. Toss in a knob of butter and as it melts and becomes fragrant, spoon it over the top of the cooked steak. Remove from the heat, cover and rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and drizzling generously with the Salsa Verde and yes, more pink salt flakes.
