1. Before you start, decide how you want to finish the steak. I highly recommend compound butter because it’s the easiest option and adds great flavor to the steak. If you don’t have time to prepare it, you can make a quick butter-garlic-herb mixture in the same pan while the steak rests.
2. After that, gather your ingredients and tools, then follow the steps below.

Prepare the Strip Steak

1. Take the strip steak out of the fridge, pat it dry with paper towels, season both sides with 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt, about 1-1.5% of the steak’s weight, and place it uncovered on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
2. After that, decide on the next step based on the desired results and available time:

• If you’re short on time: Leave the salted strip steak at room temperature for about 1 hour. That’s the bare minimum for dry-brining.
• If you have a few hours: Let it sit in the fridge for 4-6 hours. This is the best option if you want great flavor, a beautiful crust, and a minimal gray band under the crust. I highly recommend this option.
• For maximum flavor: You can dry-brine the steak for 12-24 hours, but expect a much thicker gray band under the crust (you won’t get that wall-to-wall pink doneness gradient inside). If the gray band isn’t an issue for you, go for it. The flavor and crust are phenomenal after a long dry brine.

Make the Compound Butter (Optional)

1. While the strip steak is dry-brining, prepare the compound butter. In a bowl, combine 1/4 pound (113 grams) softened butter with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, 1 finely chopped or pressed garlic clove, and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley or rosemary (fresh or dried).
2. To soften butter quickly, microwave it in 5-second intervals, checking after each one, until it’s soft but not melted. Alternatively, cut it into small cubes and leave it at room temperature until it softens.
3. If you’re cooking more than two steaks, feel free to double the recipe (see notes).

Preheat the Pan

1. Regardless of the salting method you choose, make sure the steak sits at room temperature for about 15 minutes before it goes into the pan.
2. Place a heavy pan on medium-high heat, preferably a cast-iron skillet (or stainless steel or carbon steel). After about 3-4 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of high-smoke-point oil and let it heat for another minute.
3. While the pan is heating, pat the strip steak dry again. If you want, season all sides with about 1/2 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper per pound (454 g) of steak (optional). Then move on to the next step.

Pan-Sear the Strip Steak

1. High-heat searing creates a lot of smoke, so turn on the exhaust fan or open a window before the steak goes into the pan.
2. Start by placing the strip steak fat side down in the pan to render some of the fat. Sear it until the fat looks nicely browned and crispy. Then lay the steak flat and start searing the meat side, flipping it every 30 seconds.
3. Keep searing until the strip steak reaches your internal pull temperature: 115°F (46°C) for medium-rare, 125°F (52°C) for medium, or 135°F (57°C) for medium-well. Then turn off the heat, remove the steak from the pan, and let it rest for 5 minutes.
4. For rare, well-done, and final rested temperatures, use the chart below.

• Use this chart as a pull-temperature guide. The pull temperature is the internal temperature at which you remove the steak from the pan, not the final temperature after resting.

Aromatics or Compound Butter Finish

1. Here are two simple ways to finish the steak with aromatics:

• Option 1 (compound butter): Place a bit of compound butter on top of the steak right after you take it out of the pan.
• Option 2 (if you don’t have compound butter): Use the same pan you seared the steak in. Lightly brown a few peeled garlic cloves over medium heat, then add a couple sprigs of rosemary or thyme, and 2 tablespoons (30 g) of unsalted butter, letting it melt. Turn off the heat and pour the mixture over the sliced steak.

Slice and Serve the Steak

1. After cooking, don’t forget to let the steak rest for about 5 minutes.
2. Once it’s rested, pour any leftover pan butter over the steak along with the garlic and rosemary (if you used them). If you used compound butter instead, you can go straight to slicing. For well-marbled strip steak, slice it however you like. For leaner cuts, slice against the grain (see notes below). Then serve with your favorite sides.