If you don’t cook meat much from home then the idea of cooking a steak could seem pretty intimidating. With this wonderful shift towards sustainable eating, especially when it comes to beef consumption, the steaks (no pun intended) are even higher when it comes to honouring the perfect bit of meat in cooking it to absolute perfection.
Follow this recipe for perfectly cooked steak every time. To understand the method more, read up on my steps for cooking steak which will help you to understand the cooking process a lot more and give you more confidence.
Pan-Seared & Brown-Butter Basted Perfect Steak
Course: Dinner, LunchCuisine: French, British, AmericanDifficulty: EasyServings
2
servingsCooking time
8
minutesDry brining time
1-2
daysResting time
10
minutesIngredients
1 1/2 – 2 inch-thick boneless rib eye
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 sprigs rosemary or thyme
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Directions
- Dry Brining
- Dry brine your steaks 1-2 days in advance by sprinkling sea salt all over, covering every surface. Place on top of a wire baking rack, cover and place in the fridge for 1-2 days.
- Cooking
- Allow the steak to come to room temperate by removing it from the fridge an hour before cooking. It may need longer depending on the size of the meat.
- Season the board by drizzling vegetable oil over your chopping board and sprinkling salt and pepper over it. Place the steak on top, then turn over, ensuring that all surfaces have been oiled and seasoned.
- Heat a large, preferably cast iron pan over a medium-high heat. Once the pan gets hot, add the steak, turning every couple of minutes. You are looking for a deep brown crust and it should take around 8-10 minutes in total to cook to medium rare. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the cut. (Check notes for further information about cooking.)
- Add butter, rosemary/ thyme and garlic to the pan and once it’s melted, tip the pan towards the side so that you are able to spoon the infused butter onto the steak. Baste continuously until the butter is no longer bubbling – around a minute.
- Transfer the steak to a board and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the meat against the grain, spoon over some more of the butter and season with salt.
Notes
- You want to to cook your steak until the point where the internal temperature is a few degrees below your favoured doneness:
Medium Rare (soft, dark pink inside): 65°C
Medium (soft, some pink inside): 70°C
Well Done (very firm, no pink inside): 75°C
