It is best to use a good seasoned cast iron skillet as they retain and conduct heat exceptionally well. A non-stick pan will do, but they warp over time if you use them on high heat.
The cut of steak is very important. If possible, use sirloin caps, tenderloin, New York cut, or such. ZamZ had a rump steak though, so we'll talk about that.
Any steak benefits from a marinade. This could be made with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, roughly crushed black or green peppercorns, a few drops of sesame oil. The steak should marinate at least for half an hour. For a tougher cut, even three hours is not too long. If you are going to marinate for a short period, then some shoyu (soy sauce) is a good addition. Do not soak in shoyu for too long or use salt however because this will draw moisture from the meat and cause it to dry out and toughen up.
When you are ready to cook the steak, preheat the skillet until it smokes or the non-stick pan until it seems really hot. Pour in a small quantity of the oily marinade and place the steak in the pan. Always put things in hot pans with your hand moving away from the body to reduce spurts of hot oil that could burn you.
Sear the steak on the first side for two to three minutes. With a pair of tongs, pick up the steak and flip it to the other side. The first side should have some charring.
About tongs. Always use tongs. Never use a fork to cook meat with. You will puncture it and lose the juices. Never cut into a steak to test for doneness. Press on the surface of the meat with the tongs and notice the resistance. Soft is raw to rare, firm is medium, hard is well-done (which is a terrible thing to do to steak).
After one minute, pick up the steak with the tongs. Hold it firmly and sear the four edges for around half a minute or a minute.
Put the steak back on its first or second side, whichever requires more charring for about half a minute.
Remove the steak and put it into a shallow bowl. Let the steak rest for at least ten minutes, preferably fifteen or twenty. It will continue to cook for a while and juices will escape. As the steak cools, the fibres shrink back and retain the rest of the juices.
While the steak is resting, pour off the fat from the skillet and return it to high heat. Scrape the fond, the burnt bits on the bottom of the pan. These are very rich in flavour. (If you are using a non-stick pan, use a wooden spoon.) Pour in a cup or so of red wine and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Stir the fond into the wine and let the wine reduce by half or two thirds.
Pour this sauce into a bowl for dipping or to ladle over roast potatoes. Add the juices around the steak from the bowl.
Transfer the steak to a wooden cutting board. Hold the steak at one end with your fingers. With a very sharp knife (I recommend Wusthorf-Trident or Henkel) slice the steak into extremely thin pieces. Slide the knife under the steak and gather all of the pieces together, holding it from the top with the other hand.
Transfer to a plate or platter that has been strewn with mesclun or other greens. Now would be the time to season, preferably with coarse sea salt and fresh black pepper.
Serve with the dipping sauce and perhaps a bit of Dijon mustard in another bowl. Roast potatoes, rice, crusty breads are all good accompaniments.
Served this way, a single steak will be enough for two people. So you can afford to buy a good cut. Don't be cheap. You're worth the expense.
How to Cook a Rare Steak
My Dad taught me how to cook a rare steak, and I'd like to share it, if I may. The same method can be used for a medium or well-done steak (if that floats your boat)
You need flame. I don't care where you get it from, but it's gotta be hot. I have a gas BBQ so that's what I use. It doesn't taste as special as charcoal, but it's easier to get the right temperature.
Good meat is essential. Tenderloin of beef is my favorite, T-bones are okay, striploins will pass with a push. It should not have been frozen. If you can, bug the butcher to cut it for you. An inch to and inch-and-a-half thick tenderloin is just perfect.
I know this will be difficult for some...but leave the meat alone. Don't marinate it, pound it or look at it funny. Leave it alone. Do Not Salt The Meat! No Salt! Not Even a Little! Trust me on this one. Salt sucks the juices out of the meat, osmosis and all that. So forget it.(If you absolutely MUST use salt...add it right before you serve the meal)
Now heat the grill. Light it, turn the burner(s) on bust and go inside to get the steaks. Get some tongs, some BBQ sauce if you fancy it and a beer. Drink the beer while waiting for the grill to get good and hot.
When the grill is really hot (I don't know how hot this is. Test the limits of your grill. Be brave.) put the steaks on. Now close the lid and set your watch for 3 minutes. Don't open the lid. It's like cooking rice, trust that the steaks are okay. After the 3 minutes, you can put sauce on the steaks if you want, flip them, and put the lid down again. Wait another 3 minutes. Remove the steaks from the grill and bring them inside. Turn off the grill...you're done with it. (If you want a medium or well done steak, cook the steaks longer) A rule of thumb for the doneness of meat is that rare will feel like your chin, medium will feel like the tip of your nose and well done will feel like your forehead.
Now make some salad while you let the steaks rest. This keeps all the juice from running out when you dig in.
Serve. Enjoy. Soak up the praise that your guests will lavish on you.
A little backstory on this one. My friend was over my house, we were fixing to make ourselves dinner (cooking with your friends can be great fun, you may find) and I had this fairly new steamer. Whatever the reason, he and I both decided we could go for some steak. Well, we put two and two together: we'd steam the steak! We scoured the Internet for some sort of recipe, but none was available. We worked out a recipe ourselves for something that, as far as I know, is totally original.
How'd it come out? It was fantastic. It was tender, juicy, and succulent. It was flavorful as well, but in a fashion different than that of a more orthodox steak.
Excepting the steamer, if you don't have this stuff, how the hell do you cook anything?
Anyway, you have all this stuff in front of you. Fill your steamer to the "high" level with water. You might not need that much, but it won't hurt anything.
Now, back to your steak, which has probably thawed a little. You'll probably have to break or saw the stubborn thing into several pieces to make it fit into your steamer. Jimmy it into the steaming bowl.
Assemble the steamer.
Now, of course, as any true steak afficionado will realize, you want the steak to be pink in the center. Now how fast you reach that depends on how fast your water heats up, how big the steak bits are, and all that, but anywhere from 25-45 minutes is my guess. Use your judgement.
Allez cuisine!
or
So maybe you read my recipe for steamed steak, but you want something more traditional. Maybe you don't have a steamer. Maybe you think "If you think I'm eating that you've got another think coming." Whatever the case may be, you want a different steak recipe?
Well, I aim to please.
You need this stuff:
Your steak can't be frozen, so thaw it first if need be.
Now, get your steak out and smear some oil, salt, and pepper on both sides. It's supposed to sit a while.
Lucky you, that gives you time to prepare your oven and your skillet. Place the skillet on the burner and turn the heat all the way up. Heat your oven to 500°F.
By the time that's done your steak will have sat enough, so plonk it on the skillet and let it cook for 30 seconds. Flip it and let it cook for another thirty seconds.
Now turn off the burner and throw the skillet in the oven. After 2 minutes, flip the steak over and close the oven. After an additional two minutes, take the skillet out (this should be obvious, but you need an oven mitt or towel, because the handle's around 500°F—hot enough to melt lead).
Let the steak sit 3 minutes. It's ready to serve.
This will give you a delicious, tender medium-rare steak. For medium, leave it in the oven 3 minutes per side. If you prefer medium-well to well-done, you might as well just microwave the damn thing.
If you like, eggs are a nice complement to either recipe.
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