Think cooking an awesome steak at home is too difficult or too expensive? Think again. This ultra-tender steak melts in your mouth (especially when you use the nine steps/tricks below), is moderately priced, takes an easy 10 hands-on minutes to make, and the best part: is sliced and drizzled with a thick, ultra-savory (yet simple) browned butter pan sauce.
And you only need THREE ingredients (plus salt and pepper) for the whole thing.
Behold: the Perfect Pan-Seared Steak with Browned Butter Pan Sauce, in all it’s glory:
Wipe that drool off your face and keep reading (then RUN to the grocery store to get the ingredients).
Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Here are nine steps/tricks to making a perfect steak that won’t break the bank.
Tips and Tricks for the BEST pan-seared steak
1. Use a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one, I beg you to reconsider this important life decision. Inexpensive, virtually indestructible, and super versatile, my cast iron skillet is my all-time favorite cooking tool.
The reason why it’s perfect for cooking this steak is that it can get searing hot, which is essential for developing a proper crust on your steak.
If you don’t have one and you need steak NOW, you’d be able to use another heavy bottomed skillet (such as stainless steel). Just make sure you don’t use non-stick: you have to get the pan too hot to safely use a pan with a non-stick coating.
2. Choose the right cut. I usually buy New York Strip- in my opinion, it’s the best for the price. I’m far too frugal of a person to be buying the really pricey cuts of steak, but I’m far too snobby of a cook to use the real cheap stuff (and I don’t want to sit through my whole meal gnawing through tough meat!).
Rest assured, you can certainly use other cuts of steak with this technique, depending on how frugal/snobby you are :-)
Look for a cut of meat that is about 1-inch thick (this will ensure a crusty, seared outside but a tender inside that doesn’t get overcooked) and has fat marbled throughout.
You want to avoid large “stripes” of fat running through the center of the meat (but around the outside is fine). The marbled fat will disperse throughout the meat and make it super tender, but large pieces of fat won’t break down and will remain tough.
3. Let the meat come to room temperature. Set the meat on a plate and allow it to warm up a bit before cooking. This will do two things: a) ensure even cooking, and b) allow some of the liquid to be released from the steak. If the meat is too wet, it won’t get as nice of a sear on the outside.
Allow the meat to sit out for a minimum of fifteen minutes- ideally, a half an hour. This is the perfect amount of time for you to get some chili garlic sweet potato fries in the oven, as I did (or prep for whatever other side you are going to have with it).
4. Salt and pepper the heck out of it. First, blot the steak dry with a paper towel. Then, add freshly ground pepper and LOTS of Kosher salt to both sides.
Make sure you use Kosher, or coarse sea salt- fine table salt won’t work. For those of you who like measurements: I’d say at least a teaspoon (for a one-pound steak), divided on both sides. For those of you who just “go for it” when it comes to salt: sprinkle an even layer on top that generally covers the whole thing.
More is better. Trust me.
Here’s why you need lots of seasoning. First: the inside of the meat is not going to be seasoned, so you need to ensure the outside is very salty to properly season an entire bite.
And for a one-inch thick steak, this is a lot of meat that doesn’t get seasoned. Second: for this recipe, you will be making an amazing pan sauce out of the juices left in the pan, and some of the seasoning from the steak will be left behind to flavor the sauce.
5. Get the pan searing hot. This is why you want to use cast iron: it gets wicked hot and distributes heat evenly, making it perfect for searing things to perfection.
Turn the heat on high and wait for a few minutes, until if you hold your hand a couple of inches above the pan it is very hot and you have to pull away.
6. Create a perfect crispy seared crust by NOT moving the steak. Once the pan is hot, add butter and wait until it’s melted, and add the seasoned steak. Once it’s in there, don’t move it. This will allow the intense heat of the pan to create an awesome crispy seared crust to the steak.
Leave it in there for four minutes, and then flip to the other side and wait another four minutes. At this point a one-inch steak should be a perfect medium-rare. If you prefer a more cooked steak, leave it in for a bit longer to finish cooking.
And while you’re at it, sear the edges as well. Keep in mind: when you let it rest after cooking (next step), the internal temperature will continue to rise 5-10 degrees.
7. Let it rest. Once the steak is cooked to your liking, remove it to a plate and let it rest for at least ten minutes.
Similar to making roast chicken, it’s important to let steak rest before cutting into it so the juices have a chance to redistribute. If you cut into it too soon, the juices will escape the meat causing it to be a bit dryer and less flavorful than if you let it rest.
8. Make a browned butter pan sauce. THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART. And it’s so simple. After you’ve removed the steak from the skillet, you are left with delicious morsels and juices and butter in the bottom of the pan. For the love of God- do NOT let these go to waste.
Just add some more butter (about 2 tablespoons) and allow it to melt. Since the pan is so hot, the butter will start to brown rather quickly (browning occurs when the milk solids in the butter get toasted from the heat).
Then, add about a half cup of beef broth (chicken or vegetable, or red ow white wine, can be used as well) to the pan. It will sputter and steam and now you’ll deglaze the pan. Use a flat spatula to scrape up and release all the delicious browned bits and leftover seasoning from the steak to incorporate into the sauce.
Let it simmer for a few minutes- this allows the flavors to concentrate since some of the liquid will evaporate.
9. Slice the steak against the grain and drizzle the sauce on top to serve. In other words: the short way, not the long way. I used to serve steak as just one big hunk of meat on a plate, but I recently started slicing it and here’s why.
First, it’s easier to eat less when it’s sliced. It fills up more room on the plate, giving the illusion of more food so you eat a bit less.
Second, it’s easier to eat because it’s already in smaller pieces.
Third, the sauce- that delicious liquid gold you just made- gets drizzled on top of the sliced meat at this point. When it’s sliced, the surface area of the steak increases so more sauce is able to cover more area. More sauce=more happiness. It’s simple math, folks.
Alright, guys! NOW you may go and run to the grocery store to get the ingredients you need for this. And one other quick tip before I go: steak freezes beautifully.
So if you see a deal at the store for buying it in bulk, I recommend going for it. Just make sure that when you use the frozen steak it’s defrosted completely before cooking, otherwise it will cook unevenly.
Other easy recipes with pan sauce
- Oven-Baked Pork Chops with White Wine Butter Pan sauce
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Crispy Honey Buffalo Chicken Thighs
- Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce
Printable recipe below. Enjoy!
Perfect Pan-Seared Steak with Browned Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs. NY strip steak (1 large or 2 small steaks)
- Kosher salt to taste- about 1 teaspoon
- black pepper to taste
- 2.5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Allow steak to come to room temperature by letting it rest on a plate for 30 minutes (15 minimally).
- Blot the steak dry with a paper towel; salt and pepper liberally on both sides.
- Get a cast iron (or other heavy bottomed) skillet very hot over high heat.
- Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in the pan and add the steak.
- Let it sear on one side without moving it for four minutes. Flip, and sear the other side for four minutes. Sear the sides for a minute or so each.
- At this point, the steak will be medium-rare. If you want it cooked more than that, continue to heat until desired doneness.
- Remove from skillet and let rest for at least ten minutes.
- While steak is resting, melt remaining butter (2 tablespoons) in the skillet over medium heat. The butter will begin to brown after a minute or so, since the skillet is so hot. Add the beef broth (1/2 cup) and stir using a flat spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Slice steak against the grain and drizzle with pan sauce.
Notes
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Sherri H.
Just a quick question, when you let your steak rest, did you cover it loosely or tent it with foil? Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
If you’re resting it for more than 10 minutes, you may want to cover it with foil so it doesn’t cool down too much. I usually can’t wait that long to eat it! So I usually just leave it uncovered.
Hannah Benoit
The method worked very well. The steak was scrumptious, juicy, and done to a turn. My critiques are 1) way too salty! Though the principle is sound in terms of creating a nice crust and 2) I’d omit the butter at the start of cooking the steak. My house filled with smoke and it triggered the alarm! I’d suggest just a bit of oil. Add the butter at the end.
I added some finely chopped shallots when I made the butter sauce. Very tasty.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback- I actually have this recipe on my list of stuff to redo in the near future, so I’ll take this into consideration in my next experiments! LOVE the idea of adding shallots.
Kamal
I also agree that more sauce does indeed mean more happiness.
This recipe has made me realize we need a cast iron skillet. Will fix that soon.
Elizabeth Lindemann
More sauce is always the answer. I love my cast iron! It is heavy, though. But it cooks really well :-)
Lisa
If you don’t use the broth, but you substitute it for the water how much water do you use?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve just reread the post and realized I should not have suggested water for this :-) I recommend using broth- beef, chicken, or vegetable, or wine. This is because the water content of these things will evaporate, leaving behind a concentrated flavor. If you just add water, it will just evaporate! That said, if you don’t have ANY of these things as a last resort, you can add water simply to deglaze the pan. This will enable you to loosen all the good bits from the bottom of the pan. I’d suggest adding a little more butter to the pan after scraping everything off, once you turn OFF the heat, and let it melt into everything. This will help thicken it a bit. Hope that helps! I updated the post to say wine instead of water :-)
Ernest Santamaria
I love this recipe. I cooked my vegetables in the drippings.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Great idea to reuse the drippings like that.
fank
I would use some shallots or onion, and some herbs like thyme. This is nice and easy in a pinch, but don’t miss out on lots of easy flavor
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the suggestions, I have some fresh thyme growing in my garden so I’ll throw that in next time!
Rich
Absolutely delicious, peppery perfection.
Elizabeth
Thanks! So happy you liked it!
Cathy l
Finally got around to making this – omg good – only bad thing is that won’t be eating out as much – better at home – love your recipes !!!!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it and thanks so much for your nice comment! :)
Joan Devlin
This is how ai cook my steak. One thing I add is a little red wine to deglaze the pan as well as water(which I always have) or beef broth ( which I sometimes have):
Think it will be tomorrow’s dinner.
Elizabeth
Wine- great idea! Thanks for the suggestion :-)