how to cook steak the traditional way
After much digging, it turns out the traditional way of cooking meat was actually the reverse sear method until 1845 which is when a scientist called Justus Liebig claimed that searing locks in meat juices. Which it has since been debunked that searing does in fact, not. You can’t keep juices from flowing out of a steak once it’s been cut from its mother primal cut.
When I talk about the “traditional way” here, it’s what people have thought since I was a kid. Sear on a high heat then chuck in the oven to cook it further.
Here’s how I would instruct this process. You can apply the same to roasts too.
Preheat your oven to 180C.
Pat your meat dry (moisture repels the maillard reaction). Season your steak right before cooking, or dry-brine it first. Note that if your steak is thinner than an inch, chances are you don’t even need to finish it in the oven. You can just keep flipping it until you’re happy with its internal temperature using an instant-read thermometer.
Oil a pan (preferably oven proof so you can transfer the whole thing into the oven) on medium high heat, and sear the steak on each side until it’s golden brown on each side. Insert a probe thermometer parallel to the steak surface if you want to be sure of the cook.
Transfer the pan into the oven. Pay attention to the cook, pulling the steak out when it’s 2-3 degrees away from your desired internal doneness. Rest for 5 mins then slice, and devour!
p.s. if you don’t have an ovenproof pan, just put the steak on a tray or dish that is and place that in the oven.
Detailed how-to instructions in Steak 5 Ways section of Steak Simplified, page 117. Pre-order here.
Here’s how to do it:
Photos by John Magdalinos - Apertura Project
