Making a great steak is easy but can feel intimidating. At least it did to me for a long time.
Here are the main things to do to ensure you get a tasty steak:
Salt your steak early - at least 1 hour before you cook it and up to a day. If you have room in your fridge to leave it on a plate without covering it, do that. It will dry it out a bit and give you a nicer sear.
You want your steak to be about 1 1/2”- 2” thick steak and between 1 to 1 1/2 pounds for 2 people ( or for 1 with left overs).
Ingredients:
1 New York Strip or Rib Eye Steak
1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 sprigs of rosemary or thyme
A meat thermometer
Heat the grapeseed oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When it starts to shimmer add the steak turning every 1-2 minutes until it reaches 125º on your thermometer. Start checking after 6 minutes.
When the thermometer reads 125 add the butter to the pan along with the sprigs and let it melt and bubble. You will essentially be making a quick brown butter.
Carefully tilt the pan to the side and spoon the melted butter over the steak for about 30 seconds. Check the temperature and continue basting until the steak reaches 130º
Transfer the meat to a plate and allow it to rest for 8 minutes before slicing it.
Important note:
The temperatures above are for a medium rare steak but if you like it rare or medium the temps are as follow:
For a rare steak, cook it to 115º, add the butter, baste it and cook to 120º
For a medium steak, cook it to 135º, add the butter, baste it and cook to 140º