Cooking the PERFECT Steak

There is a bit of an art to cooking the perfect steak and everyone has their own variation to the rules. But we’d like to share with you what we think is the best way to cook your steak.

First things first is choosing the cut of meat. There are many varieties. And more than anything the choice comes down to personal preference.

• Rib Fillet (or scotch fillet depending where you’re from)
  Rib eye steaks consist of two muscles: the loin and the cap. It’s one of the most marbled and flavourful cuts of meat, which is why it’s many a butcher’s favourite. You can go wrong with Rib fillet. The marbling helps to keep the cut moist throughout cooking. Best served medium rare – medium but will tolerate being well done.
  
  
• Porterhouse (or sirloin)
  A strip steak with the bones removed. One of the advantages of porterhouse is that it cooks more evenly than its bone-in cousins. The disadvantages of removing the bone are that you lose some flavour. Be sure to keep the fat in place whilst cooking to counteract that. It’s also important to keep a close eye on porterhouse and not cook it beyond medium as it can dry out quickly.

• T-Bone
  Cut from the short loin across the cattle’s spine. It has sections of both the porterhouse and tenderloin muscles that are separated by a T-shaped bone. It’s a large cut of meat that’s tender and more flavourful thanks to the bone. The tenderloin and porterhouse can dry out quickly so this cut is best not cooked beyond medium.
  
  
• Rump
  Rump is from the hind of the animal and is a harder working muscle than others. Its a large flavourful muscle but can also be tender if cooked correctly. With little marbling be sure to leave the fat cap in place during cooking to ensure your steak doesn’t dry out too much. We recommend not cooking your rump further than medium well.

Now that you’ve chosen your cut of meat its time to get cooking.

1. Remove your steak from the fridge at least 10 minutes prior to cooking. This relaxes the connective tissue in your meat and makes for a more tender steak.
2. Season your meat well. Salt brings out the flavours in your meat.
3. Oil the steak. NOT the pan or the BBQ.
4. Make sure your pan/grill/BBQ is HOT! You want the steak to sizzle as it hits the grill. This seals in the juices and stops your meat from stewing.
5. Only turn your steaks once. When you see pools of moisture start to form on the surface of your steak that tells you it’s ready to turn.
6. Test for desired doneness.
7. Rest your steak before you serve it.

How do you know how long to cook it for? How do you test for desired doneness?
The only fool proof way to get your steak perfectly to your liking is to use a thermometer. But not everyone owns one or has the patience to test their steaks.

So as a rule of thumb you can follow the time guidelines below.