How to Pan-Sear a Steak
Master the pan-seared steak technique: temper the meat, achieve a deep caramelized crust with regular turning, and baste with foaming butter, garlic, and fresh herbs.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Heavy cast-iron or stainless steel skillet
- ✓ Long metal tongs
- ✓ Large basting spoon
- ✓ Instant-read digital thermometer
- ✓ Wooden carving board
- ✓ Chef's knife
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Thick-cut ribeye or strip steak (1.5 inches thick)
- ✓ Coarse sea salt
- ✓ Freshly cracked black pepper
- ✓ High-smoke-point oil (groundnut or avocado)
- ✓ Unsalted butter (3-4 tablespoons)
- ✓ Whole garlic cloves (crushed, unpeeled)
- ✓ Fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Lay steak into the skillet away from your body to prevent hot oil splashing.
- • Keep pan handles turned away from the edge of the stove to avoid accidental knocking.
- • Monitor pan temperature during basting to prevent butter solids from burning into bitter black smoke.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Temper and Generously Season the Meat
Remove the steak from the refrigerator 20 minutes prior to cooking so it reaches room temperature, ensuring even internal cooking. Pat the entire surface thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season aggressively with coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper, pressing the seasonings firmly into the top, bottom, and sides of the cut.
- • Surface is dry without excess surface moisture
- • Visible, even crust of coarse salt and pepper crystals covering all sides
- • Cooking straight from the fridge, leading to a grey band and cold center
- • Under-seasoning thick cuts of meat
Heat the Skillet to High Smoke Point
Place your heavy skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of high-smoke-point oil and swirl to coat the base evenly. Wait a few seconds until the oil shimmers and barely begins to wisps of smoke before adding meat.
- • Oil shimmers and displays faint wisps of smoke
- • Pan base is fully coated with a thin, glossy layer of oil
- • Adding meat to a cold or lukewarm pan, which boils rather than sears the steak
- • Using extra virgin olive oil, which burns at high searing temperatures
Sear the Edges and Establish Base Crust
Using tongs, place the steak into the skillet laying it away from you. If the cut has a thick strip of fat, hold it vertically with tongs to press the fat cap directly onto the pan floor for 30 to 45 seconds to render and crisp. Lower the flat side down and sear undisturbed for 60 seconds to lock in color.
- • Fat strip turns golden brown and translucent
- • A rich golden-brown crust forms on the initial contact side
- • Crowding multiple steaks into one pan, dropping the cooking temperature
Turn Regularly and Introduce Aromatics
Flip the steak every 60 seconds to distribute heat evenly through the meat and build a uniform crust without a deep grey overcooked ring. Drop the crushed, unpeeled garlic cloves and herb sprigs directly into the pan oil around the steak. Rub the herb sprigs across the top surface of the meat using your tongs.
- • Herbs sizzle and become deeply fragrant
- • Garlic cloves turn light golden without charring black
- • Flipping only once, which increases the overcooked gradient beneath the crust
Baste with Foaming Butter (Arrosé)
Drop the cold butter into the pan and reduce heat to medium. Tilt the skillet slightly toward you so the melted butter pools at the bottom edge with the garlic and herbs. Using a large spoon, rapidly and continuously scoop the foaming butter over the top of the steak for 1 to 2 minutes until your thermometer reads 125°F (52°C) for medium-rare.
- • Butter foams rapidly with a nutty, brown aroma
- • Steak develops a glossy, deep mahogany crust across all surfaces
- • Allowing heat to remain too high, scorching the milk solids in the butter
- • Relying strictly on visual cues instead of checking internal core temperature
Rest, Slice, and Finish
Transfer the steak immediately to a warm carving board and pour the remaining pan juices and butter over it. Let the steak rest undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes to allow the muscle fibers to relax and redistribute juices. Slice across the grain into thick ribbons and sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving.
- • Internal core stabilizes around 130°F to 135°F after carryover cooking
- • No excessive juice puddles out onto the board when sliced
- • Slicing immediately without resting, causing all internal juices to run out onto the board
- • Cutting parallel to the muscle grain, resulting in chewy meat
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Hodder Books — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Cast iron skillet? Heavy stainless steel pan or heavy-bottomed aluminum skillet
- No Groundnut or canola oil? Avocado oil, vegetable oil, or refined olive oil (high smoke point)
- No Fresh rosemary/thyme? 2 extra crushed garlic cloves (skip dried herbs as they burn instantly in hot oil)