🥩 Steak Three-Ways: 🔥 Grill, Air Fry, or 🍳 Pan-Fry Your Way to Perfection 🌡️
Steak is one of my favorite foods. It’s easy to make, tastes fantastic, and can be made at home for a fraction of the price of a fancy steak house. Beef is incredibly nutritious, and those nutrients are in the proper proportions and bioavailable so our bodies can utilize them fully.
Humans have been cooking steaks for as long as we have had fire, so we’ve been at it a while, but not much has changed. A good steak only requires a little bit of salt and a few minutes over a fire to create a fantastic meal.
Let your steak come to room temperature by removing it from the fridge for at least one hour before cooking. This will allow your steak to cook more evenly. If the center is still cold when you cook it, you may overcook the outer surface and still be raw in the middle.
You will need a meat thermometer to check the doneness of your steak. There are several types available. The standard digital probe, cord or cordless probe, or the classic old-school bi-metallic thermometer are the most common. It doesn’t matter which kind you use as long as it is accurate. You can always cut the steak open to check for doneness in a pinch, but that only works once, will release the juices from the meat, and can contribute to dryness.
This recipe calls for a ten-ounce New York strip steak that is one inch thick. This is because when you use the air fryer method, you need a thicker steak to prevent it from overcooking. You can use any steak you like if you choose the grill or pan fry method. The thicker it is, the longer you must cook it.
Cooking time by thickness:
- Thin steaks 1/2 inch or smaller: 1 minute per side
- Medium 1/2 inch to 1 inch: 2 minutes per side
- Thick 1 inch or more: at least 3 minutes per side
Remember that these are average cooking times, and a meat thermometer should be used in conjunction with the temperature chart below to determine when a steak is ready. Keeping your cooking surface nice and hot will help add beautiful and highly desirable sear marks to your steak. After you have achieved the sear, you only need to worry about the internal temperature.
Steak is best eaten fresh but can be stored in your fridge for about a week in an air-tight container. If you make your steak beforehand, undercook it a bit so it will not get overcooked when you reheat it.
A good steak does not require anything more than salt and maybe some pepper, but you have a few options if you want to add more flavor. You can marinade thinner cuts to help tenderize them and add flavor. You could also include additional seasoning like onion or garlic powder. Add garlic and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme during cooking if you are pan-frying your steak.
I have included a recipe for my blue cheese sauce following this recipe. It is incredible with any steak; don’t skip on it, or you will regret it.
Cooking steak is simple. Get your cooking surface hot to get a good sear on the outside, then monitor the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Pull it from the heat as soon as it reaches the remove from heat temperature and let it rest for five minutes. That’s it!
Steak is excellent all on its own, but some grilled vegetables will pair well with it if you want to add some variety. A compound butter would also enhance the flavor of your steak and can be prepared quite quickly by mixing softened butter with herbs and spices or even some blue cheese.
Difficulty Level: 2 Meatballs
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 6-18 Minutes
Servings: 1
- 1 ten-ounce New York strip steak, one inch thick
- 1 tablespoon of course sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Let your steak come to room temperature by removing it from the fridge for at least one hour before cooking.
Pat the steak dry with paper towels and liberally sprinkle with salt on both sides.
Grill Method
Preheat on high and clean the grill.
Grill steak for three minutes on each side.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to check the temperature (see temperature guide).
When cooked to your desired temperature, remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
Serve on a warm plate, and place the butter on top of the steak.
Air fry Method
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
Defrosted
Air fry at 400 degrees for 6 minutes on each side.
Frozen
Air fry at 400 degrees for 9 minutes on each side.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to check the temperature (see temperature guide).
When cooked to your desired temperature, remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
Serve on a warm plate, and place the butter on top of the steak.
Pan-Fry Method
Clarify the butter.
Place a large-sized skillet over high heat and add the clarified butter.
Once the skillet is hot but not smoking, add the steak.
Cook the steak for 3 minutes on each side.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to check the temperature (see temperature guide).
When cooked to your desired temperature, remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
Serve on a warm plate.
| Nutritional Facts: (Per Serving) Calories 735 Protein 58g Fat 53g Total Carbohydrates 0g |
Blue cheese Sauce
You will never want to eat another steak without this blue cheese sauce! It’s quick to whip up and has nine grams of protein per serving.
The base of this recipe is cottage cheese. I was inspired to create this recipe from all the trending cottage cheese recipes that have been so popular lately. I wanted a sauce with no ultra-processed oils or high fructose corn syrup. So as I do, I made my own.
By adjusting the amount of water you add, you can adapt this recipe to make a variety of sauces, dips, and dressings. The more water, the thinner it will be, which is ideal for dressings. The less water you add, the thicker it becomes, perfect for dips. Try exchanging the blue cheese for an onion dip mix to make onion dip or ranch powder to create an amazing ranch dressing.
You will need a blender or food processor to process the cottage cheese into a liquid properly, but a blender or food processor of any size will work. The key to this recipe is processing the mixture until it is velvety smooth.
This recipe can be made ahead of time and will store in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days.
Difficulty Level: 1 out of 5 Meatballs
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: None
Servings: 4
- One cup of cottage cheese
- 6 tablespoons of water
- 2.5 ounces of blue cheese
Place ingredients into a blender and blend on high for 1 minute.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender pitcher.
Blend until smooth.
Serve on the side with steak.
| Nutritional Facts: (Per Serving) Calories 114 Protein 9g Fat 7g Total Carbohydrates 2g |