When it comes to dining out, there’s something about ordering a steak that feels like a wonderful – albeit often expensive – treat.
But replicating that tender, juicy, restaurant-quality flavour in your own kitchen is a task that’s often easier said than done.
It’s all too easy to overcook the meat, leaving it tough and flavourless, but Gordon Ramsay says the key to cooking the perfect steak is all about the sear – and adding one ingredient will ensure the meat will be beautifully moist and full of flavour.
The renowned celebrity chef says it’s important to get your steak out of the fridge at least 10 to 15 minutes early before cooking and to add your seasoning before it hits the frying pan.
According to Ramsay, around 30% of seasoning is lost when cooking so it’s important to be generous with it to ensure it’s sealed with flavour.
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So you should coat the steak in a decent helping of sea salt, black pepper and any other herbs and spices you like, before adding it to the pan, laying the meat away from you to avoid any splash from the cooking oil.
Ramsay then turns the pan heat down before adding half of a bulb of garlic to the pan – without peeling – along with some fresh thyme. The steak should then be turned over to sear the other side.
Explaining the cooking process in a video on YouTube, he explains: “The temperature of that meat is still quite cold so when you turn it over, just turn the gas up a little bit to make sure we concentrate on that beautiful sear.
“Use your tongs and push down. Take advantage of that beautiful base, that incredible non-stick and more importantly, the heat that’s been conducted in the pan. It is so important, especially the sear, and that helps differentiate between boiling a steak and searing a steak.”
Once the steak is seared on the top, Ramsay says you should go back and lightly season the meat once again with fresh salt and fresh pepper, before adding a splash of oil.
Ramsay then says you should turn the heat down and add two knobs of butter to the pan. Butter is important as it will help prevent your steak from turning dry, so as it melts in the pan, repeatedly baste the meat with the butter to help enhance its flavour and lock in moisture.
He explains: “Now I go with the butter and this is where you make too many mistakes where the butter goes in too early, and more importantly, it starts to burn.
“I’m going to turn down the gas now, because I’ve got the heat in the pan, and all I do is add the butter and baste that beautiful steak. Tilt the pan down and baste. Baste, baste, baste.
“I’m going to sit it there, turn the gas right down and just let it beautifully caramelise and get that nice sear, it’s so important. Let that rest, turn the gas off and then just literally every two or three minutes baste it again. Just baste. Nothing more, just baste. And so as that sits, it’s absorbing all that flavour and more importantly, it’s relaxing.”
After allowing the steak to rest for five to 10 minutes, Ramsay adds: “It’s rested and I’ve retained all of that beautiful moisture in my steak.”