Sometimes, you don't really want a steak recipe, but rather want a failproof technique to cooking the juciest piece of meat possible. That's where these hacks come in. From marinating the steak AFTER it's cooked to reverse-searing the meat, these tips will completely throw your steak-cooking habits for a loop. You've really never cooked a steak like this before.
There's no need to let your steak come to temperature before cooking it.
You may have been told to "always let a steak rest a room temperature for 30-60 minutes" before cooking it, but this is an unnecessary step. Just take your meat out of the fridge when you are ready to season and cook it.
Pepper just burns when it's cooked, says chef Tyler Florence, so wait to pepper your steak until it comes off the grill (or stove). Instead, simply salt the steak liberally, on both sides, with kosher salt. America's Test Kitchen recommends adding a little cornstarch too, as it dries out the meat's exterior, helps form a crust, and enhances browning.
Butter can often burn before your steak is seared. That's why it's recommended to cook it with a fat that has a high smoke-point, like lard (or clarified butter or tallow). The benefit of using a rendered fat from the animal is more meaty flavor!
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Leave it to Gordon Ramsay to come up with an easy method to know a steak's doneness by feel over a thermometer. For rare steak, the meat should resemble the flesh on your cheek. Medium feels like your chin. Well-done is just like your forehead.
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According to Tyler Florence, grill marks are not sexy. They signify a burnt piece of meat. What you're aiming for is actually to caramelize the exterior of the meat, in what's called the Maillard reaction.
Another myth to debuff: you should only flip the steak once per side. Top Chef's Tom Colicchio recommends turning the steak a total of six times while it's on the grill (grill it for three to four minutes on each side, including the edges).
This is by far the hardest part of cooking a steak. You must let the meat rest for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to soak back into the muscle tissue (versus seep out and onto the plate). Creating a little foil tent will help keep the meat warm.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts
Instead of going for the traditional method of pan searing the steak first, then finishing it in the oven, the Cooking Illustrated team recommends the opposite. Slow roast the steak in the oven at a low temperature, then sear it over the stovetop for the last few minutes. The result is perfectly-cooked, tender meat with a crisp, caramelized exterior.
Marinating steak before cooking is actually a pain if you think about it. It makes it harder for the steak to sear plus the sugars in the marinade stick to your pans and grill and burn. Marinating the steak after it cooks (and while it rests) is actually the best time. The steak soaks up all those lovely flavors plus the marinade doubles as a succulent sauce.