Last week I realized that the beef pieces HI got from the butcher shop have been sitting in the freezer for a while now. Those were bought with the idea of having steaks but it was me who kept on delaying preparing them. To be honest, I was a bit intimidated to make beef steaks, though I have tried making the chicken ones so many times it was ‘beef’ that was scaring the shit out of me (mild exaggeration, guys) because I did not have the required apparatus you see (thermometer to assess internal temperature, cast iron pan which is usually preferred and you know, complicated stuff like that).

Anyhow, I had to try my luck with them before they become ‘unfit for human consumption’… lol. So, I turned to my ultimate guide ‘google’, as always and began searching for the best way to prepare beef steaks. This time I was not looking for a recipe rather the tried, tested tips and tricks to cooking that steak to perfection without making it chewy and juiceless since we both (I and HI) like ours to be well done (yeah, you can judge us on the basis of our preferences of doneness… lol, whatever :p). In this quest, I browsed through lots of articles by top chefs and finally devised a way by mixing and matching the tips from almost all of them to achieve my goal… Now, I felt a bit confident. It was no rocket science, all I had to do was follow some basic rules to get the desired outcome. Yeahhh!

As for the recipe, I wanted my steaks to taste like proper ones that we usually eat out in restaurants without overloading it with a ton of marination ingredients. Because when you eat a steak all you want is to enjoy the meat and nothing else. So I kept it simple and focused more on the cooking part. Let’s explore how I did that…

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About Steak: A thick slice of meat cut for roasting or grilling or frying, especially a piece cut from the hind-quarters of the animal. The word steak originates from the mid-15th-century Scandinavian word steik, or stickna’ in the Middle English dialect.

Inspired By: Tasty

Rating:   

Cuisine: European

Course:  Main

Serves:	2	Ease Level:
Prep+Fry Time:	5 min + 10 min	Quickness:
Baking Time:	30-35 mins	Spice Level:

 Above ratings are out of 5, with 5 being the ‘most’.
Above times do not include marination time.

GET:

Frying pan
Cooking spoons
Oven
Baking Tray/ Wire Rack

SET:

Steak piece(s) (I took Sirloin steak 250 gms each)
Oil 4-5 tbsp
Butter 3 tbsp
Garlic cloves 3-4 crushed
Thyme 1-2 tbsp (3-4 sprigs)

Marination Ingredients

Garlic paste 1.5 tbsp
Black pepper (freshly ground) 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp

GO:

Marinate the steak piece(s) with the ingredients mentioned above.
Preheat oven to 120°C.
Place the steak on a wire rack. Bake for 35 minutes.
Heat the oil in a skillet or stainless steel pan over high heat until smoking. Sear the steak on one side for 30 seconds, then flip.
Immediately, add the butter, thyme and garlic, swirling the pan to melt the butter quickly.
Place the herbs and garlic on top of the steak, and push the steak toward the top of the pan. Tilt the pan toward you to pool the butter near the bottom. Using a spoon, continuously scoop the butter over the top of the steak for about 30–45 seconds.
This helps not only flavour the steak but also helps cook the steak faster. If you prefer your steak medium or medium-well, cook your steak longer.
To test the doneness of your steak, lightly press the tip of your left index finger to the tip of your left thumb. The fleshy area below the thumb should feel how rare steak feels pressing the surface of the steak. For a medium-rare steak, touch your middle finger to your thumb and press the area below your thumb. For medium, touch your fourth finger to your thumb. For well done, touch your pinky to your thumb.
Rest the steak for 10 minutes on a cutting board, then serve!

PEPPER SAUCE

About Pepper Sauce: creamy and hot sauce made with black peppers.

Rating:   

Cuisine: European

Course:  Side

Serves:	2-3	Ease Level:
Prep Time:	5 mins	Quickness:
Cooking Time:	5 mins	Spice Level:

GET:

Frying pan (the same you used to fry steak)
Cooking Spoon

SET:

Black Pepper powder 1 tsp
Black peppercorns 2 tsp
Worcestershire Sauce 2 tbsp
Cream 100 ml

GO:

In the same pan you have fried the steak, saute peppercorns.
Add cream to the pan. Simmer while stirring for 1-2 minutes.
Now mix in the Worcestershire sauce, stirring all the time.
Increase the heat a little to thicken and colour the sauce, as desired.
Pour over steak and serve.

MUSHROOM SAUCE

About Mushroom Sauce: creamy and rich sauce made with mushrooms.

Rating:   

Cuisine: European

Course:  Side

Serves:	2-3	Ease Level:
Prep Time:	5 mins	Quickness:
Cooking Time:	10 mins	Spice Level:

GET:

Saucepan
Cooking Spoon

SET:

Mushrooms (thinly sliced) 150 gms
Garlic crushed and minced 1 tsp (around 2-3 cloves)
Butter 25-30 gms
Oil 1 tsp
Worcestershire Sauce 1 tbsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Pepper (freshly ground) 1/2 tsp
Cream 200 ml
Parmesan Cheese 30-40 gms
Thyme 1 tsp

GO:

In the saucepan, heat oil and melt butter.
Add the sliced mushrooms and saute them until they turn light brown/ golden brown (change color).
Now add in the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for about a minute or two.
Add cream and parmesan. Stir, then lower heat to medium so the sauce is simmering – do not boil rapidly, cream may split.
Stir occasionally and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes until it thickens.
Stir through thyme, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from stove.
Pour over steak or serve steak on top (as you like).

MY TWO CENTS:

Adjust the spices to suit your taste buds.
Marinate the steak overnight for a more flavourful result.
You can use any cut of meat to make this steak, only reduce the amount of time you bake the meat if using a thin cut.
I have an electric oven hence the temperature and cooking times. These times may vary depending on the type of oven you have. (Refer to your oven’s user manual for time queries – that is what I did 🙂 )
Bring the meat to room temperature by letting it sit outside the refrigerator for a while before starting the cooking process.
Steaks taste the best when dry-aged, google how you can do it ;).
Mushroom sauce shouldn’t be super thick, this is a rich sauce.

Hope you’ll enjoy trying it out.
I’d love to get your feedback. Feel free to drop a comment below about your experience.

Happy steakinggg! 😉