preparing a perfect steak at home

I am wondering about the title. There must be millions of similar title on the web.
actually just over a million

What bring me to write about how to prepare a piece of steak is for the longest time I have no idea how to prepare one. Now I do and I want to share my techniques. Only since about a year ago that I began to discover a few techniques behind preparing one. The biggest realization is you want very high temperature to preparing a piece of steak. I found using a cast iron skillet give me the most control and most consistent result. I don't claim to be an expert in this subject matter. I am sure there are better procedures and some entails using different equipment. What I share here is a procedure that involves simple common cookware and equipment that can result in a piece of steak better than the odds of getting one better in a restaurant (unless you are in hedge funds).

My choice of the cut primarily based on the cost versus the taste of the end product. I generally buy New York strip. New York strip comes out from the section of the cut that also yield the highly coveted porter house cut. In a porterhouse (aka t-bone) steak there is really two steak in one. On one side of the bone is the New York strip, and on the other is the tenderloin.

I do my best to select one with good marbling. It is not always an option unless you have ready access to a real butcher shop (and I don't).

I trim off most of the fat that you should find on one side if the steak has not been compromised. I leave about 1/8 inch however. This way the whole steak is edible for your guest and they don't have to struggle to carve off the excess fat. The most important purpose is I minimize the excess oil smoke while searing it in the skillet.
this is just one from Costco - i like their thick cut (about 1 1/4 inch)

I cannot tell you how many time I see in supermarket's meat counter where they have these over-priced pieces of steak with the edge wrapped with bacon. Don't waste you money. The bacon do nothing to keep the steak moist. This is just a sell up scheme to fatten the profit margin.

next I tie a string around the perimeter of the strip steak - this keep the steak tight together; this step is optional

Next season both side of the steak with generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. I use Morton's kosher salt like most chefs do. It has the right grain size and very nice mouth feel. If you done the seasoning right your guests would likely not need to add pepper or salt.
i save a small piece of beef fat for use to grease the cast iron skillet

When I used to had no clue about how to cook a piece of steak I tried the most obvious - grill it in a barbecue grill. Problem is it is quite hard to get the grill hot enough, and even if it is it is a lot for work tending to the grill and the meat through out the cooking process.

Next I start a small char coal fire in my Weber. I use the Weber to finish off cooking the steak as well as grilling some vegetable. You can do this step in an oven.

i use this skillet for it's generous flat area; i preheat it with the small burner set to high heat for about 2 minutes

i don't bother to measure the temperature; all i can say it is at least 500 F or much higher it is at least 850F; next I slide the piece of beef fat (that I trimmed off earlier) to release the fat onto the surface of the pan

You only need a thin coat of fat because once the steak is being cook it will continue to release a lot of fat. If you happen to stuck with a very lean piece of steak you would want a thicker coat of fat in the skillet.
as the skillet is very hot you want to put in the piece of steak immediately

The most common mistake of inexperience cook is to mess with the meat too much. It is important to leave the steak alone until the side is properly browned and almost reach the doneness you target. It will release a lot of oil smoke and this step is best done outdoors unless you have a commercial grade (by that I mean ones used in restaurant kitchens) range hood.

i use a old fan to blow away the oil smoke - note that the air stream from the fan is aimed well above the skillet so i don't cool the steak or the skillet

i used a piece of paper napkin to blot off the excess fat pooling on the skillet; they don't do anything except creating more smoke

 here you see the excess fat has been removed and there is much less oil smoke

 i like to check the doneness of the steak by pressing with my finger - easy, reliable, and least fuss

do not be too alarmed with the burnt appearance of the steak - you will like the crusty result; for this steak each side takes about 2 minutes (i never time it); often once the second side is well underway I back off the burner a bit

There is no need to weight down the steak with a store bought steak iron to keep it flat. The last thing you want to do is to press it with a spatula. Doing so will cause the meat juice to escape and you end up with a cardboard like steak.

Note that I don't use a steak skillet with ridges on the bottom. I think my method give the most crusty surface and also with the least of liquid loss. Steak house like to have the grill mark mainly because people like the appearance.

There is often the debate if by searing the steak surface you actually seal in the juice, hence prevent them from escaping during cooking. My experience is it does and you can see some evidence later.

While the steak is being seared I grill some vegetable. I recently ran out of vegetable in the refrigerator except a few bunch of scallions. I thought why not grill them. It is a stroke of genius and the idea came from watching how people in Southern Spain will wrap some large onion family in newspaper and drench them with olive oil and burn them in a hot wood fire.
i just drizzle generous amount of cooking oil onto the scallion, then sprinkle with black pepper and salt

the purpose of putting the steak is to finish the cooking and also give the 4 side of the steak a better chance to be cooked a bit; i do this with the Weber lid closed

it only take a few minutes in the grill; once you remove it you want to let it rest for a few minutes; i use this time to saute up some baby bokchoy

i like a lot of garlic, and season it with some Thai fish sauce and black pepper

i like to eat my steak with a lot of vegetable as my digestive system appreciate it

here you can see there isn't a pool of liquid in the plate; the steak is very tender and moist and the outside is deliciously crusty

this shot reminds me of the scene in Matrix - even I am amazed with the remarkably similar appearance and doneness

I would confess that it was seeing this scene that I realized what a very well prepared steak should look and taste; Matrix is one of the best sci fi movies ever made


usually by now I am so satisfactorily full ad the remainder is a bit of a grind

Of course what can make a better steak is access to dry aged steaks as the reputable steak houses have. It is typically very difficult for home cooks unless you have ready access to a true old school butcher shop. Not too many of these business survive in the new economy.

A note on how to clean the cast iron skillet. I know what I do would come across as heresy for the self-professed country cooks that use cast iron cookware day in day out. I spray it with a strong jet of water from my garden hose nozzle to blast off the oil and food matter while it is red hot. Works like a charm. I have yet to crack one yet. I do this mainly because there is little time to keep the oil and food from the residue heat while I move onto the next step of the meal preparation.