Searing steak is a rite of passage for any home cook. And while it may seem like the easiest thing in the world — bring your grill or skillet to heat, then slap the steak on the hot metal and let it sizzle for a couple of minutes on each side — there’s more to getting it right than meets the eye.
For starters, there’s the cut. The wrong cut of beef will turn out tough to chew and difficult to swallow no matter how well it’s been cooked. Then there’s knowing exactly when, and how, to season the meat: long before, immediately before, or shortly after cooking? Setting the heat too high or too low can be the difference between a steak cooked just right and a steak that’s raw in the middle or with a burnt crust. And let’s not forget the resting time. Without resting time, the steak’s juices won’t settle, and they’ll run out when you cut it.
Thankfully, there’s no rocket science to searing steak, either. As long as you know what to do and what to watch out for, you can cook a steak that rivals (or even surpasses) the quality of what they serve at your favorite steakhouse. That’s where this guide comes in — a primer on everything you need to know (and nothing you don’t) on searing steak like a professional.
Select Well at the Butcher’s
A great steak starts with your trip to the butcher shop. The higher the quality of the cut, the tastier and more tender the final product.
You may notice some beef cuts labeled as USDA Organic. This label means that the cattle were raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. When you buy organic, you can be sure that the beef you’re getting is of higher quality than otherwise.
Another thing to consider when choosing your steak is whether the cattle were grass-fed or grain-fed. Grass-fed beef is leaner and tends to have a higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids — the heart-healthy kind. Grain-fed beef, on the other hand, tends to have a more marbled and thus more tender texture, which gives it a more succulent flavor.
Next, the muscle. The most prized cuts come from the areas of the cow where the muscles are underworked. These muscles yield tender meat. Think of it like this: a well-used muscle is tough and sinewy, and a muscle that hasn’t had to do much work is soft and supple. In cooking, we value the latter.
These cuts carry a good amount of intramuscular fat, or marbling. This fat is crucial for both flavor and moisture because as the steak cooks, the fat melts, basting the meat from the inside out and imparting it with a rich, succulent taste.
When selecting a cut, go with the steakhouse classics:
- Ribeye steaks, with their rich marbling and beefy flavor, are a fantastic choice.
- Tenderloin’s known for its buttery, delicate taste.
- New York strip steaks tend to be right in the middle when it comes to tenderness and flavor.
- T-bone and porterhouse steaks, essentially a strip and a filet connected by a bone, give you the best of both worlds.
The USDA has a three-tier grading system for beef — USDA Prime, USDA Choice, and USDA Select — that can help you make better-informed decisions as a consumer.
Prime is the highest grade, with abundant marbling and exceptional flavor. It’s also the most expensive and out of budget for most home cooks. Choice is the next tier down, with a good balance of flavor, tenderness, and price. It’s an ideal choice for most of us. Select is the lowest grade and, frankly, I’d advise skipping it when you’re looking for a steak. The meat tends to be less tender and lacks marbling.
Salt Your Meat Early
Salting the meat only after it’s cooked is a mistake. Steak should be salted before it hits the skillet or grill, so the flavors can meld together.
There are two salting techniques worth knowing. The first is the simplest — liberally salting meat immediately before cooking it. It’s fine and it yields good results, but it only seasons the meat on the surface as the salt has no time to seep through to the interior of the protein.
This is where the dry-brine comes in. By salting steak one hour before cooking it and resting it in the fridge, we trigger osmosis followed by diffusion — the salt draws juices to the surface, then dissolves in them and gets absorbed right back by the meat, seasoning it from within.
Freshly cracked black pepper can also be added to the dry brine along with the salt, giving the steak a peppery, pungent kick. When cooking indoors, try salting the steak with smoked salt or rubbing it with liquid smoke. These techniques mimic the flavors of BBQ, adding a rich, smoky depth to the meat.
Don’t be fooled by marinades. Most cuts of beef are tender and fatty enough on their own and do not need acid to break down their proteins. Marinating should be reserved for times when we want to infuse the steak with a certain flavor, such as garlic.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking it to bring it to room temperature. This helps the steak cook more evenly. So, if the dry brine lasts one hour, take the steak out of the fridge and leave it on the kitchen countertop at the forty-fifth minute.
Preheat Your Equipment
Steak should be cooked in a preheated grill or skillet over medium-high heat.
Too low a heat wouldn’t brown the steak on the surface, leaving it gray and bland. Too high a heat would char it and destroy the volatile organic flavor compounds produced by browning; medium-high heat’s the sweet spot.
If you’re using a charcoal grill, ignite the coals and wait for them to ash over. For a gas grill, preheat it for at least 15 minutes with the lid down. On the stovetop, use a cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel skillet — one with a heavy bottom and thick walls. Preheat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the skillet itself starts to emanate heat.
Since the steak itself is fatty and that fat will render in the pan, you don’t really need to grease your skillet. If you prefer to, you can lightly oil the cooking surface with tallow or a neutral in flavor cooking oil until it’s shiny.
Sear Your Steak
You know you’ve done a good job bringing the steak to room temperature and preheating the grill or pan if the meat starts hissing and sizzling loudly as soon as it comes into contact with the hot metal.
Leave the steak to cook undisturbed for a few minutes on each side. The thicker the steak, the longer it will take to cook. Do not rely on cooking times in recipes and use a meat thermometer instead; it’s the only reliable way to cook the steak to just the right level of doneness.
The internal temperature for each level of doneness:
- Rare steak: 120°F
- Medium rare steak: 130°F
- Medium steak: 140°F
- Medium well steak: 150°F
- Well done steak: 160°F
Searing serves two purposes: to brown the surface of the steak and produce a crispy crust while cooking the meat through — at least to the desired doneness — on the inside.
For thick steaks, it’s worth taking a moment to brown them all over. After both main sides have seared, tip the steak on its sides and edges, holding it upright using a pair of tongs or kitchen tweezers. Give each side a minute or two on the heat until its crust turns golden brown. This extra step ensures that every angle of the steak is just as flavorful and appetizing as the top and bottom.
Many home cooks, including dads on BBQ duty, falter by either pulling their steaks off the heat too soon or leaving them on too long. In the first scenario, the steak can come out gray and flavorless; in the second, it will taste like charcoal. Maintain medium heat and pay attention to the crust’s color. You’re shooting for dark, rich browning without much blackening.
Rest the Steak
Of all the steps in searing a steak, resting is arguably the most important — and the most underappreciated.
When the steak cooks, the muscles in the meat contract, squeezing out both fat and water. If you slice into the steak immediately after it’s cooked, the juices will pill out onto the cutting board.
Letting the steak rest, however, allows the muscles to relax and reabsorb the juices, distributing them evenly throughout the meat. It’s a small, simple pause of 3 to 5 minutes with a serious payoff; it ensures that every bite is as juicy as can possibly be.