5 tricks to make a good steak great

A perfectly cooked steak is what many people — with good reason — think of as a perfect meal.

This is a classy take on a restaurant-quality steak dinner. But other than remembering to salt the steak ahead of time (not a deal breaker, but recommended), it’s only 30 minutes from start to finish.

Note these instructions are for a thick steak, at least 1-1/2-inches thick. Thinner steaks don’t need the additional oven-roasting time, and will likely be overdone if they go into the oven after they are seared on both sides.

Here are five things that help make a good steak great, and a great steak marvelous:

>> Salting the meat a day before cooking draws out excess liquid, concentrating and developing the flavor, and allows the meat to form a nice caramelized exterior. You can salt it an hour ahead too, but the longer time allows the seasoning to get past the surface into the middle of the meat.

>> Let the meat come to room temperature before cooking, or the inside will take significantly longer to warm up and cook, and by that time the outside of the steak will be overcooked.

>> Pat the meat dry before putting it in the pan. If the meat is wet, it won’t sear well.

>> Use an oil with a high smoking point, like canola or vegetable, to cook steaks on the stove. Butter or oil with a lower smoking point will burn, and cause the steak to have a burnt taste, even if it is not overcooked itself. Butter is a lovely thought, but add it at the end and just allow it to melt in the hot pan.

>> This doesn’t affect the quality of the steak, but turn on the exhaust fan! Odds are there will be a lot of smoke, so prepare by turning on the fan, opening windows and doors, and thinking of this as a test to see if your smoke-alarm batteries are still working.Roast some potatoes once the oven is preheated, add a little sauteed spinach (cooked up while the steak is in the oven) or a green salad, and you’ve got that perfect steak dinner in your own home.

RIB-EYE STEAKS WITH THYME-GARLIC BUTTER

By Katie Workman

• 2 rib-eye steaks, about 1-1/2 inches thick, and 1 to 1-1/4 pounds each
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves

Rub steaks liberally with salt and pepper. Place on a wire rack on top of a plate. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.

An hour before cooking, remove steaks from fridge and let come to room temperature.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet over high.

Pat meat dry and add steaks to pan. Sear 4 to 5 minutes, until bottoms are nicely browned, then flip steaks and brown another 3 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven and roast 5-10 minutes, to an internal temperature of 125 to 130 degrees for medium rare.

Remove steaks to cutting board, pour off fat from pan and place pan on stove over medium-low heat. Add butter, garlic and thyme; stir to melt butter, about 30 seconds. Brush the seasoned butter over steak and pour the rest into a small bowl.

Let steak sit 10 minutes, then slice. Brush slices with remaining melted butter. Serves 4.

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Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 596 calories, 44 g total fat, 17 g saturated fat, 237 mg cholesterol, 880 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, no fiber or sugar, 46 g protein.