Cooking a high-quality steak at home isn’t hard to achieve when you have good seasonings and a couple of cooking techniques up your sleeve. The key to preparing a good steak is seasoning it well. But how do you choose the perfect mixture for your steak? No worries; we put our thinking caps together to help you season your steak property. Learn how to choose the right seasoning for your steak here.
Basic Steak Cooking Tips
Before you start embarking on your grilled or pan-fried dreams, here are some vital steps for cooking your steak:
- Allow your meat to thaw properly. You never want to cook your meat straight out of the refrigerator.
- Let your steak rest after cooking. Allow the steak juices to seep throughout the meat.
- Use a thermometer to ensure your meat has cooked at your desired temperature.
How To Make the Best Steak Seasoning
There are various beef marinades and store-bought spice mixtures you can use on your steak. If you ever run out or want to try something new, you can always rely on a simple steak seasoning recipe that’ll get the job done every time. To make this mouth-watering seasoning, you’ll need to mix the following ingredients:
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Minced onion
- Dried thyme leaves
- Brown sugar
- Tarragon
- Chili powder (only if you want to add some kick to it)
How To Season Your Steak Properly
You can season your steaks with herbs, spices, or spice mixtures to boost the flavor. When seasoning your steak, you want to ensure the flavor isn’t just on top of the meat but inside of it as well. Red meat can take much more salt and seasoning than you think. When choosing the proper seasoning for your steak, you want to look at the thickness of the steak. Here are some tips to properly season your steak:
- Season thick steaks generously.
- Season your steaks about an hour before cooking so that they can soak in all the seasonings.
- Brush all sides of your steak with olive oil to help your seasonings adhere.
- Use kosher salt instead of table salt for a bolder flavor.
When To Heavily Season and When To Refrain
Most steak recipes suggest that you season generously. However, there’s a thin line between generously seasoning and over-seasoning your steak. You probably wouldn’t season a Wagyu beef steak and a rib eye with the same seasoning or amount of seasoning.
The seasoning you need depends on your steak’s thickness. Thicker steaks generally need more seasoning so that the flavor can penetrate to the middle instead of lying flat on top. Since you’re not eating a large portion with them, thinner steaks don’t need as much seasoning.
Over time, preparing your steak will become second nature. Learning how to choose the right seasoning for your steak will help you enhance your steaks over the years.
