How to Really Season Your Steak Every Time

Most of us have been taught to season our steaks with a generous dose of salt and pepper just before we cook them. But as Michael Ruhlman points out, this isn’t the best way to season your steak.

Think about a steak made from a high-quality cut of meat, like a rib eye or New York strip loin. The meat itself is loaded with fantastic flavor that you can taste even when it’s cooked rare. So why would you want to cover up those flavors with something as aggressive as salt and pepper?

Instead, try seasoning your steak well in advance—at least 45 minutes, but up to 24 hours if you can. Pat the steak dry, then rub it all over with kosher salt, pressing the salt into the meat so it adheres. Wrap the steak in plastic and refrigerate it while the salt works its way deep into the meat. Then, just before cooking, rinse off any excess surface salt (which will prevent browning), pat dry again, and proceed as usual. You’ll get an evenly seasoned piece of meat that’s perfectly browned on the outside without any harshness from seasoning too close to cooking time.

It’s not just the type of meat and how you cook it. We asked chefs to share their secrets for making a great steak.

1. Get the right cut: “A typical cut of steak is not going to be flavorful enough on its own,” says chef Bill Telepan, executive chef at Telepan in New York City. Ask your butcher for advice on the best cut, but generally speaking, he suggests a hanger, flatiron or skirt steak.

2. Be generous with salt: It might seem obvious that salt enhances flavor, but when it comes to steaks, “it’s actually impossible to over-salt,” says chef Michael Cimarusti, executive chef of Providence in Los Angeles.”

Meat, in and of itself, has little to no taste. That’s why we season it with salt and pepper before cooking it. But what happens when you cook that meat? The seasoning falls off. You see, the secret to really great tasting meat is seasoning it AFTER it cooks. How do you do that? Simple, use a good steak sauce.

But if you’re like me, you may not want the taste of steak sauce on your steak all the time. I remember this one particular meal that I went out to eat at a restaurant and ordered a New York strip steak with shrimp scampi on top of it. The waiter said that I would love the combination, but I was apprehensive. I was afraid of losing the flavor of my beautiful New York strip steak to some shrimp and butter sauce. Well, to my surprise it tasted awesome! Why? Because the chef had sautéed his shrimp in garlic and herbs and then deglazed the pan in butter and made a yummy sauce for it. So he had seasoned his New York strip steak after cooking it with a delicious savory buttery garlicy herbaceous sauce!

Then it dawned on me… Why don’t we do

The first step to perfect steak is choosing the right cut of meat. A thick-cut New York strip, ribeye or tenderloin is your best bet. Next, you’ll need to choose your seasonings. For a basic steak seasoning recipe, mix salt and pepper together or try our Steak Seasoning Recipe. You’ll also want to pick a cooking method and get your grill or skillet nice and hot.

Brush the steaks lightly with olive oil; this will help your seasoning stick to the meat and create a beautiful crust as it cooks. Season each side generously with salt and pepper (or whatever seasonings you prefer) just before cooking. We recommend using a pepper mill to grind fresh peppercorns over the meats — this method results in better flavor than pre-ground pepper.

To get that perfect sear on your steak, make sure you have a hot grill or pan before adding the meat. If you’re using a gas grill, preheat it until it reaches high heat (450°F). On an electric grill, preheat until lightly smoking. If you are searing in a skillet on your stovetop, heat the skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes before adding the steak.

Place the

Ever wonder how to get that perfect crust on your steak? Well, we have a trick for that.

First things first: you’ve gotta start with a great piece of meat. We like to season our meat with salt at least an hour before we plan on cooking it. That way, the salt has time to do its thing and really flavor the meat.

Now about that crusty exterior. It’s all about making sure the pan is nice and hot before adding the steak. You can test it by throwing a drop of water in the pan. If it sizzles, you’re good to go! There are two important rules to keep in mind when searing a steak:

1. Never poke or press down on your steak while it’s searing. This will cause all of those delicious juices to run out and leave you with a dry steak! And nobody wants that!

2. Don’t move the meat around while it’s searing! Let one side sear until ready (about 4-5 minutes) and then flip once, leaving alone until cooked through (another 3-4 minutes).

Once your cut of meat has reached your desired doneness, remove from heat and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. The resting period

The following is a very simple method for seasoning a steak that will make it taste really good.

First, get your steak and put it on the counter. Make sure it’s room temperature.

Second, put some kosher salt on the meat side of your steak. Use about a half teaspoon per person. Then, sprinkle some black pepper on the same side of the steak.

Third, rub the salt and pepper into the steak with your fingers or palm to make sure they stick. I usually like to rub in a clockwise direction, but you can do whatever feels right to you.

Fourth, throw the steak on the hottest part of the grill and let it sit there until it’s done to your liking. It should be at least medium rare or medium to get that deep, rich flavor you’re looking for. If you cook it more than that, you’ll start losing some of those juices that are so important to making this dish delicious!

Fifth, take it off and let rest for five minutes before serving with whatever sides you want! Enjoy!

Steaks are really easy to make and they’re a great way to get your protein. You can use any cut of steak that you like, but we strongly recommend using flank or skirt steak. The key is in the seasoning and making sure that you let it sit for a while before grilling or cooking in a pan on the stove.

When you season a steak, make sure that you season it very liberally with salt and pepper. Then, place it in the refrigerator for about an hour and pull it out 20 minutes before you start cooking it. This will allow the seasoning to soak into the meat, which will make it taste even better.

Once your steak is seasoned and you are ready to cook it, get your pan extremely hot. You should be able to see smoke rising from the pan when it is hot enough. When this happens, add some olive oil to the pan and then add the steak (it should sizzle loudly). Cook for about two minutes on each side and then flip once more and cook until it is browned on all sides.

Leave a Reply