- Food
Want a juicy, flavorful steak with a perfect char? Our tips get you there in under 10 minutes, plus we have recipes.
ByKelly Vaughan
Updated on April 09, 2024
Whether you prefer the best cut of steak or a more economical one, everyone should know how to pan-sear a steak at home. Nailing a proper restaurant-quality sear can transform any piece of beef into a melt-in-your-mouth entrée with complex flavors and a perfect char.
To cook steak like a pro, sear it in a very hot cast-iron pan in oil, creating an evenly browned exterior on each side. Finish with lots of butter and herbs—like thyme and a couple of fresh garlic cloves—to amp up the earthy aroma. That's the basics, but read on for tips on building flavor and cooking it to perfection—a caramelized crust and a juicy pink inside—plus eight recipes for honing your new-found skill.
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Start at Room Temperature
For a super-tender steak, set it out at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. A cold cut of meat hitting a very hot pan—even if it's the best cut of steak—makes it tough and chewy, but bringing it to room temp allows the muscle fibers to relax, helps the steak cook more evenly, and prevents a loss of moisture.
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Adhere to Food Safety Protocol
While 30 minutes at room temperature does not pose a concern about food safety, there are several meat-handling rules to be mindful of to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. To avoid cross-contamination: 1) Use a plastic cutting board, which is easier to sanitize than porous wood boards, 2) Wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw meat, and 3) Sanitize any work areas that the raw meat comes in contact with.
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Don't Be Shy With Seasoning
To enhance its natural beefy flavor, pre-season each steak thoroughly with kosher salt and black pepper on each side. Hold your hand at least 6 inches above the steak and evenly distribute ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper on both sides. Do this over a plate, which avoids a mess and allows you to roll the steak in excess seasoning.
While the added height may look like a technique that chefs use to impress guests, there's science behind it. The technique allows the salt and pepper granules to separate and fall in an even layer across the steak's surface.
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Pan-Sear on a Hot Skillet
Using an extremely hot cast iron skillet is the key to achieving an even char. Heat the pan on medium high until it's smoking. To test if it's hot enough, wet your fingers and shake them over the pan: It's ready when water droplets evaporate immediately.
When your skillet is ripping hot, add 2 tablespoons of a neutral cooking oil like vegetable, canola, or grapeseed. Once the oil is shimmering, add the seasoned steak to the center of the pan, carefully laying it away from you to avoid splashing hot oil in your direction.
Cook until deeply browned on one side, about 3½ minutes for a medium 6-ounce filet. Flip the steak and cook until deeply browned on the other side, another 3½ to 4 minutes. Adjust the cooking time based on how you like your steak.
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Use a Light Touch With Flipping
Flipping the steak more than once prevents the perfect sear from forming. In addition, moving the steak around the pan frequently risks losing some of its prized juices.
The steak easily releases from the pan once it's browned evenly on one side. If you lift the steak and there's some resistance, step back and let it cook a little longer.
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Baste with Butter and Aromatics
Basting the steak with melted butter and herbs add an unbeatable boost of flavor. During the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary to the pan.
Carefully tipping the pan toward you so the butter pools on one side, use a large spoon to continuously douse melted butter over the steak. You can also press the herbs directly on top of the steak with the spoon to infuse more earthy notes.
Continuously moving the butter evenly distributes the fat and prevents it from burning. The butter should stay foamy in the pan, which indicates that it's not burning.
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Check the Temperature
Knowing the internal temperature of your steak is the key to cooking it exactly how you like it and cooking it long enough to prevent potentially unsafe bacteria. Using a good meat thermometer is the best, smartest, and most accurate way to determine a steak's temperature.
Use this handy temperature guide as a gauge for cooking your perfect steak:
- Rare: 120 to 125°F
- Medium Rare: 130 to 135°F
- Medium: 140 to 145°F
- Medium Well: 150 to 155°F
- Well Done: 160 to 165°F
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Rest Before Cutting
Once the steak is done cooking, take it out of the pan, set it on a plate or cooling rack, and tent it loosely with foil. A 5-minute rest helps the steak retain its juices, keeping it moist and tender. After resting, remove the foil, slice, and serve.
Seared Steak Recipes
Once you nail the basics of pan-searing steak, you can build flavor with sauces and rubs. Experiment on your own or try these Real Simple-tested steak recipes.
Steak With Mushrooms and Cauliflower Puree
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This pan-seared skirt steak recipe includes directions for making a side of pureed cauliflower—a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes—and an earthy mushroom sauce. The result is an elegant, balanced meal in just 30 minutes.
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Parm-Butter Steak and Sweet Potato Fries
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The addition of a garlicky Parm-butter elevates a lowly hanger steak to soaring heights in this recipe. While the steak is resting. spinach cooks in the steak skillet, picking up its seasonings and meaty flavors. Oven-roasted sweet potato fries round out the meal.
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Speedy Steak and Blackberry Salad
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If you prefer a steak dinner on the lighter side, this one's for you: a pan-seared hanger that rests atop a bed of arugula, dressed in a blackberry vinaigrette, and topped with pistachios and goat cheese crumbles. It comes together so quickly (30 minutes), consider it for lunch, too.
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Steak With Gnocchi and Green Beans
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Store-bought gnocchi and green beans play supporting roles to pan-seared hanger steak in this easy recipe. While the steak rests, they finish cooking in the steak's drippings with butter and shallots for extra flavor and tenderness.
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Garlic Skirt Steak Tacos
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Taco night won't be the same once you throw these garlicky steak tacos into the mix. They're topped with shredded napa cabbage that's sauteed in the steak pan and a vinegary radish-onion mixture, avocado slices, and a dollop of sour cream.
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Steak and Beet Salad With Radicchio
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Here's a satisfying salad that combines slices of pan-seared hanger steak with oven-roasted beets and radicchio tossed in a a slightly sweet sauce. It's served with a Greek yogurt mixture that adds creaminess and a little extra protein.
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Steak and Bitter Greens Salad With Crispy Potatoes and Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
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This meat-and-potatoes dish is served atop a bed of bitter greens—any combination of escarole, endive, radicchio, and mustard greens—dressed in a lemony-Parm dressing. Lightly seasoned, pan-seared sirloin slices and boiled-then-roasted baby Yukon golds round out the dish for a light yet substantial meal.
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Hanger Steak With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
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What sets this steak-and-potatoes dinner apart is a zesty sauce made with a jar of roasted red peppers as its base. It goes as well with this pan-seared hanger steak and oven-roasted baby golds as it does with chicken or fish.
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