As some of you might know, this will be the final installment of the online version of Edible Witness — though you’ll still be able to catch it in the print edition of Precedent. After nearly three and a half years, including 74 columns and even more recipes, I struggled hard to figure out the appropriate note to go out on. I asked my editors, I asked you guys (twice! On multiple social media platforms!), I asked people I know, and all I got was a lot of really good ideas I wish I had more time for. But here is the answer, after all the soul-searching and crowd-sourcing: the answer is steak.
How have I not talked about how to make a good steak? It’s right up the Edible Witness alley (and perfectly apropos as my “last meal” to share with you) — low effort and time, but with very, very big payoff, and not that hard to screw up. The only way you botch this is to overcook it — and if you get yourself a nice, juicy, fatty rib-eye, you have to seriously overcook it. For those who know, rib-eye is maybe the tastiest cut of cow, and so heavily laced with fat that even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. Moreover, you don’t even need a BBQ or special equipment to make it (though I strongly recommend investing a mere $30 for a cast iron pan, which should be a staple piece of equipment for any home chef). While grilling steaks deserves its own column, I’m devoting this one to the pan-roasting method — that is, searing in a really hot pan, then finishing off in the oven to cook the insides more evenly. The result is a steak that is charred and crusty on the outside, and pink and juicy on the inside (basically, meat heaven).
So, you start with a good piece of meat. Don’t get a crappy steak and expect a delicious steak on the other end of this. Better yet, find a good butcher that you trust — I have one, and I am willing to share him. Having someone who is knowledgeable about where his meat comes from, gives you tips on cooking techniques, is willing to cut things to order if you need something a little thicker or thinner or who will make advance orders for you if you need something special, is invaluable for any carnivorous cook. Choosing a good steak means looking for the following clues: a deep red colour (not pink) and dry but shiny (rather than wet or sweaty). It’s also crucial to find good marbling (the lines of white fat that run through the muscle fibre), and a good fat cap as well. These threads of fat are what will keep your steak moist and flavourful. If you don’t want rib-eye, here are a few other awesome steaks you can try pan-roasting.
The rest is pretty straightforward. Rest your meat to room temperature, season generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, then sear your steak on very high heat (a 12-inch cast iron works best or a cast-iron grill pan with ridges, but you could get away with a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan). While many think that searing “seals in the juices,” it actually produces a charred crust by way of a chemical reaction known as the Maillard reaction, which creates the complex, beefy flavour that makes steak delicious. Then you throw that sucker in the oven for a few more minutes to finish cooking. Then, and this is important, let the meat rest; it guarantees you a much juicier end product.
The tricky part is knowing how long to roast your meat — and this is where you need to practice and develop some instinct. While I give you a general cooking time in the recipe, time is not the best way to know when meat is the right temperature due to many varying factors (thickness of the steak, how hot your oven is, starting temperature of the steak, etc.). Meat thermometers can be helpful, but are not always accurate as you don’t always know where they’re measuring on something thin like a steak (compared to say, a roast). Experienced chefs will go by feel, and this is only something you can develop with experience, though there are methods to tell how done a steak is by feel. Until you develop this instinct, one surefire way is just to cut into the middle of that sucker and take a peek. Remember that steaks will go up another five degrees while resting, so take that into account. And finally, an undercooked steak is rescuable by simply adding more time, but you can’t undo an overcooked one, so err on the side of undercooking. Dress this up with whatever sides you like, if you’re into that kind of thing.
So, there you go. If I can leave any of you armed with the know-how to make a mouth-watering steak, then my work here is done. See you in print.
Pan-Roasted Rib-eye Steak
Serves 4
2 well-marbled rib-eye steaks, at least 1½ inches thick (about 1 lb each)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Vegetable oil
1. Rest your steaks to room temperature. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Heat pan on high heat (about 8 out of 10 on your range) with a thin layer of oil, until oil begins to smoke. Season steaks on both sides generously with salt and pepper.
3. Add steaks to pan (be sure not to crowd in pan). Sear on each side for 2 minutes each. Transfer pan to oven, and roast another 4 minutes. Remove steaks to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
4. Serve steaks as desired, either cut in half for each serving or sliced against the grain, alongside your side dishes of choice.
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork.