How To Pull Off A Steak Lacquer For Delicious Crust On Your Meat

Lacquering your steak to shine like the top of the Chrysler Building

Alright, you’re likely to achieve a finish that resembles a shimmering pond rather than a stunning New York City skyscraper, but it should still shine, thanks to your swift sauce preparation. Many recipes suggest a mix of red wine vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a sweetener like granulated sugar, and alliums such as garlic. However, the recipe is quite flexible as long as you stick to the core ingredients. You will need to be more careful when reducing the mixture in the pan, as it could either evaporate completely or, more likely, turn into a sticky mess. This glaze, once reduced by about half, should be relatively thin—think of a sweet chili sauce, but even less thick. Your initial application might not have a significant impact, but you’ll continue to build up to the perfect finish.

Once your glaze is ready, season and sear the steak as you would when butter basting. Then, lower the heat and start applying the sauce with a brush, flipping the steak and adding more sauce every minute or so until you achieve your desired glaze and doneness—about eight minutes for a perfect medium-rare steak. Add ground black pepper towards the end of the cooking process to prevent it from burning.