Pan-searing is a technique to rapidly heat the surface of meat to form a golden-brown caramelized crust. This crust is the key to great flavor, whether you're sauteing, grilling, or roasting.
The fundamentals of searing are simple.
Select the Right Pan
Use a low-walled pan. A standard stainless steel, aluminum, or cast iron saute pan is ideal. It's less effective to sear in a pot because cooking vapors stay trapped in the high-walled pot, creating a moister environment that disrupts and loosens the direct contact needed for a perfect sear.
Choose the Right Oil
Use an oil with a high smoke point because meat needs to be cooked at fairly high temperatures — avocado, coconut, grapeseed, sesame, safflower, and sunflower oils all work. Pure olive oil is fine; avoid extra virgin olive oil at high temperatures.
Prepare the Meat
About an hour before cooking, bring the refrigerated cut to room temperature and pat it dry. For a perfect sear, there cannot be any surface moisture between the meat and the hot oil-pan surface.
If you'd like to salt the meat, let the salt sit on the surface for at least 45 minutes so the brine is fully reabsorbed.
Preheat a small amount of oil (just enough to thinly coat the pan) to a high temperature, but not until it smokes. If the meat goes in too soon, it will stick to the pan as the oil comes up to temperature. Test by touching the tip of the meat to the pan — if it sizzles, it's ready.
Now Sear
- Place the meat into the pan near-end first, then away from yourself, to reduce the chance of oil splattering toward you.
- After placing the cut in the pan, leave it alone. This is crucial: in direct, consistent contact with the hot pan, the surface undergoes the Maillard reaction and produces the golden-brown crust. If the meat is moved around too much, excess moisture builds up under it and disrupts the sear.
- Using tongs, flip to sear the other side. Use tongs instead of a fork to avoid stabbing and losing juice. Once both sides have been seared, it's okay to flip again to finish the cut to the desired internal temperature.
- Remove the steak from the pan about 5°F below the final desired internal temperature. For a 135°F rare finish, remove at 130°F. Final internal temperatures: medium rare 145°F, medium 155°F, well done 165°F.
Let It Rest
Allow the meat to rest on a very warm plate, slightly covered, for at least 5 minutes — about 5 minutes per pound for roasts. The meat continues to cook from carry-over heat, and juices redistribute.
Slice against the grain on a bias to aid tenderization. Eat and enjoy.
Deglazing
While pan-searing, all those delicious bits of meat and Maillard residue stick to the pan — it would be a shame to wash them away. Deglazing is the process of loosening those flavorful bits by adding moisture to the pan. Splash some wine with a pat of butter into the pan to begin developing a sauce for your seared meat. Those broken-down compounds make a phenomenal foundation for any sauce, jus, or gravy.