Your Masterpiece: The Perfect Steak

Who doesn’t like a good steak? Letting your inner viking take over and sink your teeth into tender, juicy meat … I’m getting hungry only thinking about it! Most people are afraid to cook steak at home, as it is easy to completely ruin your beloved meat if you are not careful. But don’t give up, once you have mastered a few basics, you can have the perfect steak at home, anytime and in no time.

1. Buy the best quality you can afford. Yes, this will hurt a little when you pay, but it will make you that much happier when you eat it. And good meat HAS to be expensive: happy cows, good feed and happy farmers are costly. Invest in them, it will also make you happy.
2. Take your steak out of the fridge and remove any packaging. Dry it off with a kitchen towel und let it rest until it isn’t cold anymore. I suggest about an hour. This will ensure that your steak doesn’t lose too much liquid while cooking and stays tender.
3. Heat your pan on the highest stage, it has to be screaming hot! If you want to finish your steak in the oven, preheat your oven. Add cooking oil that can tolerate high heat (I like to use coconut). Alternatively I like to rub a little olive oil into the steak. A tiny amount is enough!
4. Salt your steak and carefully put it into your pan. Don’t move it, let it sit there for at least a minute until the outside is golden/dark brown and the Maillard reaction has done its magic. Turn your steak on the other side and do the same.
5. If you are afraid that your steak is too rare, put it in the oven and watch it carefully! I only do this with REALLY thick steaks, as they don’t get dry so fast. If you bought high quality meat, there is little reason to do this, your meat will be tender no matter what.
6. Let your steak rest. Depending on thickness, I suggest 5-15 minutes. This step is crucial! If you hurry, all the beautiful meat juice will be lost when you cut into your steak.

And that’s it! If I’ve used a very fatty cut of meat and there is a lot of rendered fat left in the pan, I drain it into an empty jar and use it later (this stuff is awesome, don’t dare to throw it away). Then I deglaze the pan with mirin and a little miso paste to make a simple, umami laden gravy. Enjoy 😀 !

What are your experiences with making your own steak at home? Have you ever tried it? Let me know in the comment section below!