I want to put the steak onto a hot pan to get that sear on the outside and uh lock in the flavor or something. But butter burns at high heats and oil doesn’t add flavor like butter.
Is there a way I can get the best of both? A nice sear but still cook in butter?
Says it’s a stirlon for example.
I just let the steak’s own fat do the work, no additional fats necessary. Just be sure to allow the meat for rest for at least 5-10 minutes after cooking before you cut into it.
You can use Ghee or any type of clarified butter. The milk solids are the part of the butter that burn, pure butter fat has a pretty high smoke point.
Also, don’t be afraid to add olive oil or butter to the steak after serving.
PS: Not to be TOO pedantic but searing doesn’t lock in flavors/juices, it’s just for the maillard reaction
Oh ghee! Thanks for clarifying!
Sear it in oil. Once the crust is formed you can ease off the heat, add the butter (garlic and herbs too, if you want) once it’s safe, and baste. Basting might cause it to carry over cook a bit more, so be conservative with the core temp.
Best of both worlds is to sear in a high smoke point oil like avocado or canola and then butter baste at the end until the butter is nicely browned. Add some whole aromatics on the steak (garlic, rosemary, thyme etc.) during the butter baste for some nice flavour too.
Ghee is also an option.
Try a “cold” sear from this video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=uJcO1W_TD74
Should allow you to use butter for the process.
Hot pan. Oil the steak. Butter after .
I like to use bacon fat.
I like the way you think. I need to try that.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfE5Cz44GlZVyoaYTHJbuZw
Gustavo Tosta - aka Guga Foods - has a channel on YouTube where he does a lot of experiments with cooking steaks. Some of them are crazy $1,000+ steak recipes. Some of them are literal dollar store steaks cooked in a pan. They don’t always work out, but if you REALLY want to know how things change when you cook steaks in different ways, this is a really fun resource to follow.
Thanks for all the advice. I wish I posted this before I cooked my steak.
There’s always next tine!
You can try garlic infused olive oil
Olive oil burns at low temps and shouldn’t be used for searing.
Two shows to watch:
Good Eats
America’s Test Kitchen (especially the old shows, they delve into the how’s and why’s of everything).
For anyone just learning to cook, the ATK show and especially their cookbook are fantastic. You can find the cookbook all over for about $20, and every recipe explains how and why it works.
