now you know: perfectly seared steak

     Growing up, I was never a huge fan of steak. I found it chewy, tasteless, and hard to swallow. Now on the other hand, I LOVE the tenderness, juiciness, and full on flavor steak has to offer. Looking back on it (no offense, Mom and Dad!) I know my previous feelings towards red meat was because it was often overcooked to hockey puck status and not tenderized or marinated quite correctly.

     I know a lot of people share the same experience. This post will help you to appreciate steak way more than you do now! And if you are already a steak lover then this post will give you some tips on bringing your steak to a whole new level of deliciousness!

     Now, I understand not everyone will want to cook to medium rare like I do. That is fine. It's certainly my preference but by no means necessary. But I am here to tell you that medium well and well done does not need to equal chewy, dry, and flavorless. No matter the degree you cook your steak to there are a few things you can do to prevent dry, gross meat from hitting your plate.

one of the first steps, marinating, leads to...

...the best compliment there is, a plate licked clean!

     Look at the above picture on the right. That is my boyfriend's plate after we were done eating. Now look at the main picture of this post at the top of the page. See all that juice on the plate? Big difference in plates! There's no better compliment on your cooking than someone licking their plate clean and there is no better way to end your meal than licking your own plate clean! To achieve this you need to tenderize, marinate or dry rub, sear on a very high heat, and finally on a slightly lower heat cook it until it reaches your desired temperature.

     The great news is that cooking steak is pretty flexible. You can flavor it with whatever you like and this will be evident as you read on. So simple. So good. Details below!

Seared Steak
Prep Time: ranges from 25 minutes to 2 hours
Cook Time: ranges from 7 minutes to 15 minutes
Servings: 1-2 people per steak, depending on size

You Will Need:

• cut of steak of your choice (I used sirloin tender)
• marinade OR dry rub of your choice (I used MOMO dressing's maple ginger marinade, you may make your own, buy a pre-made one like I did, or use whatever spices [salt and pepper, cayenne, paprika, etc] to make a dry rub)
• 1 TBS oil of your choice (I used coconut oil)

1. Tenderize your meat. You can do this yourself by using a meat tenderizer or poking holes all over with a fork, or take the easy way out like I did and get your butcher to do it when you buy it.
2. Marinate or dry rub your meat. If dry rubbing, take your spices and simply rub all over. Let rest in your fridge, covered, for about 20-30 minutes. If marinating, pour your marinade into a ziploc bag and add the steak, closing air tight (see above photo). Move the marinade around to cover steak. Let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour to (preferably) 2 hours, flipping the bag over every 30 minutes.
3. Put a heavy bottomed pan on the stove at high heat and add oil. Make sure oil coats the pan. Wait a minute or so for the pan to get really hot (to test if it is ready, wet your hand and flick water into it. If it sizzles it is ready. If not, give it a little more time).
4. Place steak in the pan (it will sizzle beautifully!) and after about 1 minute flip to sear other side for an additional minute. 
5. Lower heat slightly to medium-high and let cook for an additional 3-6 minutes (least time being medium rare, most time being well done). Flip and cook to the matching additional amount of minutes as your first side.
6. Remove from heat and slice against the grain to prevent chewiness. Remember, if you let it sit uncut for any period of time after removing from heat it will continue to cook slightly.
7. While cooking, resist the urge to cut open to check the meat in the middle. This lets out all the delicious juice and leads to dry meat. Try to get used to pressing down on the meat in the middle and feeling for if it is still raw or rare in the middle. If you must cut, do it at the end of the steak, not directly in the middle, and sear it off immediately to lock in juices if your decision is to cook it further.

What is your favorite marinade or dry rub to put on steak?