I'm always surprised at how many people ask me for advice on how to make a great steak!
When you compare the cost of cooking a steak at home vs. ordering a steak at a restaurant its probably the meal that gives you the biggest cost savings. And the best part is, it doesn't take much practice to absolutely nail that perfect Ribeye.
Here's my preferred method:
Step 1 - Find a great steak that's well marbled (hint: those little white specks of fat are where all the real flavor comes from), the more marbled the better. If you can find "Prime" that's ideal but you can do just as well by closely examining "Choice" cuts and being a little picky about which steaks you choose to buy. I typically buy my steaks bulk from Costco because they offer the best price/lb and I believe some of the best quality you can buy.
Step 2 - Make sure you bring it up to room temp before you cook it (15-20 min should do the trick).
Step 3 - Season appropriately, a little brush of oil first is essential to creating that nice bond with the cast iron skillet which is what will ultimately give you that great crust you are looking for. For me, the rest of the seasoning is simply salt, pepper and espelette pepper (optional).
Step 4 - Use a cast iron skillet and get it really hot, the sear is key to locking in all that flavor.
Step 5 - Learn your timing to get the temp just right. For an inch thick steak I usually start with 5min per side to get a good Medium Rare and add 1min per side for each temp up (e.g. 6min per side for Medium)
Step 6 - Let it rest. After you're done cooking, it needs to rest at least 5 minutes before cutting to let the juices redistribute.
Practice makes perfect but after just a couple of tries you'll be eating steakhouse quality steak at home while saving yourself hundreds of dollars per year.
