Many struggle with cooking steak just right, whether they prefer theirs medium rare, medium, or well done.
People can often undercook it or overcook it and be left with some pretty dry meat.
Luckily, Gordon Ramsay has shared how people can pull it off with ease when they incorporate one ingredient.
Gordon is said to be a fan of filet of beef, aka beef tenderloin or filet mignon, a cut prized for its yielding texture but one that can easily dry out if overcooked.
To avoid this, the chef always aims to keep the cooking environment moist. To cook a steak, Gordon likes to sear his beef filets to develop a “flavourful crust”, he told Tasting Table.
After flipping the steak a few times to ensure even cooking, he adds to the pan garlic, herbs, and his secret ingredient – chicken stock.
So why add stock? Well, it has three benefits. The liquid restores the steak’s moisture lost while searing, loosens fat that has stuck to the pan, and steeps the garlic and herbs, coaxing out the full range of their flavours.
Plus, when the chicken stock reduces in the pan, it “becomes an intense sauce that amplifies the flavour of the steak” once plated.
This stock technique works well with filet as it is such a lean cut of beef, but it can be used for any cut of steak.
While “the choice of chicken stock may seem odd” as you are cooking steak, Gordon said he uses it because of the “delicate natural flavour” it has.
However, those who are after a stronger beef flavour can switch it out for beef stock.
For those who don’t have stock to hand, Gordon often uses butter when cooking his steaks.
He said that the steak goes “really nice and brown” when it is basted in butter, but make sure the pan is oiled so it doesn’t burn.
Once the steak is cooked, the oil and butter combination can be saved for your roasted potatoes or veg later on.
