Pan Seared Ribeye Steaks (ver. 2.0)

Steaks hold a special place in my heart. Not only are they delicious, they're the reason why I became interested in cooking in the first place.

You see, whenever I eat out, I'm always tempted to get the steak. It's not that I'm ever really disappointed; nah, most of the time they're pretty good. Rather, whenever I choose a steak, not only is it prob the most expensive thing on the menu, it also prevents me from trying other dishes (such as pork belly, and duck, and fishies).

So, one day I figured, hey, how hard can making a steak be? You just season some meat and then grill it or some shit right?

Well, in essence, yea, but it's a bit more complicated then that. Although I make some pretty random and crazy shit, in reality, I'm just learning different cooking and flavoring techniques. While it's fun experimenting, it's also nice to go back and make a "classic" dish bc I can see how much I've improved.

Take steaks for example. Although mine are pretty tasty (at least I'd like to think so), I'm able to execute my idealized version of a perfectly cooked, medium rare-ish steak consistently now bc I have a much understanding of salt and controlling temperature now.

While I used to make steaks w/ the cast-iron broiler method (yanno, heat up your oven to a bajillion degrees, throw your cast-iron pan in there to get it crazy hot, and then sear meat), I now use the cast-iron STOVETOP method (hence, version 2.0). What's the big difference you ask?

Well, although it's kinda cool to have a crazy hot pan come out of your broiler (and although it does a relatively nice job of searing the meat), it also bugs me for 2 reasons. One, it seems hugely inefficient. I have to leave my oven on crazy high temperatures for like, 45 min in order to get the pan as hot as I want it. This does things like, occasionally setting off fire alarms (which is no good). Two, although it's kinda cool to be able to heat up your pan to crazy high temperatures, it also seemed like I didn't have much control over the heat sometimes and it'd either burn my steak or not sear it enough. So I figure there had to be a better way.

Now, this is where the stove-top method comes in. Since I start with good steaks (I think bone-in ribeyes are easily the best steaks in the world), I want to brown the surface of the meat--not burn it. So what I do is put a cast-iron pan on high-ish heat, right until it's almost (but not quite) to the point of smoking. Then I melt a pat or two of butter. Then I render the fat off the steak by placing it on its fatty side. THEN, I brown the meat on both sides to get a nice crust (about 3 min on each side), and then another minute to cook on each side to cook it through. So what happens is I have this awesomely succulent steak bc I've essentially browned/basted it in butter AND its own fat. No, it's not "healthy," but you're eating a steak g'dammit. If you want to be healthy, that's fine, but don't cheat yourself w/ a half-tasty steak.

Oh wait, 2 critical things. One, buy the best, steak w/ good marbling (fat) you can get. You can usually find prime angus ribeyes or new york strips for $7 a pound (sometimes even $5). Otherwise, Trader Joe's steaks are pretty good, and Costco has great deals on pretty good quality beef as well. Again, just make sure you pick a high-quality cut w/ decent fat on it (ribeyes or ny strips). Don't get filet mignons unless you like tender, bland, and overpriced steaks.

Finally, two, this would be a good time to invest in a cast-iron pot. You can get a good one for $20-$30 bucks and you'll end up using it for EVERYTHING bc it's so versatile and can distribute heat awesomely. I use it for everything from searing steaks, to roasting chickens, to deep-frying chicken, and even making breakfast hash.Seriously, aside from a good knife, it'll be the best investment you'll ever make.

RECIPE: RIBEYE STEAKS (ver. 2.0).

INGREDIENTS**

- Two 16-22 oz. bone-in ribeye steaks
- 3 T. kosher salt (or 2 T kosher salt and 1 T sea salt)
- 2 T black pepper
- 1 T cumin (this shit is magical)
- 1 T garlic powder(don't use fresh garlic bc it'll burn)
- 1 or 2 t cayenne pepper
- 1 t paprika (optional)
- 1 or 2 t brown sugar (it'll help create a very nice crust on the steak)
- 2 T of unsalted butter (about 1 or 2 pats). If you want to splurge, you can use Kerigold Unsalted Irish butter (so effing good).

OPTIONAL

- Lettuce or Arugala, or other leafy green for a simple side salad (so that you don't feel as bad for eating a giant steak)

STEPS

1. Make sure steaks are close to room temperature (leave them out for about half an hour). This is critical because if the steak is too cold, it won't sear properly. Similarly, if you're the type who washes meat before using it, that's fine, but make sure you DRY the steaks thoroughly with paper towels before seasoning cooking.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients together and rub both sides of the steak. Let steak rest for at least 30 min (you can also leave it in the fridge overnight for more flavor). It's critical that you let the steak rest at least 30 min or so after seasoning it bc the salt in the dry rub will draw moisture out from the steak. If you try to cook it right away, the steak will be too wet and it'll semi-boil the outside instead of searing. After about 30 min however, the moisture will slowly reconstitute itself in the steak so you should be good to go.

3. Go for a quick run around the block (prob 15 min or so). It's a good time to get some exercise and it'll lessen the guilt you feel when you enjoy your big ass steak later.

4. After returning from your run, place a cast-iron pan on high-ish heat until it's almost smoking (prob 4-5 min). Add butter and swirl around pan until coated. Now, place the steaks narrow fatty side down on the pan for about 2-3 min so that the steakfat melts into the pan.

5. Next, slide the steak onto the pan at a 45 degree angle so that it slowly slides into the pan. Why? If you just plop the steak onto the pan, the sheer weight/size of the steak will displace all the butter/fat underneath the steak, and you'll end up with a nice crust on the edges of the steak, but a bland middle. However, if you slowly slide the steak into the pan, the butter/fat underneath the steak has time to slowly form a pool again underneath the steak. It's the difference between a beautiful even crust and a steak w/ a partial crusty outside and mushy middle.

6. Cook steaks (undisturbed/unmoved) for about 3 min on each side. Don't move the steak bc you want it to have time to brown. At this point, your steak is prob close to rare.

7. Now, cook steaks for 1 min on each side. This will get it closer to rare-med rare. If you like your steak more on the rare-ish side, this should be fine. If you like it more med-rare, then go ahead and cook it for a min and a half (or even 2 min instead). Experiment w/ your stove to see how hot it gets.

8. Remove steaks and place on a plate and let it rest for about 7 min. You must let it rest so that the juices in the steak have time to reconstitute the steak and make it juicy. If you don't wait and cut into your steak right away, all the glorious beefy juices will spill out and the steak gods will punish you w/ a dry ass steak. Don't do it. Wait.

** I list a bunch of seasonings I like, but you'll also be able to make a very good steak w/ simply salt/pepper as long as you start off with a good steak.