Korean Style Steak

Steak

1 steak, preferred cut (if you use a tougher cut or a thinner steak, be sure not to overcook the meat)

Coarse kosher salt or coarse sea salt (yes, the salt type matters! Use a high-quality salt if you can)

2-3 TBS neutral vegetable oil (for cooking)

Coarse ground black pepper to taste

5 green onions, white parts only

1 tbs butter

sesame seeds to garnish

Meat thermometer

METHOD (longer explanations available below):

Prep:

1. Remove the steak from the fridge 15-20 minutes before you start to cook.*

2. Cut your green onions

3. Cut your 1 TBS of butter into quarters.

4. Lay out your salt, pepper, oil, and butter.

5. Preheat your cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan for 2-3 minutes with the oil. It should begin to smoke, shimmer and almost dance.

Cook:

1. Season your steak liberally with salt and pepper on each side. You're looking for a fairly thin layer of salt here, since the sauce will have a lot of seasoning as well. Go as heavy on the pepper as you like.

2. Gently press the salt and pepper into the steak with your fingers. This step will be easier with someone to help you since you will be touching raw meat and using a pepper grinder. Consider pre-grinding your pepper into a bowl (only as much as you will need) to keep from cross-contamination. The same goes for the salt.

3. Return to your pre-heated skillet and gently lay the meat away from you. Always lay items into the pay away from you to prevent hot oil from splattering towards your body.

   1. You need to hear an audible sizzling immediately. If you do not hear this, remove the steak, turn up the heat slightly and wait another couple minutes. This sizzling is the only way to rend the fat from your steak and build a crust on the meat. It will never taste as good if you don't hear this sizzling.*

4. Cook for 2-3 minutes on this side, depending on the size of your steak. Be sure not to move your steak once it hits the pan. You can tilt the pan to spread the oil around and ensure the edges of the meat are cooking nicely.

5. Flip your steak using tongs if available or any other method you prefer if not. Be sure not to press the steak down when you flip it and be sure you still hear an audible sizzling. The side that was down previously should now look brown, crispy, and objectively delicious. If it doesn't, your pan was likely not hot enough or it was too thin.

6. Add your 1 TBS of butter at the four sides of the pan, top bottom left and right. It should sizzle and immediately melt, turning brown almost immediately.

7. Add your green onions to the side and on top of the steak. Tilt the pan to one side so the butter, fat and oil pool in the skillet. With a spoon, baste the steak in the butter until covered on one side, being sure to scoop up the green onions in each spoonful.

8. Return the pan to level and ensure the butter and oil are spread to both sides of the steak.

9. Cook another 2-3 minutes on this side, again depending on the thickness of your steak.

10. Check your steak with a meat thermometer. It should read somewhere around 125-135 Fahrenheit (51-53 Celsius). If it is less than this, let the steak go longer in 1 minute increments. If it higher than this, immediately remove it from the pan -- it is nearly overcooked.

11. Place your steak to the side to rest for 5 minutes. If it was within 125-135 (51-53), wrap it in foil so the cooking process continues. If it was higher than this, leave it on the cutting board without foil. It will continue to cook, but shouldn't carry over quite as much.

12. Begin on the Sweet Steak Sauce (if preparing)

13. After the sauce is ready and thickened, cut your steak into 1/2 inch (~1.3 centimeters) pieces. They should be bite-sized, so if your steak is wide, consider cutting it in half length-wise. Always cut your steak against the grain. This means if the meat fibers are running east to west, cut north to south. This takes some experience to notice, but look for lines in the meat. They should be nearly parallel, and running in one general direction.

14. Plate your steak, top it with the sauce, and garnish with the remaining green onion pieces (the green parts) and the sesame seeds.

Sweet Steak Sauce

3 tsp soy sauce
4 table spoons dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar)

5 green onions (one bunch), white parts and green parts separated

1/2 sweet onion, finely diced (save other half for the veggies if making them)

salt and pepper to taste

Sesame seeds to garnish