The picture is of a sirloin steak with Chimichurri sauce. Below I offer tips on cooking the perfect steak, served with your favourite sauce.
The quality of the meat you choose is very important. A steak that has been dry-aged for 30 days and is between 3 and 4 cm thick is perfect in every way.
Bring the steak to room temperature at least one hour before cooking it.
Generously salt the steak and rub the salt into the meat as this cures the surface of the meat, leaving you with a tender and flavoursome piece of meat. You may salt it 24 hours in advance but one hour before cooking is quite enough time.
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Pat the steak dry and lightly salt it once more. You do not want to add pepper to your steak before cooking, it as the pepper will burn. Add pepper to an already cooked steak.
Put a heavy-based frying pan onto a high heat.
Add a knob or two of butter and rosemary/thyme/garlic, if you so wish.
Wait for the pan to heat up.
Add the steak to the pan and do not touch it for 2-3 minutes before turning it. Now hold the pan on a slight angle and baste the steak with the flavoured butter. Cook in this way for another 2-3 minutes to develop a golden colour and the most incredible aromas!
Stick the pan into the preheated oven for 4 minutes so that the steak heats through. It will not cook further if you allow 4 minutes!!
Remove the steak from the oven and remove it from the pan. Cover with tinfoil and a tea-towel. Rest for 10 minutes so that the meat can relax and absorb all the juices.
Slice the steak against the grain.
Serve with your favourite sauce.
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