Classic Steak Recipes: 7 Ways to Serve Steak

“Steak” is a term that refers to different cuts of beef meat. The more common usage of the word “steak” refers to a dish where a grilled piece of meat, usually beef, is the main dish, typically accompanied by several side dishes.

A steak usually refers to a dish featuring a grilled piece of beef, but you cannot use all cuts of beef to make steak. Consider the following when shopping for steak meat:

• Tenderness: Some cuts, such as chuck or short rib, are tough and need a longer cook time, making them ideal for stews, but not for steak. For steak, find a cut of meat that is already tender.
• Types: To cook a good steak, look for the following cuts of meat: beef tenderloin, porterhouse steak, T-bone steak, ribeye steak, New York strip steak, flank steak, flat iron steak, skirt steak, sirloin steak, tri-tip, or filet mignon.
• Bone: Steaks can be bone-in or boneless. Bone-in steaks require a longer cooking time, tend to cook more evenly, and won’t run as high of a risk of overcooking as boneless steaks.
• Thickness: A good steak will usually be one inch thick. If you use steak as part of another dish, such as fajitas or tacos, you can use a thinner cut of meat.
• Marbling: Marbling refers to the white lines of fat that run through a cut of meat. A meat cut containing a lot of marbling will be fattier and have a more melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Grill a steak until the inside cooks and the outside is tender. Follow the steps to cook a steakhouse-quality steak:

1. 1. Let the steak reach room temperature. The steak should be at room temperature before cooking. Pat the room-temp steak dry with paper towels.
2. 2. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Season the steak liberally on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Steak only needs salt and pepper to be flavorful.
3. 3. Preheat your pan. Drizzle vegetable oil on a cast-iron pan or stainless steel pan, and heat over high heat until the oil starts to smoke.
4. 4. Cook the steak on one side. Place the steaks in the hot pan and do not move them. Cook the steak on one side until it naturally releases from the pan and a crust forms.
5. 5. Carefully flip the steak. After the steak releases from the pan, flip it over until the other side is also crispy and releases from the pan.
6. 6. Check the temperature. Cook the steak, flipping it as needed, until the steak has reached an internal temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit (rare), 130 degrees Fahrenheit (medium-rare), 135 degrees Fahrenheit (medium), 140 degrees Fahrenheit (medium-well), and 150 degrees Fahrenheit (well-done). Use a meat thermometer to make sure you have the correct temperature.
7. 7. Add aromatics. While the steak is cooking to your desired doneness, you can add unsalted butter, spices, and other aromatics to baste the meat and make it juicier.
8. 8. Let the steak rest. When the steak has reached its preferred level of doneness, transfer the steak to a plate and let it rest for five minutes. Do not cut into the steak right away; otherwise, the juices will pour out of the steak, leading to dryness.
9. 9. Cut the steak across the grain. When cutting a steak, cut it across the grain on the cutting board before transferring it to a plate.

There are various cooking methods you can use to achieve your desired level of doneness.

1. 1. Grill and fry: Grilling and frying, which involve rapid cooking on a very hot surface, are ideal cooking methods for rare and medium-rare steak because they sear the meat on the outside quickly while keeping the internal temperature low.
2. 2. Sous vide: Sous vide is a method for cooking steak that takes the guesswork out of determining internal temperature. It relies on an immersion circulator—a tool that precisely regulates water temperature—in a large water bath. The steak is placed in a plastic bath inside the water bath and cooked for a longer amount of time (about an hour for a one-inch steak), so that the entire steak will be heated to the desired internal temperature. You can then quickly sear the outside of your perfect steak to add a caramelized crust.
3. 3. Slow-roast: Unlike oven-roasting at a high temperature, which results in meat of various degrees of doneness across the cut, slow-roasting produces meat that is evenly cooked from edge to edge. You’ll need a meat thermometer to ensure that the roast reaches an internal temperature of 128 degrees Fahrenheit. The pinkness of the meat may lead you to believe that it is undercooked. It’s not. It will be beautifully medium-rare and tender, as you’ll discover when you take your first bite.

A steak dinner typically includes the seared steak and several sides—such as mashed potatoes, broccoli, and other veggies. Steak can also be a taco filling or the key ingredient in a torta sandwich:

1. 1. Steak fajitas: This Tex-Mex dish consists of grilled steak, peppers, and onions, served atop a hot plate. Tortillas usually accompany the dish, as well as guacamole and salsa. Fajitas usually use a thinner cut of meat, such as skirt steak or flank steak.
2. 2. Steak tacos: Steak is also a great meat to use for tacos. Place a thin cut of steak, such as skirt steak or flank steak, in a marinade of salt, pepper, spices, and a type of citrus (such a lemon juice or orange juice). Then grill the meat and slice and serve inside of a tortilla with onions and cilantro.
3. 3. Steak tortas: A steak torta is a Mexican sandwich served on a soft bolillos roll filled with meat, sauce, and various toppings such as crema, avocado, salsa, and iceberg lettuce.
4. 4. Beef sirloin steak: Since they’re relatively lean, sirloin steaks should not be overcooked. Although the coarser muscle texture will soak up marinades better than the pricier, super tender steaks, there isn’t a lot of fat and connective tissue to add moisture to sirloin steaks, so if they’re cooked past medium (145 degrees Fahrenheit), they’ll taste dry. For the perfect sirloin steak, quickly sear and slice against the grain.
5. 5. Juicy ribeye steak: Ribeye is a best-of-both-worlds steak: It’s well marbled with the flavorful fat that's usually found in tougher cuts, but it comes from one of the more tender parts of the cow, so it’s great for fast-cooking, high-heat methods.
6. 6. Skirt steak: When cooked over high heat and sliced thinly against the grain, this inexpensive cut can be incredibly rewarding. Because it’s so thin, it’s easy to know when skirt steak is perfectly done: once it’s nicely browned on the outside, the inside should be a perfect medium-rare. You can serve skirt steak with fried eggs, chimichurri sauce, or charred vegetables such as scallions or halved romaine lettuce.
7. 7. Steak with herb butter: Make herb butter with unsalted butter, shallots, white wine vinegar, and minced fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, or thyme. Shape into a log, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until solid. Add the butter to the top of a grilled steak.

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