10 Ingredients That Take Your Steak from Good to Great
Updated: Jun. 28, 2023
Steak is good with nothing but a dash of salt and pepper. To make a good steak taste great, try using some of these secret ingredients.
We love cooking on the grill, but our favorite way to add flavor to steak is by using in a cast-iron skillet. Once you’ve mastered this simple salt-only steak recipe, branch out with some of our favorite seasoning ingredients. Bonus: You’ll wonder how you managed without this custom branding iron for grilled meats, too.
Baste with a sprig of rosemary
This is one of those tricks that takes minimal effort but works exceptionally well. Place a sprig of rosemary in the pan with your steak. After the flip, use your tongs to grab the rosemary and mop up the pan juices. Brush it over the steak to infuse each bite with flavorful rosemary oil. By the way, here’s how to cook medium-rare steak the right way.
Top steak with compound butter
Many steakhouses make their product taste better by topping it with butter. It works even better if you flavor the butter first. Roasted garlic butter is fantastic, but we also love the more unique combinations that include things like blue cheese. Check out these easy flavored butter recipes to get inspired.
Use a steak rub
Don’t feel like you have to go to the store and buy a premade steak rub. Making spice blends at home allows you to control the salt levels and ingredients—many store-bought rubs contain MSG. The simplest steak rub is salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, but have some fun with recipes like espresso steak rub.
Add smoky or spicy ingredients
Kick things up a notch by rubbing your steak with chili powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika or ground cumin. These smoky, spicy ingredients add a ton of depth and accentuate the steak’s naturally beefy flavor.
Keep it simple with freshly cracked black pepper
One of my favorite ways to prepare steak inside is by coating it in coarsely cracked black pepper and making steak au poivre. The combination of the spicy black pepper and the savory steak pan drippings create an unbelievable sauce when simmered with brandy and a splash of heavy whipping cream.
Don’t forget the finishing salt
There are a ton of different salts out there, and each has a specific flavor profile. We’d recommend seasoning the steak with regular kosher salt but finishing it with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Even better if you can find a flavored salt (if you can’t, you can always make your own).
Fresh herbs can make all the difference
A sprinkle of fresh parsley can go a long way to complement the flavors of your steak. Have some fun with this one; you can turn your fresh herbs into chimichurri or gremolata, or mix a few together to create your own blend.
Rub your steak with garlic
You don’t need a really fancy rub to make your steak taste great. Simply slice a garlic clove in half and rub the cut part over the steak, including the sides. Feel free to toss the garlic in the pan when you cook the steak; it’ll soften and become rich and tender.
Use a flavorful marinade
Steaks with a lot of fat content don’t require marinades, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them! Marinating a steak overnight is a great way to infuse it with extra flavor. Our favorite recipe uses balsamic vinaigrette, ground mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Serve it with complementary flavors
If you don’t want to mess with the flavor of the steak, accentuate its beefiness by serving it with savory, umami-rich flavors. We particularly like using tomatoes, mushrooms, a red wine sauce or caramelized onions. Learn the right technique for caramelizing onions.
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Originally Published: September 17, 2019
