The Art of the Perfect Steak

Our Gold Medal Best Steak award didn't come from luck—it came from years of refining techniques borrowed from Michelin-star kitchens around the world. Here's what really goes into creating a steak that's worth remembering.

It Starts with Quality Meat

Before any technique comes into play, the foundation is the meat itself. There's an ongoing debate in the culinary world: grass-fed/grass-finished versus grass-fed/grain-finished beef. At Gems, we lean toward grass-fed, grain-finished beef. Why? The grain finishing adds intramuscular fat—marbling—that grass-finished beef often lacks. That marbling is what gives you tenderness and rich, beefy flavour.

Grass-finished beef can be leaner and have a more mineral, earthy flavour. It's excellent beef, but for the experience we're creating—a steak that melts on your tongue—grain-finished delivers every time.

Dry Brining: The Secret to Seasoning

Salt isn't just seasoning—it's a tool. Dry brining means salting your steak generously and letting it rest, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, ideally 24 to 48 hours.

The salt draws moisture out initially, then that moisture dissolves the salt and gets reabsorbed deep into the meat. The result? Perfectly seasoned steak from the inside out, with a drier surface that sears beautifully into a crust. This technique comes straight from high-end steakhouses and Michelin kitchens.

Bringing Steak to Room Temperature

Let your steak sit out for 30 to 60 minutes before cooking. A cold steak straight from the fridge cooks unevenly—the outside overcooks before the inside warms up. Room temperature steak cooks evenly, edge to center, giving you that perfect gradient from crust to pink interior.

Sous Vide & Reverse Searing vs. Traditional Methods

There are two modern approaches that deliver near-perfect results every time:

Sous Vide: Vacuum-seal the steak and cook it in a water bath at precisely 129°F for medium-rare. This brings the entire steak to the exact temperature you want, then you sear it quickly in a screaming-hot pan to develop the crust. The benefit? Wall-to-wall perfect doneness with zero guesswork.

Reverse Searing: Cook the steak slowly in a low oven (225-275°F) until it reaches about 10-15°F below your target temperature, then sear it hard in a cast iron pan. This method also gives you even cooking and a phenomenal crust.

The traditional method—searing first, then finishing in the oven—still works beautifully for thicker cuts. The key is high heat for the sear, then moderate oven heat (around 400°F) to finish. Either way, you're controlling the cook, not rushing it.

Basting: Imparting Flavour

While your steak is in the pan, tilt the pan and spoon hot butter, garlic, thyme, and rosemary over the steak repeatedly. This technique—basting—adds layers of flavour and helps the crust develop even more deeply.

That butter carries aromatics into every bite. It's a simple step, but it's what separates a good steak from a truly memorable one.

The Sauce: 80% of the Experience

Here's the truth that most people don't want to hear: as much as the seasoning and the searing matter—80% of what elevates a steak is the sauce.

A perfectly cooked steak is delicious on its own, but a thoughtfully made sauce transforms it into something extraordinary. Whether it's a red wine reduction with shallots and bone marrow, a classic béarnaise, or a peppercorn cream sauce, that's where the magic happens.

The sauce ties everything together. It adds acidity to cut the richness, depth to complement the beef, and complexity that lingers. A great steak with a mediocre sauce is forgettable. A great steak with a phenomenal sauce? That's what wins awards.

At Gems, we don't just put a steak on a plate. We build an experience around it, and the sauce is the final, most crucial brushstroke.