Things You'll Need

Instructions

1

Soak the steak in a dairy-based marinade, made with milk, yogurt or buttermilk, to tenderize it. Fill a baking dish or sealable plastic bag with enough marinade to cover the steak. Add in a bit of salt, pepper and other herbs and spices, such as chili pepper powder, onion powder, thyme or rosemary. Refrigerate the marinating steak for 2 to 6 hours.
2

Remove the steak from the marinade at least an hour before cooking it. Pat it dry with paper towels and liberally salt both sides of the meat. This allows enough time for the salt to extract moisture from the steak and flavor it, and for the meat to draw the moisture back in. Let the steak stand at room temperature during this time so it's not chilled when it goes in the pan, and it cooks more evenly and quickly.
3

Heat a stainless steel, cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed frying pan on a burner over moderately high heat. Coat the bottom with cooking oil, heating it until it moves around in the skillet with a watery, rather than oily, consistency.
4

Sear one side of the steak for 2 to 3 minutes without moving it around at all in the pan. Wait for a well-browned crust to form. Flip the steak with tongs or a spatula and sear the second side the same as the first, then turn it again back to the first side.
5

Reduce the burner heat to moderately low for a more gentle cooking to preserve the steak's quality as much as possible and to prevent scorching the outside before the inside reaches well done. Toss a pat or two of unsalted butter into the pan and wait for it to melt.
6

Turn the steak over again. Spoon pan juices over the top of the steak to accelerate cooking and promote even cooking. Continue turning the steak and spooning juices over the top once or twice per minute.
7

Cook the steak for a total of about 6 to 7 minutes per side. Read its internal temperature at the center and remove it from the frying pan at 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
8

Rest the steak for 5 minutes before serving. Its temperature rises another 5 degrees or so to reach 160 F during resting. Take this into consideration to prevent overcooking the meat beyond the threshold for well done and avoid losing additional juices, tenderness and flavor.