A Simple Steak Done Right

We all marvel at wonderful steakhouses like Peter Luger's or CUT, where we can get a very expensive, but equally delicious piece of meat that transcends our normal steak experience. Then again, I think the "normal" steak experience might be at a bistro or non-specialized place like Denny's or even Daily Grill. Nothing inherently wrong with those except that those steaks might actually be even more of a rip-off than the higher-end. Thing is, prime meat is still atrociously expensive even at specialty stores and high-end grocers like Gelson's or Whole Foods. I believe a pound of Prime, aged ribeye at Whole Foods will run you $26 a pound.

I've always been a believe that you can almost always do it better at home, and I was out to prove it one evening when my dad told me they had an extra New York steak strip leftover from the holidays. This juicy piece of meat was definitely not Prime-grade; neither was it well marbled or dry/wet aged. It probably came from Costco or Vons for all I know, but it didn't matter. I was determined to make a steakhouse quality steak.

First the meat - wrapped from its inception and sitting on the counter cooling down. This is one of the most important steps of good steak, or any beef roast/grill. Let it come to room temperature. Don't worry about flies or animals (like pouncing dogs) getting at it. Put it safely on your countertop and just wait for an hour or two. Seriously - half of your cooking will have been done for you at this point.



Next comes your devices for cooking. These are the requisite items, in my opinion. First a cast iron skillet. I got this thing at the local Marshall's on sale for $10. It isn't much more brand new at Sur La Table. Get one - it's the best investment in cookware you can make for the money (other than a very good frypan/saute pan from All-Clad), and make sure it's well seasoned (greased). Next the carving device. I absolutely love my Daniel Boulud approved Sabatier that I got at CutleryandMore.com. This ten inch hunk of a chef's knife will cut through anything, especially with the help of my handy-dandy Wusthof sharpener and a nice honing steel to make sure it can cut through carrots and bones with ease. No cook should ever start with a dull knife.




Also you can't forget a nice set of Oxo tongs that are tough and will grab pretty much everything. Don't use a fork as this will puncture the meat and spill the juice.


My girlfriend Christine will probably laugh at my wannabe toughness in this shot but I was trying to exude the personality of those badass French butchers in Les Halles, Paris.


You need two seasonings: fresh ground pepper and salt. No marinate. No A-1. That's it.

Season your meat generously on all sides and heat up the pan like below for about...5-7 minutes. It will get very smokey - this is good. Make sure your stovefan is on to suck up the awesomeness that will proceed after you sear the meat.



There should be a hefty sizzle when you put the steak on.

Just let it sear and brown. The rest of the cooking will happen in the broiler. (oh btw, preheat your broiler).

Don't forget to sear the sides too!

Next, throw the thing into your broiler. Make sure you have heavy towels when holding that cast iron skillet - it is extremely hot and will only get hotter in the broiler!
After a few minutes, maybe 5 or 6, take it out and put it on your cool cutting board.
Cover with aluminum foil and let it sit for 10 minutes to let the juices subside.




After - just cut it like they do at Palm Steakhouse and enjoy with one or two simple sides like mashed potatoes or corn, like I have in this photo. In my excitement, I couldn't pull off a clean shot of the medium inside, but here's my best:

You can see it wasn't a great piece of meat with that gristle, but it didn't matter. The flavor was excellent - almost burnt on the outside, but rich and tender. You could just pick up each piece and it eat it with your fingers. If I had a better piece of meat and even more time to let the meat get to room temperature (I waited about 45 minutes), I could have seared the meat quicker and kept it in the broiler for less time and gotten a perfect medium rare. Then again, I might've needed a thicker steak for that too. In any case, when you're craving meat, sometimes the best way to do it is right in your own kitchen.