Hawksmoor At Home: How To Cook The Perfect Steak

The steaks at Hawksmoor, Manchester’s newest steak restaurant, have been described as the best in London. In fact, food critic Giles Coren has described them as ‘flawless.’ Whether or not you’ve been to their Deansgate restaurant yet, why not have a go at creating the Hawksmoor experience at home with their How To Cook The Perfect Steak guide.

STEP 1
Buy good meat

This is the key. Ask the butcher for beef from a traditional British breed where the cow has lived a bit (ideally 30 months plus) and spent most of its time eating grass as nature intended. It’s important that it’s been humanely dispatched and hung for at least 28 days (35 is better).

STEP 2
Buy big

The aim is to get a good char on the outside whilst keeping the meat juicy and tender inside. This is impossible with a thin piece of meat. Ideally each steak should be at least 300g (10½oz) and 4cm thick.

STEP 3
Take the meat out of the fridge

This is probably the most important step. Unless you do this, you have nothing to cook. Or eat. It needs between one and two hours to bring it up to room temperature, depending on size.

STEP 4
Get the Barbie or pan really, really hot

That means white hot coals on the barbie or five minutes over a high heat for the pan-the point where it’s painful to hold the your hand anywhere near it.

STEP 5
Open the window

Make sure there’s decent ventilation – there’s going to be lots of smoke.

STEP 6
If your steak is wet, pat it dry with a paper towel

Otherwise it won’t form a decent crust.

STEP 7
Season the steak well

At the last minute, season the steak well. The Hawksmoor way is a mix of 45% Maldon sea salt, 45% smoked Maldon sea salt and 10% coarsely ground black pepper.

STEP 8
Stick the steak on

Don’t bother with oil – if the grill is hot enough the steak won’t stick. Leave it for a couple of minutes and then turn. (Not you. The steak.) Carry on turning every couple of minutes until it’s the way you like it. Move the steak if you see yellow flames from the barbeque (otherwise it will become too smoky). If cooking more than one, don’t overcrowd them. If there’s a thick layer of fat on the steak, hold it up vertically to brown the fat.

STEP 9
Rest

When you’re happy with how it’s cooked, put the steak on a warm plate and let it rest for at least five minutes. For a really thick steak, make it ten.

STEP 10
Eat

This is definitely the best bit. And why not enjoy a glass of red wine, too. You deserve it.

If you want to try the real thing, Hawksmoor is at 184-186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB

thehawksmoor.com/locations/manchester

0161 836 6980

Feed the world
Buy the book

For more Hawksmoor recipes like this, you can buy their book ‘Hawksmoor At Home’ from the website here. All profits go to Action Against Hunger UK.