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By Joseph Denison Carey

Steak is a go-to dish for a special occasion. Whether I've got a fillet, sirloin, ribeye, rump or hanger, here’s how I cook it at home for perfect results.

Steak is a real treat – a special occasion kind of meal. We all know we should be eating less meat, and these cuts can be expensive, so when we cook it at home it’s worth taking the time to get it right and make every mouthful count.

There’s lots of advice out there on how to prepare a steak properly, but here are some timeless truths that I always abide by to cook the perfect steak.

Choosing your steak

If you can, visit a good local butcher or the butcher’s counter in a supermarket – that way you’ll likely get more choice in terms of thickness, fat content and breed of beef. Plus, your butcher will be able to talk you through the different cuts they have and help you make the right choice depending on what you like.

There are five main cuts of steak – fillet, sirloin, ribeye, rump and hanger – and each differs slightly in flavour and texture. (You can read more about this below).

If you’re going all out, it’s hard to beat a dry-aged steak. Dry aging involves hanging the beef in a controlled environment to dry it out, which not only allows its flavour to develop but also tenderises the meat. This process can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months – the longer the beef is hung for, the more intense the effect. The only issue? Steaks that have had this treatment come with a heftier price tag.

Also pay attention to the marbling you can see in your steak. Marbling refers to those thin lines and specks of white fat that run throughout the meat and contribute to its juiciness, texture and flavour. Some types of steaks are more likely to have it (a ribeye will have more than a rump, for instance) and ideally you’re looking for a cut with very fine, subtle streaks of marbling – and plenty of it.

Preparing your steak

Take your steak out of the fridge for 30–60 minutes before you’re planning on cooking it to let it come to room temperature. For me, this is essential. Cooking the steak straight from the fridge means the centre will be so cold it won’t heat through evenly, and your steak could end up well done on the outside and undercooked in the middle.

There are lots of different schools of thought on when to salt your steak, but it's generally agreed that it needs to happen either at the last second before it goes into the pan or at least 40 minutes before cooking – not in between. This is because the salt will draw moisture out of the steak and it takes 40 minutes for that moisture to be reabsorbed into the meat.

If you salt in advance but don't give the meat enough time to suck those juices back up, the liquid that's been pulled out will sit on the surface of the meat and cause the temperature in the pan to drop when you cook it (which isn’t ideal as you want a screaming hot surface for best results). It also means you’ll struggle to get that delicious brown, caramelised crust.

Both options have their benefits: salting early means that the flavour of the seasoning will have seeped all the way through the meat, but doing it last minute is simpler and quicker, which helps if you're low on time or have got lots going on in the kitchen. Either way, make sure you give it a good sprinkle on both sides.

As for pepper, avoid adding it until the steak is almost cooked otherwise there’s a chance it could burn in the pan.

Get the pan ready

Use the heaviest pan you’ve got – ideally a cast-iron one – so that the heat is evenly distributed across the base.

Let it get really hot, then add a small amount of flavourless oil (like sunflower oil) and quickly swirl it around to coat the bottom lightly. You don’t want to use butter: it will burn and fill your kitchen with smoke. The same goes for extra virgin olive oil.

Get the oil good and hot, although not quite smoking. Look out for it starting to shimmer in the base of the pan – that’s when you know it’s ready.

Cooking the steak

Lay your steak in the pan and cook it for one minute, then flip it. After another minute, turn it again. And then again. There are lots of opinions on flipping steak – some people prefer to leave it be and only flip once, for instance. This is my preferred method though and it’s never let me down.

I also press the steak down with a spatula as it cooks to make sure that it’s getting maximum contact with the hot pan and forming that lovely deep brown crust on the outside. This browning process is called the Maillard reaction. It’s what gives food that sweet, roasted flavour, as the heat causes the sugars and proteins in the food to break down and caramelise.

Only cook one or two steaks at a time, depending on how big your pan is. Overcrowding the pan will make the temperature drop and your steak will just sweat rather than sizzle and brown.

Cooking time will depend on how thick your steak is. For your average 4cm-thick cut, the total cooking time will be 4–5 minutes for rare, 5–6 minutes for medium rare, 6–8 for medium and 10 for well done.

To check if your steak is cooked how you like it, temperature probes can be very helpful. Rare will be 52C, medium rare 55C, medium 60C and well done 71C. Alternatively, you could try the finger test that I demonstrate in the video below.

Resting

Resting the meat is a crucial step that people often neglect, but if you make the time you’ll be rewarded with a tender and juicy result.

See, while the meat was cooking, the muscle fibres constricted in the heat. As it rests, those fibres begin to relax and allow the juices to flow throughout the meat again. Cut it too soon and all those juices just flood out. If you want, you can cover the steak with foil to stop it cooling down but, personally, I don’t worry too much about this.

Once the steak is cooked, just take it out of the hot pan and set it aside for at least five minutes – ideally 10 – before you cut into it.

Deglazing

The juices and bits of meat stuck to the bottom pan after cooking are absolute flavour gold and can easily be turned into a delicious sauce by deglazing the pan. To do that, heat the pan back up again while stirring in liquid (wine, stock or even water will work) and allow it to loosen all those bits of tasty caramelised goodness. Help it along by giving the pan a scrape with a spatula, making sure you’re collecting as much flavour as possible, then let the mixture bubble and reduce.

Try some along the way to make sure it doesn’t taste burnt (sometimes, those meaty specks can go from deliciously charred to totally singed – in which case you’ll need to abandon this part). If it’s good, you can either pour over the steak as is or add in some fresh herbs, a knob of butter and even some cream. It’s the perfect sauce.

How to make…

• Garlic butter

• Peppercorn sauce

• Bordelaise sauce

• Creamy mushroom sauce

• Red wine sauce

• Blue cheese sauce

• Diane sauce

Different cuts of steak

Can't decide what type of steak to opt for? They differ in taste, texture and price. Here's what you can expect from them…

Rump steak

Rump is the cheapest of the main steak cuts, and its name gives away where it comes from: the back end of the cow. This muscle has to work harder than some others, which means it’s a little tougher than alternative cuts. With that in mind, it’s best served medium or medium-rare, so that the fat has enough time over the heat to melt. It’s one of the best-tasting steaks, thanks to its rich and meaty flavour.

Rib-eye

Rib-eye comes from near the ribs of the cow. One of the most desirable cuts, it’s tender and has a strong beefy flavour. It can be served rare but because of the thick circle of fat in the middle, chefs usually serve it closer to medium, which gives the fat time to soften and melt, adding to the texture and flavour.

Fillet

Fillet is a true premium steak. It’s expensive, often served blue (extra rare) or rare, and comes in small, thick portions. A fillet steak will be melt-in-the-mouth tender but won’t have the rich flavour of some other cuts because of its lower fat content.

Hanger (or onglet)

Sometimes called butcher’s steak, hanger steak has become more popular in recent years and is now a restaurant staple. It’s got a loose texture and often chefs will tenderise and marinate it before cooking. Usually, it’s served medium-rare, sliced up, and is great in tacos.

Sirloin

Sirloin has a lovely beefy flavour, especially if it’s been well aged. It’s known for its tenderness, but it needs to be cooked carefully to keep that texture: I’d recommend frying the sirloin on a really high heat and leaving it to rest for around five minutes.

Originally published February 2023