Buy the Best Steak for Pan Searing
The best steaks for cooking on the stovetop are boneless steaks that are between one and one-and-a-half inches thick. Thicker cuts like a New York strip steak or a boneless rib-eye work best for this method. Look for a steak with plentiful marbling (the white fat that runs throughout the meat) and don’t be afraid to ask your butcher to cut a thicker steak if needed. When a steak has enough fat, it tends to remain juicy during the cooking process and has the meaty flavor and texture you want from a steak.
Season It Well
Salting steaks, and the salts ability to season the meat, works like a curve. On one end of the spectrum, if you season the steaks just before searing you will get a nicely seasoned steak. On the other end, if you season the steak a whole day ahead, you will end up with a similarly well-seasoned steak. Any length of time in between results in the salt pulling out surface moisture, which inhibits a great sear.
- Salt steak for 30 minutes: This is the best option for those nights when you are cooking steak on a whim, and it is also my preferred method. Salting relatively close to cooking seasons the steak and helps create a dry surface for searing.
- Salt steak for 24 hours: Salting your steak overnight (18 to 24 hours before you plan to cook it) also creates a dry surface for searing, but with the added bonus of a bit more concentrated flavor in the interior tissue. You will need plenty of fridge space for this maneuver, however, as you will want to let the salted steak air-dry on a cooling rack set over a tray.
Cook it Hot and Fast
Here is where I am going to ask you to trust me. Put your heaviest pan, preferably cast iron, over high heat and let it get so hot it smokes a little before adding the steaks to the pan. The hot, hot heat is essential to a creating a nice crust on your steak. Searing is not about keeping moisture in (research has proven that to be a false theory) — it is about creating a crisp crust on the outside that adds a ton of flavor to the finished steak. Keep the steaks moving, turning or flipping every minute or so to create a thin, even crust on the outside. About halfway through cooking, add a few tablespoons of butter, herbs, and aromatics to make a hot baste for finishing the steak. Use a large spoon to bathe the steaks in the hot butter and continue flipping until the steaks reach your desired doneness.