Pan-Seared Steak

Dry-brined steak, seared over high heat then butter-basted, with a pan sauce

Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 2
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Ahead of time: salt the meat

  1. Put the meat on a plate and pat every side thoroughly dry with paper towels.
  2. Salt every side with 1% of the meat's weight in salt (10 g per kg), a little less if there's a bone. It looks like a lot, that's normal.
  3. Put the meat, on its plate, in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 45 minutes and ideally 12 to 24 hours (in the morning for dinner, or the day before).
  4. The meat will first release salty liquid, then reabsorb it: don't wipe it off in the meantime, or you'll remove the salt too. You can flip it after a few hours if you like.
  5. Take the meat out of the fridge about 2 hours before cooking.

Sear the meat

  1. Turn on the extractor fan: searing over high heat will make smoke.
  2. Heat the pan empty, at medium-high power if your stovetop heats well, a bit higher otherwise. It must be a pan that can handle high heat, so no non-stick: cast iron, carbon steel, aluminum…
  3. To check whether the pan is hot enough, do the water test: put a few drops of water in the pan. It should form small beads that skate across the surface. If it sizzles and evaporates, the pan isn't hot enough yet.
  4. While the pan heats, pat the meat dry again with paper towels: a dry surface gives a better crust.
  5. Add the neutral oil. Any other fat that handles high heat works too (but not olive oil or butter).
  6. Swirl the pan to coat the whole surface. You don't need much fat, just a thin film: the meat will probably render some fat anyway.
  7. If the meat has a fatty edge, start by rendering it: hold the steak upright on that edge with tongs until the fat is golden. Otherwise, any side will do.
  8. Lay the meat flat in the pan. Turn the heat up slightly for 30 to 60 seconds to make up for the heat lost when adding the meat, then return to the original setting.
  9. Don't touch the meat at first. It will stick to the pan, which is normal: leave it alone.
  10. After 1 to 2 minutes, try lifting it gently. If it sticks, it needs more time: don't force it. If it releases, check the surface: if it's light brown, give it a bit longer. You want a deep brown (Maillard brown!).
  11. Flip the meat and repeat on every face, including the edges.

Finish with butter

  1. Once the whole surface is seared, lower the heat and add the butter to the pan, along with the thyme and/or rosemary for flavor.
  2. Finish cooking for 1 to 2 minutes per side, regularly spooning the melted butter over the meat.
  3. Keep an eye on the butter: it should foam and turn nutty brown, but not black. If it starts to burn, lower the heat further.
  4. Take the meat off the heat and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes on a plate or rack, under a loosely laid sheet of aluminum foil: the foil keeps it warm, but wrapping it tightly steams the crust soft.

Pan sauce

  1. While the meat rests, if the butter has burned (black, acrid smell), pour it out of the pan, or the sauce will be bitter.
  2. Deglaze the pan with water or white wine, depending on preference. The browned bits stuck to the bottom will come off easily.
  3. Add the juices the meat released while resting.
  4. Reduce (and cook off the wine's alcohol) until you get a syrupy sauce to serve alongside the meat.

Serving

  1. If you're slicing the meat before serving, cut it against the grain: it will be more tender.
  2. Season with pepper at serving time, if you like (pepper burns over high heat, hence adding it at the end).
  3. Serve with the sauce.
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