How To Cook The Perfect Steak, According To Celebrity Chef Neil Perry

"The difference between a home-cook and a professional chef is how much salt you put on."

How To Cook The Perfect Steak, According To Celebrity Chef Neil Perry

This feature has been produced in partnership with IWC Schaffhausen

There is a time in every young man’s life when he must subsist on Uber Eats and Ramen. There also comes a time in every slightly-older man’s life when he gets his act together. Whether it’s to impress your partner, your parents or your Ketogenic personal trainer, cooking a perfect steak is the ultimate way to cultivate your inner rugged gentleman.

And who better to learn from than Neil Perry? One of Australia’s best chefs, Neil is a famous restaurateur, and today he is going to take you through how to cook the best steak of your life, in one of his many award-winning restaurants, Rockpool.

Here’s everything you need to know to take your steak game from charred and chewy to Michelin-munchable.

Source Top Quality Ingredients

Although a good chef can improvise his way around a kitchen, in Neil Perry’s words, “If you don’t start with the best meat you’re never going to get there.” This means buying high quality cuts, ideally with no growth hormones or antibiotic feed supplements. If you want to use the exact meat Neil does, you’ll need to get your hands on some 36 month dry aged Cape Grim grass fed beef.

Don’t Shy Away From Salt

Make sure you get a few work outs done before inhaling a top-quality steak, because according to Neil, seasoning is crucial.

“The difference between a home cook and a professional cook is how much salt you put on.”

Cook It Over Charcoal Or Natural Wood

He also recommends you grill your steak over a natural fuel like charcoal or wood, on a high heat, for about 8 minutes (depending on the thickness), flipping it regularly.

Aim For Crust & Colour

How can you tell a steak has been professionally cooked? Crust and colour on the outside, tender in the middle. So make sure the grill is sizzlin’ hot, and don’t cook it for too long.

Give It Time To Rest

Although dry-aged cuts don’t require as much resting time as wetter pieces of meat (that most of us would be likely to buy), they still need 5 minutes or so to allow the blood to infuse the meat with flavour rather than spill all over the plate.

“If you take it straight off the fire and cut it you end up with a pool of blood.”

And this should be extended for other cuts, with Neil recommending 10-15 minutes for a fresher piece that’s not dry aged.

Add Salt, Olive Oil & Lemon

Once your meat is off the grill, sprinkle a bit more salt onto it, lightly drizzle it with olive oil, and squeeze a bit of lemon onto it, Spanish style, for good measure.

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