The Pros And Cons Of Grilling Vs Pan-Searing Steak, According To An Expert

For those who love the taste of a perfectly cooked steak, there's a lot to consider when making your own at home. First and foremost, it's worth mulling over the different cuts of steak available and deciding which one best suits your taste and texture preferences. Next, and possibly even more important, is the method by which you will cook your steak. With a coffee-rubbed steak recipe, for example, you have the option to either pan-sear the meat on the stovetop or cook it on an outdoor grill.

It can be difficult to discern the many merits of either method, so Tasting Table asked an expert for advice. Chef Billy Parisi is a classically trained culinary school graduate and food blogger with a great deal of knowledge to share when it comes to cooking steak. Parisi notes that flavor and control are two of the biggest factors in determining the pros and cons of either style of cooking.

Per Parisi, whereas grilling over charcoal or wood chips can be advantageous for adding more flavor to your steak, the disadvantage in doing so is the loss of fat and moisture. Additionally, while a grill allows for more room to cook multiple steaks at once, pan-searing offers more individual attention to each steak that you cook. Parisi also advises that, with pan-searing, "you can control the heat a little better by simply adjusting the temperature on the cooktop." He adds, "Open flames can be harder to control."

When you want to cook a steak to absolute perfection, it's important to leave nothing to chance. Keeping your source of heat fully under your control and confining your steak and all of its flavorful fats and juices to a pan on the stovetop just makes the most sense as far as technique is concerned.

Despite the charring and other flavors that come about specifically from the process of cooking a steak on the grill, the wayward nature of a direct flame presents a greater challenge and therefore a risk of overcooking your steak or steaks. Although grilling is the more streamlined approach, the bespoke nature of pan-searing on a stovetop can provide optimal ways to fully cook your steak, which includes the opportunity to baste your steak as it cooks and include aromatics on or alongside the steak in your pan.

For those who consider themselves veritable pitmasters, the allure of high heat and outdoor grilling might be worth the risks, but it takes a certain wisdom to assess all the pros and cons of proper steak preparation to truly determine what best suits your tastes. There are certainly wrong ways to cook a steak, but taking the time to understand the cuts of meat you're working with as well as the taste, consistency, and level of doneness you wish to achieve will help you to make the correct decision.