Today I like to share a little more on eating meat in general. There are many kinds of meat (provided you are not eating strange wild animals, that’s extremely unsafe in many reasons as you know) to be eaten while practising a ketogenic or carnivore lifestyle: Chicken, Lamb, Pork, Buffalo, Beef and even all sorts of Seafood. But some meats are better than the others, mostly because of the diet of the animals. Ruminant meat is often said to be superior due to the nutritional profile and the type of fats they contain. You can read more about this here.

As for me, I definitely find that my gut is the happiest if I stick to mainly beef and pork. I have cut down vegetables to the bare minimum, sometimes going without for the entire day(s). This system works for me to eliminate digestive issues, my allergic rhinitis and ezcema. There was a stubborn patch of ezcema on my foot which refused to go away for months while on keto. But after switching to almost zero carbs, it went away just a few days later. So I guess I do react to the antinutrients from the plants. Wouldn’t you get constipation? Some might ask. Well, imagine having the excessive fibre that blocks up and scratches your intestines, now I don’t have that problem anymore!

So the easiest way to consume beef is obviously through eating steaks! And
cooking steak is one of the fastest way to prepare a meal. But it can be intimidating for some. I have cooked my fair bit of mediocre steaks and it’s not until recently I can finally say that I’ve mastered this skill.


I’d like to share a few simple tips to transform your steak cooking experience. And you don’t even need a Sous Vide machine for that! Side note though, Sous Vide is not a bad idea, just a lot more time consuming than this. 😂

Tips to cook a glorious piece steak like this!

1. Invest in a Cast Iron Pan.
Seriously, the cast iron pan is the best pan to have at home as it is super versatile and easy to upkeep. Similar to a good wok, it also lasts forever. I cannot even tell you how many non-stick pan I’ve gone through in this kitchen. My recommendation for a reasonable priced Cast Iron Pan is Lodge. You can buy one from Ace Hardware or through Lazada.


Why is Cast Iron Pan the best for Steak? Well, because of its ability to go super hot, thus produces a good mallard reaction and creates really good crust on a steak, and that is important for flavour.

The cast iron pan will need to be seasoned before using and also make sure never to leave your pan wet after cooking or it will rust overnight! I usually wash off the excess oil and put it back on stove to heat until slightly smoking to ensure all the water is cooked off.

2. Buy good quality beef
I think this is pretty much a no-brainer. In general, grassfed is better than grain fed, but even grain fed can taste good if you manage to get a good quality piece. I normally buy my Australian Grassfed beef from Lee’s Frozen at a good price and I’m happy with the quality (RM55 for a kg is really good deal). I usually buy 4kg of Rib Eye at once, cutting them to 1 inch steaks. And also use the same cut for my beef tartare.

3. Dry, Season, Dry
We have the tools, and we have the ingredient. Now to prep the beef! We need to make sure the beef hits the pan completely dry. So once the beef is out of the fridge, take a few prices of kitchen towel and pat it thoroughly. If the beef is still wet, you are basically boiling or steaming the steak, and thus a crust will not develop. I normally sprinkle a bit of salt after drying and then pat it dry again before cooking.

4. Make sure the pan is hot!
I’ve touched on it before but this is also super important. The pan needs to be literally smoking before you throw in the steak! This is again to ensure a good sear on the beef.

5. Always overestimate the doneness
There are many tips on YouTube and blog on how to determine the doneness. And you can follow them, but also note that it’s super easy to overcook the steak. I like mine super rare so I only do less than 2 minutes each side. For Kevin who prefers Medium Rare, I’d do 3 minutes each side. You need to experiment to find your best timing.

6. Let the beef rest before serving
This is to ensure that the juices are evenly distribute and the muscle fibre will relax, resulting in a tender and juicy steak. Yum!

6. Butter. Butter. Butter.
For the oil in pan I normally start with a bit of Lard, then chase with nice pat of butter while cooking. And end with another pat of butter to serve. It really adds a dimension to the taste so do not skip it. I dont normally add the garlic and thyme because I like mine purely carnivore (except for the occasional crack of pepper), but you can definitely do that!

This is how rare I like my steak.

Moo!

Once you’ve cooked the perfect piece of steak, you can then dress it up with sauce of your choice, and side dishes! I do recommend serving it with Egg because you can then dip the steak into the egg yolk, and that is really heavenly!

Hopefully the above tips will inspire you to cook a steak. If you have your own tips or you think that I’ve missed out anything, please share too!