Cast Iron Is King

I don't remember if I learned this technique from Alton Brown, but I'll give him the credit anyway. The trick to a perfect steak house quality steak is cast iron. The beauty of perfecting the technique is that you can cook a steak to the desired "doneness" every time.

Here's how it all works. Let your steak warm up out of the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Get your broiler going. Get your cast iron skillet warmed up and toss in either butter or olive oil. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Drop your steak into the skillet and let it go for about 3 minutes. Flip the steak over for 2 minutes. Take the pan and steak and throw it in your broiler. Length of time will determine the "doneness" and it will take some practice. In my experience, Medium comes along in about 5 minutes. I like it a little more rare and go about 3 or 4 minutes.

Today I picked up a cheap steak and made this salad.