To cook a perfect steak, start with a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. I have decided I prefer this method because the delicious juices accumulate in the pan rather than dripping into the fire. You can use anything that doesn’t require marinating–New York strip, ribeye, filet mignon etc.*
Heat a cast iron skillet very hot, then sprinkle it generously with salt.
Start by heating the empty skillet on a burner set to high. Unless you have a high-BTU professional grade stove you really can’t get it too hot. My burners are 15,000 BTU and I let it heat five minutes, easy.
While the skillet is heating, sprinkle some Kosher salt all around its surface. This will serve as a cushion for the meat. Don’t be shy: mine is a 12-inch skillet and I used maybe ¾ teaspoon.
Drop in the meat, then season the top side to your preference.
Now, drop in the meat. It should sizzle nicely when it hits the hot iron. If it doesn’t, you didn’t heat the pan enough. Not a problem, the other surface will be fine and you can use that for presentation. If the meat practically explodes when it hits, you’ve managed to get the skillet too hot. Good job; now turn it down a bit.
The hand test: surface of the meat should feel like the heel of your hand.
While the first side is cooking, sprinkle on some seasoning. It’s already salted so sometimes I just grind a little pepper. Or I’ll use a combination of my Burger House seasoning and Cavendar’s Greek Seasoning.
Let the first side cook maybe 4 minutes, then flip it over. The surface should feel like the heel of your hand: tough on top, yielding underneath. You want both sides of the steak to feel like that so let the second side get good and crisp. If it’s a thin steak, it’s now done. For an inch-thick New York strip like this one, you might want to flip it one additional time. Now (after the steak has been in the skillet a total of 6-7 minutes) turn off the heat. It will continue to cook, but more slowly.
Let the steak rest a bit, then use a meat thermometer inserted from the side to confirm doneness.
Transfer the steak to a plate and let it rest a couple of minutes. Because we want to cook a perfect steak, we will cheat and use a meat thermometer to confirm doneness. This one is 118 degrees which, the beef people tell us, should be somewhere between rare and medium rare.
And when we slice it, that’s exactly what it is. There you have it, the best way to cook a perfect steak. Let it rest for a few more minutes which will produce some juicy juices you can sop up with potato or some crusty bread. Enjoy.
*Update: last night I used the same technique, with modifications, to cook a tri-tip that had been marinated in olive oil, finely chopped garlic and soy, worcestershire** and fish sauces with pepper but no salt. Salted the empty skillet then slapped the steak right down, without draining. At the end, I poured in the marinade to sizzle and add to the pan juices. Delicious.
Walla, that is how you cook a perfect steak.
**Do you know how to pronounce this word? It’s not “Wooster” as my mother taught me. For a very detailed answer, watch this video.
Thank you for the instructions to get a perfect steak. Now, does anyone order beef steak anymore? I rarely prepare steak. When I want beef I like to make a stew using ox tails or I will slice a steak and stir fry it with vegetables where the emphasis is on the vegetables not the beef.
I used to eat a lot of beef steaks, pork chops, and lamb chops . . . but my palette prefers something more interesting than a hank of meat. I like to taste a variety of flavors I can get using slices of meat mixed with herbs and fresh vegetables. However, the next time I want steak I already have a heavy duty 12″ cast iron skillet to slay the beast.
I rarely order steak in a restaurant since I can make a better one at home. But I do enjoy that big hank of meat. I typically don’t eat it all it once either. The steak pictured in this post reappeared thinly sliced in a salad today, and there’s still some left for another meal.
Voilà is the word I believe you were after in your last caption. Never seen it spelled ‘walla’.
C’est intentionnel! I’ve actually used “walla” several times to see if anyone would notice. You can verify by using the search box.
Thanks for bring back a memory. My grandmother cooked steaks that way, as I do sometimes, and they are delicious, but prefer the grill or sous vide with a finish on the grill, so as to not stink up the kitchen.
Somebody else mentioned smoke on my Facebook page. I have a pretty powerful range hood fan so it’s not a problem. I have to say, though, that I find the smell of a well cooked steak to be more perfume than stink.
“I rarely order steak in a restaurant since I can make a better one at home.”
Yes!
I did see a bit of smoke in your pictures, but you should reassure the smoke alarm doubters that it can be done without setting off alarms , etc.
Hot, sizzling, not filling your house with smoke.
I do the same thing on an apartment stove with the rarest of apartment range hoods.
One that vents to the outside.
No need to do an Emeril and ruin all the All Clad!
(I did love that show)