Grilling steak is an excellent way to cook a tender and juicy piece of meat. The trick is to choose a thick steak and prepare it well so it cooks quickly.

Preheat the grill pan to a high temperature before you start cooking. This will help to conduct the heat to the steak quickly, ensuring you get a nice crust on it.

Preparation

A well-seasoned steak is the key to a good grill pan sear, so make sure your meat is salted and rubbed with a generous amount of oil. This helps to prevent the steak from sticking to the pan and also aids in conducting the heat from the pan to the steak.

Once you’ve seasoned the meat, place it in the hot skillet and cook until a brown crust develops on the surface. Depending on the thickness of your steak, this may take anywhere from two to three minutes on each side.

When the steak is cooked to your desired doneness, remove it from the skillet. The standard level of doneness is medium rare, which means it’s still juicy and tender but not dry as a bone.

Getting the steak to your preferred level of doneness is all about the internal temperature, so it’s important to check with a thermometer before you remove it from the skillet or oven. This can vary widely between steaks of different thicknesses, but a basic guideline is 125degF for rare and 135degF for medium-rare.

Heat

When you grill steak, it’s important to get the grill as hot as possible. This is so that it can cook quickly and produce the Maillard reaction, which produces that flavorful brown crust on the outside of the meat.

In addition, high heat also helps to tenderize the meat. It also helps to keep the inside of the steak cool so that it doesn’t overcook and become dry.

Another benefit of using a cast iron pan is that it helps to evenly distribute the heat throughout the surface of the steak. This results in more even cooking and a better crust over the surface of the steak, both of which are essential for achieving that perfect sear.

Sear

Searing a steak on a grill pan is one of the best ways to add flavor and get those signature grill marks. This is a quick and easy step, but it can be the difference between a ho-hum steak and a perfect meal.

The key is to find a pan that can reach and maintain high temperatures, mimicking those of an outdoor grill. This will give you the best chance of achieving a good sear.

A good cast iron grill pan can do this. Its elevated ridges help food stick to the surface, but it also disperses heat evenly without hot or cool spots.

The ridges also make it possible to achieve pleasing, dark, parallel lines of grilling char. This is great for creating a crust on meat that will add more flavor to the dish and hold its texture better.

Finish

Grilling steak on a grill pan gives you the same signature charred marks that a traditional grill does, but without all the hassle. It also creates a crust that encapsulates moist tender meat.

The key is buying a high-quality cut of steak that’s at least 1 1/2 inches thick. If you’re willing to spend a little more, a premium cut will result in superior marbling and flavor.

Start by seasoning the top and sides of the steaks thoroughly with salt and pepper. This will help the spices adhere to the surface and give you a delicious crust.

Place the steak over direct heat to sear for about two minutes without moving it. After that, rotate the steak 90 degrees and cook it for another 2 minutes.

Then, move the steak to indirect heat and continue cooking until your desired doneness, about 3 to 4 more minutes for medium-rare. Finishing it off with some compound herb butter is mind meltingly-delicious!