Enjoy our Executive Chef Steve Allen’s top tips for cooking an excellent steak every time, along with his favourite sauces to serve on the side. You can find steaks from our very own butchery, available on Côte at Home – from individual cuts to our Steak Date Night meal box
And before you tuck in, check out Brand Drinks Manager, Paddy Gardiner’s perfect pours for every cut.
It’s really important to bring your steak up to room temperature before cooking – about an hour in advance is ideal.
Season the steak well with Maldon salt (or other flaky salt). The salt slowly penetrates the meat and ensures the steak retains its moisture.
Ensure your grill or pan is as hot as it can be (the pan should be smoking, so get the kitchen windows open wide!). I prefer to use a griddle pan at home so that you can almost replicate the bar marks of a charcoal grill.
Do not place any oil or fat on your pan or grill – just rub a little neutral oil on the steak itself.
Place the steak under the grill/in your pan and leave it to cook (shaking the pan or moving the grill will break the seal on the meat and the steak will lose its moisture).
When you’ve got a good colour on the first side of the steak, turn over (again, do not touch the steak while it cooks).
Once the second side is well-coloured, touch your steak to see how it feels:
When it’s rare it will feel soft
Medium rare will have a little bounce
Well done will be much firmer
Leave your steak to rest for at least 6-10 minutes on a wire rack.
If you need to heat your steak before serving, place under the grill for 20-30 seconds.
If slicing your steak, ensure you slice it against the grain so it’s not tough.
Find out more about how our quality steaks and our Côte butchery team.
Minute steak (141g/5oz):
1 minute on each side
It’s called ‘minute steak’ for a reason – it’s the thinnest cut, so the fastest to cook (don’t overdo it!)
Sirloin (227g/8oz):
Rare: 3-4 minutes on each side
Medium: 6-7 minutes on each side
Well done: 9-10 minutes on each side
Fillet (200g/7oz):
Rare: 4-5 minutes on each side
Medium: 7-8 minutes on each side
Well done: 10-11 minutes on each side
Rib-eye (227g/8oz):
Rare: 3-4 minutes on each side
Medium: 6-7 minutes on each side
Well done: 9-10 minutes on each side
Côte de boeuf (625g/22oz):
Medium rare: 10 minutes on each side
Medium: 15 minutes on each side
Well done: 20 minutes on each side
Minute steak
A simple minute steak (thinly sliced sirloin) pairs perfectly with a simple garlic butter. As this style of sirloin is quite lean, the butter adds some much-needed richness.
Sirloin
As sirloin is naturally milder in flavour, we’d suggest something bold like Café de Paris butter. In this butter, you’ll find some punchy flavours, such as anchovies, curry powder and Worcestershire sauce that bring out the subtle flavour of the sirloin.
Fillet
Béarnaise is a brilliant match for tender fillet steak, thanks to its creamy texture and slightly acidic flavour from the white wine vinegar. The last-minute addition of fresh tarragon brings an aniseed note that adds a layer of complexity to the richness of the base sauce.
Rib-eye
Peppercorn sauce is an absolute classic when it comes to rib-eye steak. This steak’s rich depth of flavour contrasts perfectly with the peppery punch and creamy texture of the sauce.
Côte de boeuf
This rib of beef is a truly decadent cut of meat with intense marbling. Turn the flavour all the way up to 11 with earthy black truffle – simply grate a little into some hollandaise or butter (and add a few shavings on top for an extra special dining experience!).
Minute steak
This brasserie classic (perfect for a steak frites) uses a thin, tenderised steak for quick cooking. It pairs perfectly with a medium-bodied, juicy red, with a hint of peppery spice such as our Côtes du Rhône.
Sirloin
Sirloin has a perfect balance between fat, flavour, and tenderness. It works really well with the dark fruit and chewy tannins of oaked Bordeaux, such as our Gravières from Graves on the left bank of the Garonne River.
Fillet
Fillet is an incredibly tender, delicately flavoured cut. This lean steak requires a lighter-bodied wine with a velvety texture, so look to pinot noirs such as our Les Mougeottes from the Pays d’Oc, or a Gevrey-Chambertin red Burgundy for the ultimate indulgence.
Rib-eye
Rib-eye has a higher fat content, with the marbling providing more flavour. This rich cut needs a wine with firm tannins to balance the fat content in the meat – try a malbec or a syrah-based wine such as Corbières or Saint-Chinian.
Côte de boeuf
This bone-in prime rib cut needs a big wine to balance the textural richness from the marbling and the flavour intensity provided by the dry ageing. A premium syrah such as Côte-Rôtie, or a Grand Cru Bordeaux such as our Saint-Émilion would be a perfect match to this stunning cut.
