I rarely cook steak.

My husband does not eat meat so the desire to prepare two separate meals is just not there now that the courting days are long gone.

Plus, I try to restrict my meat consumption.

When the pandemic hit my husband was the grocery store point person.

We stocked up and I had him buy a steak for the pronounced long haul quarantine.

Last week while reorganizing the packed freezer I decided to make myself a steak since it was one year since I had indulged.

I personally recommend buying New York strip steak, rib eye or porterhouse.

I prepared a marinade and it turned out to be the best I have ever had, including steaks I have consumed in fine dining steakhouses.

Marinade Ingredients for 1-2 (8 oz) steaks:

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar (necessary ingredient)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (necessary ingredient)

1/4 cup Soy Sauce or Coconut Amino

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (don’t use regular mustard)

2 Teaspoons Honey

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic or Chopped Shallots

 Freshly ground black pepper

Rosemary sprig  (optional)

Dump all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Place steak in a gallon freezer bag and pour in marinade.

Make sure to remove all air from bag by pressing down on bag and then sealing.

Fold bag in half and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour and preferably up to 8 hours.

I was placed on injured reserve the night I was due to make the steak so it remained in the refrigerator for over 24 hours.

I was concerned it would be soggy, but it was incredible.

Remove steak 30 minutes before cooking and pat it dry with paper towels.

Liberally sprinkle Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on each side.

Preheat cast iron skillet in a 500 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

I always wipe the bottom of the cast iron pan with a small amount of vegetable oil every time I clean it.

The oil is a great base to grill the steak. I find that you get the sear when the pan is relatively dry whether for meat, poultry or fish.

Place steak in the preheated skillet on a high flame and press down to ensure full contact with skillet.

Cook on each side for 3 minutes and then another 1-2 minutes on each side for a medium cooked steak.

For rare steak just cook 3 minutes on each side and for well done cook another 2-3 minutes on second flip.

During the second turn I placed a pat of butter on each side.

Let the steak rest for 5 minutes after removing from pan before slicing.

Amazing!