Nothing beats sinking your teeth into a succulent steak, but it’s frequently a pricey cut of meat and can feel daunting to prepare without it becoming overdone or tough. Nevertheless, it’s genuinely straightforward to create a flawlessly seared steak according to a chef known as the Halal Food Guy, provided you avoid using olive oil. He explained: “A neutral oil with a high smoke point like vegetable or avocado oil is best. Avoid olive oil, as it has a lower smoke point and can burn, creating an unpleasant taste.”
Steak requires cooking at an elevated temperature to sear correctly, and cooking fats such as butter or oil start to deteriorate before the meat can achieve proper searing. This will lead to the steak developing a dreadful, acrid, burnt flavour and also make your kitchen extraordinarily smoky.
Nevertheless, avocado oil and vegetable oil possess a high smoke point, meaning they can tolerate intense heat without burning so you achieve a crispy caramelised crust on a steak, reports the Express.
How to correctly sear a steak
You will need:
- Steak
- Two tablespoons of avocado or vegetable oil
- Two tablespoons of butter
- Minced garlic
- Salt and pepper
Method
Initially, remove the steak from the refrigerator approximately an hour before cooking to allow it to reach room temperature. A chilled steak will not cook uniformly, resulting in the exterior overcooking whilst the interior stays undercooked.
You must also dry the steak for roughly 10 minutes before commencing cooking and dab the meat with kitchen roll. If there’s any dampness on a steak, it may steam rather than sear, which will affect both the taste and texture.
Begin by seasoning your steak with salt, which not only enhances the flavour but also draws out excess moisture. However, hold off on adding black pepper at this stage as it can burn during cooking.
After salting the steak, wait for an additional 10 minutes before patting it down again to remove any remaining moisture. Next, lightly drizzle avocado or vegetable oil onto the meat and rub it in thoroughly.
Now, it’s time to cook. Heat your pan on high and add a small amount of oil.
Once the pan is hot and the oil begins to sizzle, place the steak in the pan.
Resist the urge to move the steak around in the pan. Instead, press it slightly into the pan to help form a crust.
Allow it to cook undisturbed for three to four minutes, then flip it over.
Once flipped, let the steak cook for another minute, then reduce the heat for searing.
Add a generous dollop of butter and minced garlic to the pan. Due to its low smoke point, butter should be used solely for flavouring the steak, not for cooking it.
Allow the butter to melt, continuously tilting the pan to ensure the steak is fully coated for about four minutes. This should result in a medium-rare steak, but if you prefer it medium, baste the meat for a bit longer.
If you have a meat thermometer handy, a medium-rare steak will register at 53C, while a medium steak will be around 58C.
Once the steak is cooked to your liking, take it out of the pan, season it with pepper, and let it rest for five minutes. This step is crucial as it allows the juices to distribute evenly throughout the meat; if you slice it immediately, you’ll end up with a dried-out piece of meat.
After the resting period, your steak should boast a gorgeous golden-brown crust, while the inside remains juicy and perfectly tender.
