If you want your steaks to look like they came from a crazy-expensive steak house, there's 2 options

One option is pricey, the other one no-so-much...

I know, I've been AWOL for a while (like a year), but with this Covid thing happening, I seem to be spending a lot more time at home, just like everyone else. So there's that.

Anyway, I like meat. It's not my fault that my DNA requires me to eat some animal-based protein a couple of times a week. Don't get me wrong, we eat plenty of vegetarian meals here, but one of the few foods I really crave is beef. Specifically, New York steaks (I live in L.A., but if you're east of the Rockies, you probably know it as a Kansas City Strip).

You want your steaks to look like they came from an expensive steak house? You'll need a broiler that gets to 1500°, or a grill that blasts out 100,000 BTU's. But that's option 1. Option 2 is much less expensive.

First let's talk cuts of beef here for a second. Don't be a sucker and fall for the old "filet mignon is the best cut because it's so expensive" trick. Bullshit. A tenderloin or filet mignon is tender, but that's about it. Mostly flavorless, often with a soft or mushy texture, it's simply not worth the money. If you want to taste BEEF when you eat steak, you want a New York. Ribeyes are a close 2nd if you like the marbling throughout the cut. Now don't get me wrong, in the steak places I frequent (Flemings, Morton's, Mastro's, etc.), a NY steak isn't cheap, it will set you back $60; and that's just for the steak. But pound-for-pound, it's always less expensive than a filet mignon, and tastes better too.

OK, now we've agree on a New York steak for dinner. We did agree, didn't we?

It really doesn't matter, this is my website and I can cook whatever I want. But I digress.

First, you need to salt and dry out the steak. You do this by putting a layer of coarse salt on the steak, and then laying it out on a paper towel covered plate overnight in fridge, uncovered. Yes, uncovered. Trust me, it will be just fine in there without a plastic-wrap security blanket. When you salt the steak, you want a lot of salt; don't worry, it won't taste salty after you cook it. Lay on a layer like you were putting flour on your cutting board; you want all of the steak covered with a thin layer of salt. Then stick in the fridge for 8 hours or so, or overnight.

Now comes the trick I was going to tell you...you're going to make a rub for the steak, with some spices of course, but also with some brown sugar. Just a little, as we don't want the steak to taste sweet. But that brown sugar will start the Maillard reaction (check this out if you don't have any idea what that is) and the steak will have a beautiful char on it when you pull it out of the pan. Now, of course you could try to do this on your stove top without the sugar, but odds are you'll have a horribly over-cooked steak by the time the outside has that crisp crust.

It's all about that baste (with apologies to Meghan Trainor)...

My recipe calls for the steak to be pan-seared and basted, which you'll have to do in a pan. You could apply the rub and grill your steaks, but you won't be able to baste it like I'm going to describe.

Last, you want to let the meat rest after cooking to let it firm up and distribute the juices. That means the meat is loosely covered on the cutting board for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness.

Pan Seared NY Steak with Fresh Herbs

• One NY Steak (or as many as you need...), each about 1 1/2" thick - you can get bone-in or boneless, but the bone-in will take a little longer to cook

For each steak:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse salt

• One tablespoon brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• Fresh herbs (tarragon, rosemary, and/or thyme

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 clove fresh garlic, crushed

Place the steaks on a paper towel lined plate, and sprinkle both sides with 1 tablespoon salt. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, uncovered.

Mix 1/2 teaspoon salt, the brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper in a bowl, then sprinkle on 1 side of the steak.

To cook, heat a heavy pan (preferable cast iron) over high heat till it starts smoking. Add the olive oil, and lay the steak in, with the seasoned side down. Now, leave it alone. Don't touch it. Just stand back and watch that cloud of smoke fill your kitchen. While it's cooking, season the other side with the spice/brown sugar mix. After 3 minutes, flip the steak and add the herbs, the fresh garlic and the butter to the pan. Tilt the pan to one side, and with a large spoon, start to baste the steak with the butter and juices in the pan. Continue doing this for about 3 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 115°. How do you know it's 115° on the inside? Because you have a thermometer, that's why. Duh.

Once it hits 115°, take it out of the pan and loosely cover it for 5 minutes before serving.