There’s nothing quite like a perfectly cooked steak, and when you’re the host there’s the added pressure of ensuring you pull off the perfect ‘cook’. A tender and favourable steak is delicacy and mastering the art of cooking a steak is a great skill for anyone to have. Whether you’re a seasoned steak lover (and cook!) or a beginner, below you’ll find out list of preferred cooking methods depending on the cut of steak you have.
Choosing the Right Cut
You may think that choosing the cut of steak is the first step in cooking the perfect steak however, we find it’s best to decide on your cooking method first. Different cuts are suited to certain cooking methods, so if you’re cooking on a BBQ you might opt to choose a thicker cut of steak than if you were cooking in the kitchen. Here’s a list of some of the different cooking methods and the cuts of steaks we’d recommend to go with them.
Technique |
Cut of Steak |
|
Pan frying and basting in butter |
Fillet |
|
Cast iron skillet |
Rump (cooking with a skillet offers you a healthier option) |
|
Reverse searing on a BBQ/over flame (indirect heat) |
Bone-in rib, bone in sirloin or rump cap |
|
BBQ/over flames (direct heat) |
Bavette, sirloin, ribeye, fillet, rump |
|
Pan searing and oven cook |
Bone-in rib, bone-in sirloin or any thick cut steak |
3 Absolute Musts when Cooking the Perfect Steak:
- Remove the steak from all its packaging and allow it to come to room temperature (at least 30 minutes) before cooking.
- Season prior to cooking.
- Allow time to rest before cutting and/or serving.
Next, we’re going to talk you through our go-to cooking technique for our premium steaks. We recommend this technique for our Galician and ex-dairy bone-in sharing steaks (prime rib or sirloin).
Preparation:
- Remove packaging and allow the steak to come to room temperature
- Pre-heat your oven to 200/210C (fan/conventional)
- Brush liberally with olive oil onto all sides and season with salt and pepper (again, liberally).
Searing*:
- Place an oven-proof frying pan on high heat and wait until it is smoking. Once smoking, place the steak into the pan on one side.
- Allow this side to sear for 60 seconds, and then flip it onto the other side for 60 seconds. Then repeat this on the back of the steak (where the fat is) for 60 seconds.
- Repeat this process once more.
- Once you have seared your steak twice on all sides, add in 2 rosemary sprigs, one crushed garlic clove and a knob of butter. The perfect flavour combination for your steak.
*searing is a key step to achieving a mouth-watering cook on your steak. Searing the steak eliminates the water and it builds the flavour and texture of the steak. This process is also known as the maillard process.
Cook:
- Place the frying pan directly in the oven.
- If you don’t have an oven-proof frying pan, let the butter melt and, place the steak on a baking tray and pour over the butter and herbs, then place it into the oven.
- Cook the steak in the oven for 10 minutes for rare, 12 minutes for medium rare, and 16 minutes for medium well-done. These cooking times are based on thick cuts of steak that weighs at least 700g.
Ordering one of our steaks? Great news! Our handy prep guide has the correct times and temperatures for you to check with a temperature probe so that you can get the perfect degree of doneness specific to your chosen cut.
Rest and Serve:
- Once you have cooked the steak for the desired time, remove it from the oven, place it on a chopping board and layer in foil. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
- The best way to serve your steak is to slice it against the grain and place it on a serving board.
- We would recommend serving your steak up with delicate fondant potatoes, and some locally sourced, fresh spring greens. If your ordering one of our luxury steak night recipe boxes, you’re in luck, as these are included in the price!
