Like many of you, I’ve wrestled with the conundrum of cooking a steak the way I find at my favorite restaurants. I’ve attributed this to many circumstances: not being a professional chef, not marinating the beef correctly, not having the right equipment, or not being able to buy the right choice/cut of beef.

Recently I found all these reasons and more have nothing to do with my inferior cuisine – it’s just that I wasn’t aware of some very fundamental culinary rules. Moreover, I had the right “equipment” all along and could purchase good beef from my local supermarket or butcher. (You may still not be able to get the best of the best, but it will be more than satisfactory.)

So how does one cook the perfect steak? Allow me to elaborate…

Forget marinade, aging and all that mess; marinades aren’t necessary with a good cut of beef, and aging is something to be left to the pros (if you so wish, there are aging processes galore, but they take a lot of time and have to be done in a precise manner).

Start with a good cut of beef, USDA Choice (8 oz, about 1 inch thick) – the cut is up to you T-bone or tenderloin, sirloin or porterhouse. The beef should be fresh, not frozen or previously frozen and have a nice marbling of fat. (If your cut has an outer layer of fat along one side, this will be to your advantage.)

Begin by placing a pan (or grill pan if you have one at your disposal) on the stove top and drizzling a tiny bit of virgin olive oil inside. Set your stove on medium heat (turn the temperature selector half way between off and high). Cut a thin slice of margarine and place it over top of the virgin olive oil drizzle, then slowly slide around the pan to coat.

Leave the margarine to melt for a couple of minutes and the pan to reach the medium heat setting. While heating the pan, take your cut of beef and dash one side with salt and pepper then drizzle a drop or two of virgin olive oil over the side and gently rub it over the side of beef. Turn the steak over and repeat.

By now the pan should have reached medium heat; using tongs, carefully place the steak fat side down in the pan (if there is an exterior layer of fat) and balance it there for thirty to forty five seconds, then turn onto one side and let cook for four minutes (thicker steaks, about 2 inches, will need an additional three to five minutes).

Once the steak has cooked on one side for four minutes, flip it using tongs ONE TIME and one time only. Let cook for another four minutes on the other side (thicker steaks need longer, a total of seven to nine minutes on each side) and then let rest for half the total cooking time (you can remove them from the pan and place on a plate to rest or just turn off the stove).

Now you’re ready to serve a perfectly cooked steak!

Take a moment to read over the step-by-step again, take notice of using tongs, not a fork. Never pierce the cut before cooking or while you’re cooking. Putting the cut fat side down causes a reduction and adds to the flavor. Rubbing with virgin olive oil creates a wonderful caramelization, and helps to sear in the flavor. Letting your steak rest allows it the juices to “reverse” course from going to the center, back to the edges.

Oh, and for a wonderful breakfast treat, try my chocolate gravy recipe!

--Balance for Dads

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