Amazing Steakhouse Quality Steak

I love steak, but since I don't have an outdoor grill, I never felt like I could get that truly delicious, mouth-watering quality of restaurant steaks. After a little research, and reading up on what makes a good steak, I discovered this recipe. My steak were never bad before, but they were not close to this good.

The ingredients are simple, and the recipe is straight forward. It does require special equipment (a cast iron or other oven safe skillet), and close attention and timing, but it is a relatively simple process for great results.

Try it yourself and see what I mean!

A delicious steak dinner starts, of course, with the quality of the steak being cooked. It doesn't matter how brilliantly you cook a substandard steak, it will never match up with good quality meat in terms of taste or value. Yes, quality cuts are more expensive than the value packs you can get at the store, but if you really want an exceptionally tasty main course, you have to budget for the more expensive cuts.

I'm not saying you need the choicest fillet Mignon, but if you are picking up the cheapest cut of meat at your grocery that looks vaguely steak-like you will never have a restaurant quality meal no matter how well you can cook.

You've heard that old cliché a chef is only as good as his/her ingredients? Well, it's a cliché because it's true. Cooking talent will get you far, but if you are cooking with something that a local greasy spoon diner would turn their nose up at, you are not going to get steakhouse results no matter how miraculous you are in the kitchen.

Okay, enough preaching. On to how to tell the good from the bad.

You generally want a thick, even cut. Thin slivers under an inch thick won't be optimal for cooking. The steak should be marbled with fat but not overly fatty. The marbling and overall look of the meat depends upon what type of steak it is, AKA what part of the cow it has been cut from. To see a more detailed review of how to select your perfect steak, check these links.

Seasoning

While using a pepper mill instead of pre-ground pepper isn't strictly necessary, it does help add to the freshness and flavor of the pepper. I use a mill for everything that doesn't require a precise measurement, so I can grind my black pepper fresh and as needed. It does make a difference in taste and many mills are not much more expensive than pre-ground pepper.

For a more interesting flavor in this recipe, use a multicolored peppercorn mill versus strictly black pepper. The one I use grinds black, white, green, and pink pepper together. Each color imparts a slightly different taste for a more interesting and flavorful result.

Other, more exotic, spice combinations will work with this recipe, as well, if there is something you particularly like you use to season you steak or you just want to get creative.

Make sure you season both sides of your steak and put the seasoning on AFTER you have rubbed on the olive oil. Otherwise, you'll have uneven seasoning (if you don't just rub off the seasoning altogether).

Steaks

Be sure to set out the steaks before you preheat the oven to allow them to come to room temperature. The best steaks aren't put in the pan or on the grill still cold.

Resting after cooking allows the juices to settle and makes for a more flavorful, more juicy steak.

Note: the Prep time for this recipe includes allowing the steaks to come to room temperature and heating the pan.

While a cast iron skillet is not essential for this dish, an oven safe skillet or frying pan is. Cast iron are generally excellent quality and highly recommended by cooking experts.

Be forewarned, cast iron cookware is not dishwasher safe, should not be left to soak in dishwater, and often needs to be seasoned before use. However, the benefits of these pieces far outweigh the inconveniences.

Although the best steakhouse steaks can stand on their own, a tasty steak sauce can often compliment a well prepared dish.