basic good steak

2006-04-12-19-04-41zoomed by WmJR, on Flickr

Like most of you, given the high price of pastured meats, we tend to eat a lot of cheap cuts around here. Still, once in a blue moon, I splurge and get a good steak, especially if I run across a sale. To me, a really good steak is a strip steak, a club steak, a delmonico, a ribeye, a T-bone or a filet mignon. I buy one when we're relatively flush and stick it in the freezer. Then when Steve is tired or had a particularly bad day, I can spoil him a little. And spoil me too!

Having spent more than we can afford, I'm very picky about making sure it's cooked to absolute perfection.

Cooked perfectly means rare or at most, medium-rare. If you're going to cook it beyond that, you might as well get a cheaper cut and marinade it to tenderize. In my opinion, the entire purpose of a good steak is to be melt-in-your-mouth tender while barely cooked at all.

ingredients

• 1 lb grass-fed strip steak, club steak, delmonico steak, ribeye, T-bone or filet mignon, cut 1 inch thick
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 TB butter

method

• Remove steak from refrigerator and let sit for at least an hour to come to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, prepare everything else for the meal: make a salad, bake potatoes, fry mushrooms in coconut oil, whatever. Heck, even set the table. The steak will be only minutes between cooking and eating, so you will have no time later!
• Preheat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet in a 500 degree oven.
• Dry steak thoroughly with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Mix pepper and garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle over both sides of steak.
• DO NOT SALT! If you salt before cooking, the steak will weep liquid and turn grey instead of browning!
• Place preheated skillet on stove burner over high heat. Put steak in skillet and DO NOT TOUCH FOR ONE MINUTE! Steak will stick at first, after a minute, it will release from the pan.
• Turn released steak with tongs or spatula. Do NOT use a fork, or pierce the steak in any way as you'll lose juices! Cook on other side for one minute.
• Remove the skillet from the heat. If you want your steak rare, stop cooking now and go to the next step. If you want it medium-rare, return the skillet to the oven for 2 minutes.
  
  Personally, I remove mine, and put hubby's in the oven.
• Season steak to taste with unrefined sea salt; add 1 TB butter to skillet and let melt. Baste steak. Plate and pour pan juices over.
• Do NOT put sauces or other cheap, nasty things on it. You want to TASTE THE STEAK. It is awesome as is!
• Eat. Moan in pleasure. Make nom-nom-nom-nom noises. Tell husband how lucky he is that you are his wife and watch him nod in agreement. Polish off an entire half pound each in one sitting. Sigh in contentment in unison.

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