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Succulent steaks
Appears in
By Lucy Cufflin
Published 2013
Follow a few golden rules to cook the perfect steak at home.
- Buy good quality steak More expensive does not necessarily mean better meat. Look for flesh that is maroon, not pink, with fat that is yellowish, not white. This means that the meat has aged sufficiently for it to be tender and tasty. Butchers generally sell well-hung or aged meat as it is their trade, but supermarkets tend to stock pink meat with white fat because consumers tend to think this is fresh, and fresh equals good. We are wrong. They are now offering us ‘aged’ meat at a premium. Have a look on the ‘quick sell’ counter as the meat here is often perfect – not only do you get a bargain, you also get better steak!
- Leave the fat on Fillet, of course, has no external fat, but sirloin, rib eye and t-bone do. Leave the fat on while you cook. It has bags of flavour.
- Never season with salt before cooking Salt draws the juices from the meat so if you season pre-cooking the juices will run in the pan and stew the steak, resulting in a tough, less juicy piece of meat. It is fine to season with pepper before cooking.
- Use a thick based or ridged pan This will keep the heat high when the steak is cooking and distribute it evenly throughout the pan.
- Allow the pan to get very hot Drop a tiny bit of fat into the pan and see if it smokes. If it doesn’t, leave it to get hotter. If the pan is not hot enough the steak will release its juices and stew rather than fry, and be less tender.
- Oil the steak, not the pan The steak needs a little oil as lubricant, but not much. Use an oil with a high cooking temperature (sunflower, vegetable or corn). Do not use butter or olive oil.
- Cook for the correct time Get a digital minute timer or use the one on your oven – a minute is sometimes much longer than you think!
- Leave the meat to ‘relax’ This is the golden rule, the one that will change your steak from good to great. Once cooked, lay the steaks on a piece of foil, season with salt and wrap up. Leave to stand for 10–15 minutes. Meat fibres contract in direct heat, away from the heat the fibres relax. When you open the parcel, you will see some meat juices – add these to your sauce or pour over your steak.
- Cook ahead Cook a steak up to 30 minutes ahead if necessary. Wrap the foil parcel in a clean tea towel, which acts as a blanket keeping the steak warm. It will not carry on cooking. If you are serving it with a hot sauce, make sure it is piping hot. Cook ahead and get the smells out of the way!
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