Choose your meat carefully
We prefer British and Grass Fed – feeding on grass provides more flavour and great texture.
It should have been reared on hilly ground in the North-West of England or the North-East of Scotland.
Don’t get hung up on Native breeds but do make sure it’s been ‘Dry-Aged’ – as a starting point we say 14 days for Fillet, 28 days for Rump and 21 days for everything else.
Choose your cut
Everyone has a favourite but sticking to the primal cuts these are our guidelines:
Fillet
Expensive but very tender at the expense of outright flavour.
Ribeye
This should have a good knot of fat in it and provides lots of flavour without becoming dry when cooked to medium-well.
Sirloin
A good balance of texture and flavour, more tender than a Ribeye and more flavour than a fillet.
Rump
The butcher’s favourite with the most flavour. This is not the most tender steak though and ideally should be cooked only medium-rare – perfect for the meat lover in you.
Down to cooking
We’re doing this at home so grab a frying pan (non-stick if you have it but not essential) and put it on the stove at a high heat.
Take your steak which has been at room temperature for the last hour and pat it dry with a sheet of kitchen towel before spreading a little olive oil over it with your hands, massaging it in.
Place the steak on a plate and season with sea salt and ground black pepper, turn over and season the other side.
When the pan is really hot lay the steak in it so that it sizzles as it touches the cooking surface.
Leave it for 90 seconds and then turn the steak over and sear the other side for another 90 seconds.
What we’re doing is sealing the outside of the steak and creating a small crust that will have great flavour.
If your steak is a really thick cut like a fillet or massive ribeye then also sear the outside edges by holding the meat in tongs until it’s sealed all over.
How long you cook for now is a matter of taste.
Anything cut to the thickness of your thumb will be cooked medium-rare in 4 minutes, medium in 5 and medium well to well done in 6.
If your steak is two thumbs thick then make sure your oven is on at 180C (fan) and (so long as you pan has a metal handle) stick the whole pan in to ‘roast’ after the initial searing, for 5 mins to medium rare, 7 minutes to medium or 9 minutes to medium-well.
Just before the time is up on either method add a large knob of butter (25g) into the pan and watch it melt and foam up – angle the pan to one side and spoon the molten butter and cooking juices over the meat.
Finally take the steak out and leave it to rest on a board for at least 5 minutes.
