How I Actually Got Good at Steak

If one thing I cook has improved in the last five years, it’s my steak game.

For a long time, every cut went on the barbecue the same way. Marinade if the recipe called for it. Salt and pepper if it didn’t. Fine. Never special. Average cooked steak.

Then I spent a lot of hours watching Guga talk cuts, seasoning, and the kind of consistency that doesn’t happen by accident. I still rarely get his favorite, picanha—that triangular cut from the top of the rump with the thick fat cap Brazilian barbecue is built around. When I do, I treat it like the prize it is.

The Ooni changed the sear

Buying an Ooni Karu 16 at a steep discount didn’t just upgrade pizza night. It gave me 800–900°F and a screaming-hot cast iron skillet.

That’s the crust. Salt, pepper, garlic powder. Nothing else until the end.

Finish with a butter baste and thyme until the center hits medium-rare. Medium if it’s for Anna.

Instant Pot on Warm as poor-man’s sous vide

I’ve also started using the Instant Pot on Warm as a cheap sous vide. Bring the steak to about 135°F in the bag, pull it, season it, then sear hard for the crust.

Inexpensive cuts have been shockingly good this way. Technique does more than the price tag.

The $9 steak salad

The other night it was a steak salad. Nine-dollar piece of beef, just under a pound. I don’t even remember the cut.

Simple seasoning. Dry in the fridge a few hours. Temper. Drop into a ripping-hot cast iron. Butter-baste on the stove.

Sliced over romaine with tomatoes, avocado, blue cheese, and homemade French bread croutons. It ate like it cost three times that.

A little technique goes a long way at home.