Difficulty Level: 1 PITA
Cookware:
Cast Iron or High Quality Stainless Steel Pan
Ingredients:
Red Meat
Salt
Black Pepper
(Optional) Olive Oil or Butter
Is there anything better than a perfectly cooked steak?
No.
And the best part about a perfectly cooked steak? It’s easy. Really easy.
How do the Bergmann’s make god’s most perfect steak? Here’s our step-by-step guide.
Step 1:
Choose your meat. A few things to know:
There are lots of different cuts of beef. Choose one you like. Rib, strip, sirloin, and filet are common cuts (listed fattiest to leanest).
Especially when choosing fattier cuts, more “marbling” will typically result in a more tender steak.
Grades of beef: Prime grade is, well, prime. Choice grade is middle of the road. Select grade is not for steak… maybe not even for humans. Dry aged, for you well heeled folk, is the bee’s knees.
Step 2 (optional):
Season your meat 24 hours in advance and leave uncovered in the fridge. Salt and black pepper are all you need. Salt should be very course and used liberally; it should look a bit like you’ve crusted the steak. If you’re using a very lean cut such as filet mignon, you may also choose to rub some oil or butter on the meat at this time.
Step 3:
Bring your meat up to room temperature. Take it out of the fridge and (if you haven’t already) season it about 45 minutes before you intend to throw it in the pan.
Step 4:
Bring your pan (cast iron or high quality stainless steel) up to temperature by either leaving it on the burner for several minutes or tossing it in the oven. I know what you’re thinking:
Q: What temperature am I trying to bring my pan up to?
A: The sun.
Q: What temperature should I set my oven to?
A: Destroy.
Q: When should I take out my smoke detector?
A: Immediately.
Step 5:
Meat in pan. If you’re using a very lean cut and haven’t already put some oil/butter on it, you may want to put some in the pan right before dropping the meat in. Don’t move the meat around in the pan. Just leave it in there. (You may gently press down the edges if they’re not in contact with the pan.)
If your cut of meat is about 1″ thick, cook for 3 minutes on one side, flip, and then cook for 3 more minutes on the other side. You should be at a beautiful medium rare. Subtract 45 seconds per side for rare. Add 45 seconds per side for medium. If you want more than medium, just get a burger.
If your cut of meat is about 1.5-2″ thick, cook for 3 minutes on one side, flip, cook for 2 minutes on the other side, and then place entire pan in the broiler on high for 3-4 minutes. You should be at medium rare.
Step 6:
Rest the meat. About 6 minutes is adequate. Leave the steaks on a plate somewhere relatively warm (but not hot) and don’t touch them for the next 6 minutes.
Step 7:
Dear Odin! This is the best part. Eat this beautiful hunk of meat that you’ve made.
Sides: A shit-ton of veggies. We love doing our 5 Quart Chopped Salad with our steaks.
Booze: Bold red wines or a smooth dark beer.
For weight loss: skip the booze and opt for a lean cut of beef.
