I thought about this the other night while cooking an AMAZING supper. In my younger days I thought the only way to cook a steak was to grill it. And my dad always told me, “you should only need to flip a steak once.” So for years that’s what I tried to perfect and I’ve grilled some REALLY good steaks. But often they got burnt on one end due to a flame-up or weren’t done consistently due to uneven heat. It wasn’t until I started cooking steaks in a cast iron pan, or even on the Blackstone that I realized I was doing it all wrong. Flat-surfaced full-contact is the way to go for a great sear and consistent heat. But what I really realized was the wrong advice was the “only flip once” thing. I’ve started to use the flip every 2 minute rule when cooking steaks in a pan, and it’s a game changer. We did some thick Costco special sirloins the other night. Brushed them in olive oil and a heavy kosher salt and black pepper seasoning and on to a lightly oiled cast iron pan over medium-high heat they went. Set a timer and flipped them every 2 minutes on the nose until an internal temp of 130. I then put them on a plate and tented them with foil and let the pan cool down a bit. I then added ghee (or you can use butter, but watch the temp) fresh garlic, shallots and two fresh rosemary sprigs to the pan and sautéed them for about a minute, put the steaks and any juices back in the pan and basted them for a couple of minutes. Gave them a final 10 minute rest under foil and dug in! I think I’ve achieved steak nirvana. The only thing I haven’t tried yet is sous vide and reverse searing, which I realize makes the most consistent done-ness, but just seems weird to me. Maybe someday – anyway, here’s a pic of the finished product.
Attachments:
Steak-1-scaled.jpeg
