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Home » Blog » Recipes » How To Make The Perfect Steak

How To Make The Perfect Steak

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By following this technique, even novice cooks can whip up fool-proof, restaurant-quality seared steaks at home. Yes, the perfect Whole30 steak!

A wooden cutting board with a chef's knife slicing a medium rare steak. The knife has, "How to make the perfect steak" written on the blade.

I rarely cook steaks these days. Don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing quite like a juicy, dry aged, 100% grass fed slab of meaty perfection. But let’s face it: prime cuts like steak are pricey. So when I throw down a stack of bills in exchange for the best meat I can afford, there’s no way I’m going to take my chances with an unreliable recipe. My mama didn’t raise no sucker.

Four perfect steaks resting on a wired rack in a rimmed baking sheet.

Longtime readers know that back in the day, I was all about cooking steaks (and, well…just about everything else) sous vide. And sure—cooking with a temperature-controlled water bath guarantees a properly-cooked steak every time. But as many of you have pointed out, not everyone has an immersion circulator. (Really: I’ve gotten the message. That’s why the last sous vide recipe I posted was back in 2011, believe it or not.)

So: how do you perfectly cook a steak with basic kitchen tools? The answer is in the fabulous new cookbook by the obsessive food nerds at America’s Test Kitchen: The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book!

A shot of the cover of Cook's Illustrated Meat Book cookbook.

Here’s the thing: it’s not about fancy pan sauces or marinades, folks. Instead, you want to highlight the inherent primal beefiness of the steak by cooking it to the proper temperature—end to end—and sealing the deal with a uniform sear on the outside.

An open cookbook with a Pan-Seared Thick-Cut Strip Steaks recipe showing and a package of Belcampo Meat Co. NY Strip Boneless steaks.

The key steps are simple: season the meat with salt and pepper, roast it in a low oven until it reaches the correct temperature, and sear the steaks in a screaming-hot skillet. By following this technique, even novice cooks can whip up fool-proof restaurant-quality seared steaks at home.

Ready to make the perfect steak?

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 (1-pound) boneless strip steaks, 1½ to 1¾ inches thick, trimmed
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ghee

Kitchen Tools:

  • Wire rack
  • Baking sheet
  • Meat Thermometer and/or In-Oven Thermometer
  • 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet
  • Tongs

Steps:

Buy the best dang steaks you can find locally.

A person holding a package of Belcampo Meat Co.'s NY Strip Boneless steaks

Heat the oven to 275˚F with the rack in the middle position.

Pat your steaks dry with paper towels…

A woman is taking out two thick New York strip steaks on a piece of butcher's paper.

…and trim off the excess fat and silverskin if your butcher hasn’t already done it for you. Fat adds flavor, but too much will cause tons of splatter when you sear the steaks. I’m all for streamlining the cooking and cleaning process. (Because with Henry at work until late, I have to do both. *grumble grumble*)

A woman is trimming the fat off of a boneless New York strip steak with a chef's knife.

Cut each of your steaks in half vertically so that you have four even portions.

A New York boneless strip steak cut in half on a gray plastic cutting board.

Voila!

New York boneless strip steaks cut into 4 even pieces.

Combine some salt and pepper in a bowl…

An overhead shot of salt and pepper in a silver bowl with a small spoon inside.

…and sprinkle it all over the surface of the steak.

Sprinkling salt and pepper on New York boneless strip steak to season it before cooking.

Place the steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

Placing the seasoned strip steaks on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet in order to make the perfect steak.A side shot of seasoned strip steaks on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.

Yeah, we all know about testing the doneness of steaks by poking at the heel of your hand or even your FACE, but these methods are just not reliable enough for me. (After all, I have skinny hands but a big fat face, as pointed out by some online commenters. And my mother. All out of love, I’m sure.)

The only way to ensure properly cooked steaks is to verify the temperature with a meat thermometer. I’m kind of compulsive about this, so I use an in-oven thermometer that monitors the meat’s temperature while it’s cooking—and then I double-check at the end with a Thermapen.

A closeup of the display on a red Thermoworks ChefAlarm in-oven thermometer.

If you’re using an in-oven thermometer, stab the center of a steak with the probe, and stick the tray in the oven. (Just so there’s no confusion: the display unit stays outside of the oven. No one wants to clean out hunks of melted plastic from the oven.)

A metal probe of a meat thermometer is being inserted into a raw strip steak on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.Placing the four strip steaks into the oven on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. One of the steaks has a thermometer probe inserted inside it.

Cook until the meat registers 90˚F to 95˚F (for rare to medium-rare), about 20 to 25 minutes.

A gloved hand is checking the temperature of the strip steaks with a Thermapen Mk4.

Prefer your steaks medium? Then take them out when the temperature reaches 100˚F to 105˚F (about 25 to 30 minutes). The folks at America’s Test Kitchen didn’t give instructions for medium well or well done ’cause we’re making PERFECT steaks, remember?

Four partially cooked strip steaks resting on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.

Brace yourselves: when you first remove the steaks from the oven, they’ll look unappetizing.

Four dark purple colored steaks on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet that need to be seared.

But don’t worry. They’ll be camera-ready in a few minutes.

An overhead shot of partially cooked steaks that still need to be seared in a cast iron skillet.

Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over high heat. Once the pan is super hot, swirl in the ghee and place the steaks in the skillet.

Side shot of someone frying steaks in a large cast iron skillet.

Sear the steaks on the top and bottom until evenly browned and crusty, about 2 minutes on each side. Don’t fiddle with them too much.

A shot of perfect steaks searing in a cast iron skillet with golden brown exteriors.

Transfer the steaks to a clean wire rack, and reduce heat to medium.

A pair of tons is holding a golden brown strip steak on top of a cast iron skillet.

Using a pair of tongs, grab two steaks side-by-side, and sear the edges for about 20 seconds each.

A pair of tons is holding two strip steaks on their sides to brown them in a cast iron skillet.

Transfer the steaks to a wire rack, and tent loosely with a piece of foil.

A perfectly cooked steak with browned exteriors is resting on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.

Sear the edges of the remaining two steaks. When they’re done, rest the meat for at least 10 minutes before you slice into them.

If you carefully followed all the instructions, you’ll be richly rewarded with tender, flavorful, perfectly-cooked steak.

A perfect New York strip steak is sliced into thin slices, revealing a medium rare interior.

Feeling fancy? Sauté some mushrooms in the skillet and make a pan sauce with some red wine. (You can modify the pan sauce recipe from Weeknight Roast Chicken.) Then, serve your steaks with my favorite vegetable sides, World’s Best Braised Green Cabbage and Broiled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears.

A side shot of a white plate with sliced medium rare steak topped with mushrooms. There are asparagus spears and braised cabbage on the plate as well.

The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book is my new go-to reference for all things meaty. Get your own copy and dominate the animal proteins in your kitchen!


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

How To Make The Perfect Steak by Michelle Tam / Nom Nom Paleo https://nomnompaleo.com
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

How To Make The Perfect Steak

By following this technique, even novice cooks can whip up fool-proof restaurant-quality seared steaks at home. Yes, the perfect steak!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time55 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free, keto, low carb, nomnompaleo, paleo, steak, Whole30
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 540kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 2 1-pound boneless strip steaks, 1½ to 1¾ inches thick, trimmed
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon  ghee

Instructions 

  • Heat the oven to 275˚F with the rack in the middle position.
  • Pat your steaks dry with paper towels and trim off the excess fat and silverskin if your butcher hasn’t already done it for you. Fat adds flavor, but too much will cause tons of splatter when you sear the steaks.
  • Cut each of your steaks in half vertically so that you have four even portions.
  • Combine some salt and pepper in a bowl and sprinkle it all over the surface of the steak.
  • Place the steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Yeah, we all know about testing the doneness of steaks by poking at the heel of your hand or even your FACE, but these methods are just not reliable enough for me. (After all, I have skinny hands but a big fat face, as pointed out by some online commenters. And my mother. All out of love, I’m sure.)
  • The only way to ensure properly cooked steaks is to verify the temperature with a meat thermometer. I’m kind of compulsive about this, so I use an in-oven thermometer that monitors the meat’s temperature while it’s cooking—and then I double-check at the end with a Thermapen.
  • If you’re using an in-oven thermometer, stab the center of a steak with the probe, and stick the tray in the oven. (Just so there’s no confusion: the display unit stays outside of the oven. No one wants to clean out hunks of melted plastic from the oven.)
  • Cook until the meat registers 90˚F to 95˚F (for rare to medium-rare), about 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Prefer your steaks medium? Then take them out when the temperature reaches 100˚F to 105˚F (about 25 to 30 minutes). The folks at America’s Test Kitchen didn’t give instructions for medium well or well done ’cause we’re making PERFECT steaks, remember?
  • Brace yourselves: when you first remove the steaks from the oven, they’ll look unappetizing.
  • But don’t worry. They’ll be camera-ready in a few minutes.
  • Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over high heat. Once the pan is super hot, swirl in the ghee and place the steaks in the skillet.
  • Sear the steaks on the top and bottom until evenly browned and crusty, about 2 minutes on each side. Don’t fiddle with them too much.
  • Transfer the steaks to a clean wire rack, and reduce heat to medium.
  • Using a pair of tongs, grab two steaks side-by-side, and sear the edges for about 20 seconds each.
  • Transfer the steaks to a wire rack, and tent loosely with a piece of foil.
  • Sear the edges of the remaining two steaks. When they’re done, rest the meat for at least 10 minutes before you slice into them.
  • If you carefully followed all the instructions, you’ll be richly rewarded with tender, flavorful, perfectly-cooked steak.

Notes

Feeling fancy? Sauté some mushrooms in the skillet and make a pan sauce with some red wine. (You can modify the pan sauce recipe from Weeknight Roast Chicken.) Then, serve your steaks with my favorite vegetable sides, World’s Best Braised Green Cabbage and Broiled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 540kcal | Protein: 47g | Fat: 38g
11

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan says

    April 7, 2022 at 12:42 am

    5 stars
    This came out absolutely perfect!!!
    Thank you so much for posting this!!!

    I found this, because I googled “can I sear a steak in ghee”

    I was tired of setting off the smoke alarm.

    No such problem tonight

    Crispy crust without coating the steak in salt like they do on TV

    Reply

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