The Butchers Blade / Lee’s cooking notes
How to cook steak
A good sear, careful seasoning and a proper rest — without relying on a one-size-fits-all timer.
A great steak is one of the simplest meals you can cook at home, and one of the easiest to get wrong. The difference between a grey, chewy steak and one with a deep brown crust and a juicy centre usually comes down to three things: choosing the right cut, getting the pan properly hot and giving the meat time to rest.
At The Butchers Blade in Sandbach Market Hall, Lee cuts steaks to order and dry-ages selected beef in the shop’s own cabinet. This guide walks you through everything from picking a cut at the counter to slicing it on the board, so you can cook steak with confidence whether it is a quick midweek supper or a Saturday night treat.
From preparation to plate
- Pat the steak dry with kitchen paper. Choose a heavy pan and prepare your sides before starting.
- Season just before cooking. Heat the pan, add a little suitable cooking oil and sear the steak on all sides, including the edges.
- Adjust the heat so the surface browns rather than burns. Thickness, starting temperature and your pan all affect the cooking time; use the cut’s instructions and check regularly.
- Rest on a warm plate for a few minutes before slicing. Cut across the grain, particularly for cuts such as bavette.
Serving and pairing ideas
Try roasted mushrooms, peppery leaves and potatoes. Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon suits richer beef; sparkling water with blackcurrant is an alcohol-free alternative.
Which cut to choose
- Ribeye
- Well marbled with a rich, buttery flavour. Forgiving in the pan and a favourite for first-time steak cooks.
- Sirloin
- A leaner strip with a band of fat along one edge. Render that fat first for extra flavour.
- Fillet
- The most tender cut with a mild flavour. Cook it gently and do not take it too far past medium.
- Rump
- Full of beefy flavour with a little more chew. Great value and excellent sliced for sharing.
- Bavette and flat iron
- Butcher’s cuts with big flavour. Cook quickly over high heat and always slice across the grain.
- Bone-in and dry-aged steaks
- Deeper, more concentrated flavour. Allow a little longer near the bone and rest them well.
Before you cook
Take the steak out of the fridge a short while before cooking so it is not fridge-cold in the pan, but do not leave raw meat out for long periods. Pat it completely dry with kitchen paper: surface moisture is the enemy of a good crust.
Season generously with salt just before it goes in the pan, or salt it well ahead and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge. Add black pepper at the end if you prefer, as it can scorch over very high heat.
Getting the sear right
Use your heaviest frying pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it until it is properly hot. Add a small amount of oil with a high smoke point, lay the steak away from you and leave it alone. Moving it too early stops the crust forming.
Turn the steak regularly once it releases easily; frequent turning gives an even result. For thicker steaks, finish with a knob of butter, a crushed garlic clove and a sprig of thyme or rosemary, spooning the foaming butter over the meat. Sear the fat edge by holding the steak on its side with tongs.
Judging doneness
Thickness, starting temperature and your hob all change timings, so treat any timing as a guide. A probe thermometer takes the guesswork out: remember the temperature keeps rising a little as the steak rests. Intact whole steaks can be served pink once every outside surface has been thoroughly seared.
Rest the steak on a warm plate for roughly half the time it spent in the pan. Pour any resting juices back over the sliced meat or into your sauce.
Slicing and serving
Look for the lines of muscle fibre and slice across them, not along them. This matters most for bavette, flat iron and rump, where cutting with the grain makes the meat feel tough. Serve on a warm plate so the steak stays hot to the last bite.
From the counter
Lee’s tips
Dry your steak like you mean it. If the surface is wet, the pan spends its heat steaming the meat instead of browning it.
Tell me how thick you like your steak when you come to the counter. I would rather cut one proper steak for two people than two thin ones that overcook before they colour.
With dry-aged beef, keep the seasoning simple. Salt, a hot pan and a good rest let the flavour from the cabinet do the talking.
Try this
Lee’s pan-seared ribeye with garlic and thyme butter
Serves 2
You will need
- 1 thick-cut ribeye or sirloin steak (ask Lee for around 4cm)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 30g unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- A few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
Method
- Pat the steak dry and season generously with salt on all sides.
- Heat a heavy pan until very hot, add the oil and lay in the steak. Turn every minute or so until a deep brown crust forms on both sides.
- Stand the steak on its fat edge with tongs to render and crisp the fat.
- Turn the heat down, add the butter, garlic and herbs, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for a minute or two.
- Check the centre with a thermometer, then rest on a warm plate. Slice across the grain, spoon over the butter and season with pepper.
What goes with it
- Hand-cut chips or crispy roast potatoes
- Roasted field mushrooms with garlic butter
- Peppery watercress or rocket salad
- Peppercorn, béarnaise or chimichurri sauce
- Grilled tomatoes and onion rings
What to drink
- Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon with ribeye and rump
- Pinot Noir with fillet
- A dark ale or porter
- Sparkling water with blackcurrant as an alcohol-free option
Common mistakes to avoid
- Cooking in a pan that is not hot enough, so the steak stews
- Crowding the pan with too many steaks at once
- Cutting into the steak straight away and losing the juices
- Slicing butcher’s cuts along the grain
Check before you serve
Only intact whole cuts of beef or lamb can be served pink after every outside surface is thoroughly seared. Minced, rolled, stuffed or mechanically tenderised meat needs thorough cooking.
For poultry, pork, minced meat, sausages, rolled joints and mechanically tenderised meat, cook thoroughly: the centre should reach 70°C for 2 minutes, or 75°C for 30 seconds. Clean the thermometer before and after checking.
Food Standards Agency cooking guidanceQuestions people ask Lee
Which steak is best for a beginner?
Ribeye is the most forgiving because its marbling keeps it juicy. Ask Lee at the counter and he will suggest a thickness that suits your pan.
Should I oil the pan or the steak?
Either works. Lightly oiling the steak gives less smoke; a thin film in the pan is fine for most kitchens.
Can I cook steak from frozen?
Defrost it fully in the fridge first for the most even result, following any label guidance.
What is dry-aged steak?
Beef that has rested in a controlled cabinet so moisture evaporates and the flavour concentrates. You can see Lee’s dry-aging cabinet in the shop.
Why buy from your local butcher
Buying from Lee’s counter at Sandbach Market Hall means you can ask for exactly the cut, thickness and weight you need, get it trimmed, rolled or diced while you wait, and pick up honest advice on how to cook it. Every sausage and burger is gluten free, and the shop’s own dry-aging cabinet brings deeper flavour to selected beef.
Storing your meat at home
Keep raw meat covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge, away from ready-to-eat food, and use it by the date on the label. If you are not cooking it soon, freeze it on the day you buy it, label it with the date and defrost it fully in the fridge before cooking.
Ready to cook?
Order online for local delivery or collection, or come and see Lee at Unit A, Market Hall, High St, Sandbach CW11 1AX.
