How to cook a steak at home: cuts, pan vs grill and internal temperatures

TUREFF• •0

A good steak at home needs three things: a hot surface, a thermometer and the patience to let it rest. You do not need a restaurant kitchen. This guide covers choosing the cut, cooking it in a pan or on a grill, and knowing when it is done.

Choosing a cut

Ribeye: well marbled with fat, rich and forgiving, which makes it the easiest for a beginner.
Sirloin (called strip or New York strip in some countries): beefy, a little leaner, with a strip of fat along one edge.
Fillet (tenderloin): the most tender and the leanest, with a milder flavour. Easy to overcook because there is little fat.
Rump and flat iron: cheaper cuts with plenty of flavour and a bit more chew.

Look for a steak about 2.5 to 4 cm thick. Thin steaks overcook in the middle before the outside has browned.

Before you cook

Take it out of the fridge 20 to 40 minutes before cooking. It will not reach room temperature in that time, but the surface dries a little and it cooks more evenly.
Pat it dry with kitchen paper. A wet surface steams instead of browning.
Salt it, either at least 40 minutes beforehand or just before it goes in the pan. Salting a few minutes before cooking draws out moisture that has not had time to be reabsorbed.

Cooking in a pan

Heat a heavy pan, ideally cast iron or thick stainless steel, until it is very hot.
Add a little oil with a high smoke point.
Lay the steak down away from you and leave it alone for a minute or two so a crust forms.
Turn it every minute or so. Frequent turning cooks it evenly and still browns well.
Sear the fat edge by holding the steak on its side with tongs.
Near the end, add butter, a crushed garlic clove and thyme or rosemary, tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steak.

For very thick steaks, sear in the pan and then finish in a low oven, or use the "reverse sear": cook gently in the oven first and sear at the end.

Cooking on a grill

Set up two zones: one very hot and one cooler. Sear over the hot side, then move the steak to the cooler side to finish without burning the outside. Keep the lid closed when finishing so the heat surrounds the meat.

Doneness by internal temperature

A digital probe thermometer, pushed into the centre from the side, removes the guesswork. These are typical final temperatures after resting; charts vary by a few degrees:

Rare: about 49 to 52°C, cool red centre.
Medium-rare: about 52 to 55°C, warm red centre.
Medium: about 57 to 60°C, pink centre.
Medium-well: about 63 to 65°C, a hint of pink.
Well done: about 68°C and above.

The temperature keeps rising after the steak leaves the heat, a few degrees for a thin steak and more for a thick one, so take it off a little before your target. Food safety agencies such as the USDA advise cooking whole cuts of beef to 63°C (145°F) and resting for at least three minutes. Many people choose rarer steaks; the risk is mainly on the surface, which the sear deals with. Minced beef is different and should be cooked through.

Rest, then slice against the grain

Rest the steak on a board or warm plate for about five minutes, or roughly half the cooking time. The juices settle and less runs out when you cut it.
Look for the direction of the muscle fibres, the lines running along the meat, and slice across them. Short fibres make each bite more tender, which matters most for cuts like flank, skirt and rump.
Season the cut surface with a little flaky salt.

Common mistakes

A pan that is not hot enough, giving a grey outside.
Crowding the pan with several steaks so the temperature drops.
Cutting into it straight away to check.
Judging doneness by time alone. Thickness, starting temperature and your hob all change it.

How do you cook your steak, and what is your favourite cut? Post your method or your questions in the comments.