The Best Ways to Cook a Steak at Home

There’s nothing quite like sinking your teeth into a well-seasoned and properly cooked steak. The flavor is robust, the texture is on point, and the smell is nothing short of divine. Did you know that you don’t have to eat out to enjoy a good steak? There are a few ways you can cook a good steak at home.

Grill Them

Grilling a good steak starts with choosing the right cut of steak. Everyone has their preferences, so choose your favorite and decide the level of doneness you want it to have. Once you have your meat, preheat your grill to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Brush your steak with oil and season it to your liking. Place the steak on the grill and sear it for three minutes on each side before lowering the heat, closing the grill lid, and continuing to cook it until it reaches your preferred doneness level. Finally, remove the steak and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before digging in.

Use Sous Vide

Temperature is key for successfully cooking a perfect steak. Sous vide can help you cook at a consistent and precise temperature. It’s essentially a temperature-controlled water bath that ensures your steak is the same temperature throughout. To cook a steak using sous vide, start by setting the water temperature. Set the temperature to 5 degrees below your preferred doneness, since you’ll sear it once it’s finished cooking. 

Then add salt and pepper to your steak before placing it in the bag. Add fresh herbs and butter to the bag before placing it in the sous vide to sit for at least 2 hours, up to 4 hours. Next, remove the bag, take the steak out, set it on a plate, and discard the bag and any liquid inside. Heat a cast iron skillet, add some olive oil, and sear the steak for 1 minute on each side. Rest the steak before cutting it.

On the Stovetop

You can cook a great steak on your stovetop as well. To begin, pat your steak dry and generously season it with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. The skillet should be very hot. Add oil to the pan and let it heat up before carefully adding the steak to the pan, releasing it away from you to avoid splashing hot oil on yourself. Leave it alone until it develops a nice brown color on the bottom and releases easily from the skillet. Repeat that process on the other side, about 3 minutes per side if you want a medium-rare steak. Other doneness levels will require different times. For extra flavor, add some butter and fresh herbs during the last minute of cooking. Remove the steak from the pan, cover it, and let it rest before serving.

Properly cooking a steak is a labor of love. It takes practice and patience to perfect your steak-cooking skills, but the results are well worth the effort. Enjoy the freedom that comes with customizing your rubs and marinades and cooking a good steak to your preferred level of doneness. You may find you like it better that way than what you’d get from most restaurants.

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