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Cooking the perfect steak can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re new to it. When I first tried making steak at home, it was a disaster — so bad, I ended up with the worst case of diarrhoea that week.
To be honest, it took me a long time to get it right consistently. I’ve made so many chewy, undercooked, and even overcooked steaks. For something that seems simple — it’s just a slab of meat, after all — there are a surprising number of variables.
Now that I’ve mastered the best way to cook this red meat, it’s only fair to share it with you so you can cook it with more confidence and less confusion.
1. Type Of Cut
The first thing to consider when cooking steak is your cut. I recommend going for a high-quality piece of meat that’s about 2cm to 2.5cm thick. If you’re unsure which cut to choose — ribeye or sirloin are common options, but it’s important to know the difference so you can pick based on your preference.
If you prefer a leaner, tougher cut, sirloin is the way to go. It has smaller veins of fat and is slightly firmer compared to ribeye, which tends to have more fat, including a chunk in the middle and smaller veins throughout.
However, don’t confuse gristle with fat. Unlike fat, gristle is chewy, rubbery cartilage that doesn’t break down during cooking. A little bit is fine, and you can simply cut it out when eating, but too much can make your steak less enjoyable.
That said, don’t be afraid of seeing fat on your steak! Fat helps ensure your steak stays juicy and crisps up beautifully when cooked. So, essentially, fat is good!
2. Prepping Your Meat
Before cooking, let your steak sit out for 30 to 40 minutes to reach room temperature. This helps ensure it cooks evenly. Once thawed, it’s important to pat the meat dry before seasoning with salt and pepper.
Drying it prevents the salt from melting too quickly and helps avoid steam forming when the steak hits the pan. Also, be sure to use coarse black pepper to prevent it from burning during cooking.
3. Cooking Your Steak
When cooking your steak, it’s important to use a high smoke point oil like sunflower oil. Be sure to coat the meat, not the pan! Ideally, use a cast iron skillet, but any very hot pan will work.
Set a timer for 4 minutes (or longer, depending on your preferred doneness) and turn the steak every minute. During the last minute, add a small amount of butter to the pan, along with a few lightly crushed garlic cloves and sprigs of thyme or rosemary. This process, called basting, involves spooning the melted butter and herbs over the steak to moisten and enhance its flavour.
Here’s a quick guide to steak cooking times:
Rare: 3 minutes total
Medium Rare: 4 minutes total
Medium Well: 5 - 6 minutes total
Well Done: 8 minutes total
4. Resting Your Meat
The final step in cooking your steak is letting it rest. A good rule of thumb is to rest it for the same amount of time as you cooked it. Resting allows the muscle fibres to relax and the juices to redistribute throughout the steak. These juices are crucial, as without them, even the best cut of meat will taste dry.
Personally, we prefer to enjoy our steak on its own, but of course, you can always pair it with sauces like Béarnaise or anything else you like!
How do you like to pair yours?
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