There’s no single “perfect” steak — it depends on the cut, the cooking method, and what you personally enjoy eating. What we can do is share what we’ve learned from decades behind the butcher’s block and plenty of conversations with customers about what worked and what didn’t.
This is our guide to getting a great result at home, whether you’re cooking on a pan, a BBQ, or under the grill.
Start With the Right Cut
Different cuts suit different people. Here’s a quick rundown to help you pick:
- Scotch fillet (rib eye) — rich marbling, full flavour, very forgiving to cook. A great all-rounder and our most popular steak cut.
- Eye fillet (tenderloin) — the most tender cut on the animal. Milder in flavour than fattier cuts, but the texture is hard to beat.
- Porterhouse (sirloin) — a solid middle ground between flavour and tenderness. Great value for a quality steak.
- T-bone — two steaks in one, with eye fillet on one side and porterhouse on the other. Best cooked on the bone for added flavour.
- Rump — leaner and more affordable, but packed with beefy flavour when sourced from quality cattle. Don’t overlook it.
If you’re unsure, ask us at the counter. Tell us how you like your steak cooked and what you’re cooking it on, and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Thickness Matters
A steak cut too thin is almost impossible to cook well — it goes from raw to overdone in seconds. We recommend a minimum of 2.5cm thick for pan or BBQ cooking. If you’re buying from our cabinet and the steaks are thinner than you’d like, just ask and we’ll cut them fresh to your preferred thickness.
Bring It to Room Temperature
Take your steak out of the fridge 20–30 minutes before cooking. A cold steak dropped onto a hot surface will cook unevenly — the outside can overcook before the centre has had a chance to warm through. Letting it come to room temperature helps it cook more evenly from edge to centre.
Keep the Seasoning Simple
A quality grass-fed steak doesn’t need much. A generous amount of flaky salt and cracked black pepper on both sides is all we’d suggest. Season just before cooking, not hours ahead — salt draws moisture to the surface, which can affect the sear if it sits too long.
Some people like to add garlic, rosemary, or a knob of butter toward the end of cooking. That’s entirely a matter of personal taste and there’s nothing wrong with it — but start with salt and pepper and let the meat do the talking.
Get the Heat Right
This is where most home cooks go wrong. The cooking surface needs to be properly hot before the steak goes on. If the pan or grill isn’t hot enough, the steak will steam instead of sear, and you’ll miss out on that caramelised crust that makes a good steak great.
- Pan: Use a heavy-based frying pan or cast iron skillet. Heat it over high heat until it’s just starting to smoke. Add a small amount of oil with a high smoke point — rice bran, grapeseed, or canola all work well. Avoid olive oil on high heat as it burns easily.
- BBQ: Get the grill plates or flat plate as hot as they’ll go. Clean and lightly oil the grates before cooking.
Cooking Times — A Guide, Not a Rule
Every steak is different. Thickness, starting temperature, fat content, and your specific cooker all affect timing. These times are a rough guide for a 2.5–3cm thick steak on high heat, and should be treated as a starting point rather than a guarantee:
- Rare: About 2–3 minutes per side. Cool red centre.
- Medium-rare: About 3–4 minutes per side. Warm red centre. This is what most butchers and chefs tend to prefer, but it’s your steak — cook it how you enjoy it.
- Medium: About 4–5 minutes per side. Warm pink centre.
- Medium-well: About 5–6 minutes per side. Slightly pink.
- Well done: About 6–7 minutes per side, with reduced heat toward the end to avoid burning the outside.
The most reliable method is to use a meat thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the steak:
- Rare: 50–52°C
- Medium-rare: 55–57°C
- Medium: 60–63°C
- Medium-well: 65–68°C
- Well done: 70°C+
Keep in mind the steak will continue to rise a few degrees while resting, so pull it off a touch earlier than your target.
Only Flip Once
Put the steak down, leave it alone, and let the heat do the work. Resist the urge to move it, press it, or peek at the underside every 30 seconds. When it’s ready to flip, it’ll release from the pan naturally. Flip it once, cook the other side, and that’s it.
Pressing down on a steak with a spatula squeezes out juices and dries it out. Let it be.
Rest the Steak
This is the step most people skip, and it makes a bigger difference than almost anything else. When you take a steak off the heat, the juices are concentrated in the centre. If you cut into it immediately, those juices run out onto the plate and the steak dries out.
Rest the steak on a warm plate or board, loosely covered with foil, for at least 5 minutes. For thicker cuts, rest for 7–10 minutes. The juices redistribute through the meat and you end up with a juicier, more evenly cooked steak.
A Note on Grass-Fed Steak
Our beef is grass-fed and grass-finished, which means it’s leaner than grain-fed beef. It cooks a little faster and can dry out more quickly if pushed past medium. If you’re used to cooking grain-fed steak, ease back on the cooking time slightly and keep a closer eye on it. The flavour is richer and more complex — it just needs a slightly gentler hand on the heat.
The Short Version
Room temperature. Hot pan. Salt and pepper. Don’t touch it. Flip once. Rest it. That’s most of what you need to know. The rest comes with practice and paying attention to what your specific setup does.
If you want advice on which cut to try or how thick to go, come talk to us at the counter. We do this every day and we’re always happy to help you get a better result at home.
This guide reflects general cooking principles and our experience as butchers. Results will vary depending on your equipment, the specific cut, and individual preferences. Cooking times and temperatures are approximate — always use your judgement and a meat thermometer for the best results.