What was your last meal??

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I am trying to get my wife to do this:

 

[Greg T]

PASTY!!!

 

[brandon7861]

I am trying to get my wife to do this:

I think the #comedyvideo tag is spot on. At 175°F, you could just put the steak in a ziploc bag with the butter and set that in a pan of water at that temp. Uses less butter that way.

That said, I wouldn't try this. To properly sear a steak, you need a pan temperature that supports the maillard reaction (at least 330°F), and that temp needs to stay there (thick cast iron don't cool down when the meat hits it, so thats the pan to use).

At these temperatures, butter turns to shit.

This is what you do...

Get a meat thermometer (and ideally an IR thermometer to check the pan). If you don't have a meat thermometer, don't bother trying this until you do.

Get a nice, marbled cut of new york strip, put it in a ziploc bag with 1/4 cup pineapple juice (nothing else), and let it sit for 20 minutes. Pineapple juice contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down protein (makes meat tender really fast). After that 20 minutes, thoroughly drain off the juice (don't rinse with water) then set the steak on a wire rack on a baking sheet and apply a little of your favorite seasoning (I like Grillmates Montreal steak) and rub that in, then sprinkle on an almost unreasonable amount of course canning or kosher salt (about a teaspoon for each steak, all surfaces, DO NOT RUB THIS IN). Set that in the fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour.

Are you a garlic/onion fan? Get that cut up and ready during this time.

There are a million ways to go from here, but in my opinion, there are only two choices ~ thick cast iron or a charcoal grill. There is also an oven step if you have a really thick cut, but for anything 1.5" or less, no oven. So if its thick (like a sirloin), preheat oven to 350°F.

For the cast iron pan, start by cooking the garlic and onion with a high smoke-temp oil like avocado or grapeseed (avocado has less linoleic acid and I prefer that). Once that is done, remove it and set aside, then get that pan HOT with another teaspoon or two of high smoke temp oil. Let the pan get to about 400°F and put the steak in and set the burner to just under the max heat (it needs to stay above 330°F the whole time without smoking the oil). DONT TOUCH IT for a few minutes. It will release from the pan once ready to flip. Sear that side, then flip and repeat. Each side should take about 3 to 4 minutes. Check internal temp.

If it was a thick cut, slide the whole pan in the oven for 3 minutes each side or until the center is 140°F. If the steak was thinner (no oven), reduce heat to medium, and wait for 140°F with garlic and onion on top.

The moment that steak hits 140°F, take it off and set on a plate, pour garlic and onion on top (the steak needs to be touching the plate, nothing under it, onions and garlic on top), and LET IT REST for 7 minutes. Resist all temptation to eat it sooner, this is imperative! As it cools, it will reabsorb the juices on the plate DO NOT CHEAT ON THIS STEP!!!! It will be the difference between a shit steak and the best steak you ever had. It must rest and I cannot stress that enough.

Enjoy. If you followed these steps, leftovers will be just as good and, cut into strips, will make a great steak and egg breakfast burrito.

The grill method is the same, it must be HOT. Let that grill flame up a little. You want the outside maillard reaction to happen before the inside is destroyed. Don't fear the flames. Same rules apply, don't flip it too soon. If you're lookin', you're not cookin'! Trush the thermometer and let the maillard reaction happen on each side.

As you probably gathered by now, letting the steak sit in 175°F butter (especially for that long) is an all-around terrible idea. It wastes butter, that butter will burn during searing, and the inside will be thoroughly overcooked. You are also asking for a heart attack.