Cooking Perfect Steak - The Secrets To Cooking Steak

The key to it is simplicity. No kidding - this is one of the easiest meals to make and I should know! Cooking perfect steak has been a goal of mine for many years...

Tip 1: Get the best quality meat you can afford. Take the time and find a good butcher in your area. I always buy my meat from a butcher rather than a supermarket because of 2 main reasons. Firstly, the quality is always better as the butcher specialises in meat. Secondly, a good butcher will always cut the meat exactly how you want it - no need to sift through plastic wrapped meat at the supermarket trying to find one that looks OK.

Tip 2: Choose a cut of meat that's appropriate for the cooking method. This bit is easy. I believe a key factor in cooking perfect steak is that you must grill it. And the best meat for grilling is one of the following (in descending order of quality, and usually price):

• Fillet steak
• Rib-eye steak (which is fillet steak on the bone)
• T-bone steak (sometimes called Porterhouse)
• Sirloin steak (sometimes called New York Cut)

Usually I like to buy a T-bone as that combines sirloin and fillet steak on the one bone. Of course, if I'm feeling flush with cash I'll go for a nice bit of fillet!

Tip 3: Thickness is vital when cooking perfect steak. If it's too thin then the meat ends up dry and tough. If it's too thick then the outside will be overcooked while the inside is still raw. Of course, if you like your steaks like that then you can ignore that last statement! Anyway, I find the ideal thickness is 1 inch or 2.5 centimetres. Your butcher will be happy to cut your steaks to this size for you.

...I'd just like to make a little tangent here and talk about liquid marinades. Some people love marinating their steaks before cooking and if you're one of them - great! Personally, though, I prefer my steaks plain (with the exception of a dry rub, which I'll mention in a minute). Usually the reason for marinating is to soften up the meat but if you get good quality meat to begin with, there's no need to soften it.

Another thing you should know is about fat - specifically the bit of fat that some steaks will have on them (most usually sirloin). Having some fat is very important to the taste so try to leave a bit on the meat. A little secret I've picked up with this is to make about 3 or 4 small, evenly spaced cuts into the fat (just down to where the meat starts). This will prevent the meat from curling up during cooking and ensure your steak is cooked evenly.

OK, back to the tips!

Tip 4: Before cooking your steak, make sure it is at room temperature, or even a little warm. Cooking steak straight from the fridge is a big no-no. It will just end up tough and dry. When meat is refrigerated all the fibres shrink up and they need time to relax and warm up before cooking. If your grill or BBQ has a warming rack then use it to warm the meat a little prior to grilling. I find about 2 hours on the kitchen bench is good, unless the weather is warm, then 1 hour is about right.

Tip 4½: Lately I've started using a dry rub on my steaks. I've found this really adds to the flavour. If you want to use a dry rub, I've found the best time to add this is about an hour after the steak is out of the fridge and an hour before cooking. This allows the rub to 'soak' into the meat. See below for a good barbecue dry rub recipe.

Tip 5: So you think you're ready to cook? Almost! Before you start, you need to make sure your grill is nice and hot, and seasoned with a little oil (I prefer canola oil - it's healthier ). Turn your grill up to its maximum heat and leave it until the oil starts smoking (another benefit of canola oil is you can heat it safely to higher temperatures). Once you see smoke, you're ready to start (after you read my final tip, of course!)

Tip 6: One final and very important tip when cooking perfect steak is to only turn it once! Don't be tempted to keep turning it thinking it will keep the juices in the meat. Not true! All you will do by continually turning it is letting the juices escape. Here is how I cook my steaks:

• Once the grill is hot, gently place the steak(s) onto the grill.
• WAIT(!) until you see a good amount of juices form on top of the steak (usually after about 5 minutes or so).
• Turn the steak over (don't worry about the juices that will run off).
• Turn the heat down on the grill to a little above medium. This will prevent the steak over-cooking.
• Wait until you see those juices again (should be about another 5 minutes).
• Remove your steak from the grill and, turning it over so that it's the same side up as when you started, place on a warm plate.
• Let the steak rest for about 5 minutes (cover with tin foil if you want to keep it warm). This is very important as it allows the fibres in the meat to relax and release all those lovely juices.

All that remains now is to serve your steak up with some side dishes of your choice, and enjoy!

With a bit of practice, you will find that you'll be cooking perfect steak with the best of them!

Barbecue Dry Rub Recipe

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl. I haven't included quantities as this is very much a matter of taste. Start with equal amounts and adjust as you like.

• Dried garlic powder
• Cumin powder
• Crushed black pepper
• Dried thyme
• Salt
• Paprika powder
• Chilli powder for some extra zing!

Mix together well and sprinkle over the meat, and then rub in well. Don't forget to do both sides! A good tip is to make up batch and store in an old jar in the cupboard.

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