The best herbs for steak and achieving steakhouse-worthy flavors are right at your fingertip! Juicy butter herb steak that’s perfectly cooked, and quite impressive. We’ve compiled a list of our top herbs to include when cooking your next steak dish.
The creative experience that comes with cooking with herbs is wonderful. Apart from the wonderful flavors enjoyed when you cook with herbs, you also get to enjoy the same food or dish in numerous ways, all thanks to the flavors provided by the herbs.
With beef or steak, herbs are almost compulsory. In conjunction with spices, they allow you to enjoy strong and savory flavors with the steak.
We’ve compiled a list of the best herbs to use when cooking your favorite steak meat. These herbs are chosen by multitudes because of their strong and aromatic flavors.
While there is no definitive list of best steak herbs, these herbs have stood out, so much so that experts have chosen them as the best herbs for steak.
The basil leaf has a deep and powerful flavor that combines well with the strong flavors of beef and beef dishes.
Basil leaves can be used in two ways when it comes to beef. You can either cook them into the recipe or add the leaves at the end of the cooking process.
While both of these methods work, the second method works best as it brightens the dish and allows for the introduction of a new version of the flavor.
It is important to state that basil leaves do not dry well. When dried, it turns black and tasteless.
This is why it is important to use basil leaves when they are fresh for your steak. If however, there is a need to store the leaves, blend them with just enough quantity of oil to make it slurry.
After the mixture becomes iced, pop the ice cubes and store them in a freezer bag. To use the preserved basil, put the ice cube into your sauce or gravy towards the end of the cooking process. You are to add enough heat until it melts.
If you are looking for a greasy or heavy herb for your steak, and you need a piney flavor to complement it, think rosemary. Rosemary is the go-to herb for providing the complimentary piney flavor that a heavily flavored steak requires.
When it comes to one of the best herbs for steak, rosemary is a member of the mint herbs family and has the health benefit of intriguing digestion.
The herb also works well with tough cuts and roasts that you will be cooked for long periods. You can rub the herb into your steak before grilling.
Rosemary holds up its flavor even under long cooking hours, so you can use the herb for cooking beef dishes.
If you want to get the best from the rosemary herb, it is best to grow it indoors and use, rather than get it from the store.
Most of the ones sold at the store are old and have lost their flavor. Fresh indoor rosemary also tastes better than the ones at the store. You can easily grow the herb at home, all it needs is a good source of light.
Rosemary works well both dried and fresh. So you can store excess rosemary by drying it and keeping it in a glass jar for easy access.
The only time a lot of people remember to use sage for their steak or beef dishes is during the holidays.
While this is good, the effect of overlooking the herb is that they miss out on a very impressive flavor that the herb offers.
Sage comes with flavors that can easily match up to the stronger flavors of a beef dish or steak. The herb adds a warm taste as well as a fragrant aroma to the beef.
Another advantage of the herb is that it is easy to grow indoors. As long as you order adequate lighting, the herb will grow and thrive.
As with rosemary, sage is perfect whether it is dried or fresh. Therefore, you can use either version of sage in your dish.
This is arguably the most common type of herb used in bed dishes and steaks. It is commonly used either fresh or dried and it adds some deep flavors to your steak that you can only get from herbs.
While there are many variants of the herbs, lemon thyme is one of the best, due to its zesty flavor.
Thyme like most herbs will also grow and thrive in an indoor garden. It requires sunlight, and many chefs grow their thyme on a sunny window sill.
This is one of the herbs whose use has grown over the years. From a simple garnish herb, parsley has gone on to become one of the best herbs to use for steaks.
The problem with its use is that a lot of people don’t understand how to maintain its flavor when they use it. The best way to use the herb is by using it fresh and at the end of the cooking process.
This herb is usually mistaken for cilantro. The difference between the two is that parsley is thinner and has a darker shade than cilantro. It is also important to know that the stem of the herb has more flavor than its leaves.
This herb is best used with winter beef dishes such as classic beef stroganoff and the likes. Now, unlike other herbs discussed earlier, it is rare to see parsley being grown indoors.
While there is nothing wrong with growing the herb indoors, it takes a long time to mature, and this means the grower would have to spend a lot of time with the growing plant. As long as you can handle that, you can grow your parsley in an indoor garden.
If you are looking for a balance between spicy and sweet, oregano is your best bet. It gives a strong and earthly flavor that may taste a bit bitter.
It also adds a savory and minty flavor to beef dishes. However, oregano loses its flavor when exposed to heat for long periods. Thus, it is best used on the steak as a garnish or crust on a steak.
Dried Herbs for Beef. Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Sage, and Bay leaves are the best dried herbs to use when cooking beef. To use dried herbs with beef, you should consider which ones you want to include in your recipe and when you should add them.
Mixing Herbs With Butter
Mixing herbs with butter is not just for glistening texture.
Chefs often spoon butter and herbs over their steak to add richness to the steak, it also helps the flavor to distribute evenly throughout the crevice of the steak, and it is the ultimate final touch when cooking steak.
Normally this process is done near the end of the steak cooking time. This is because it will lessen the changes of burning the butter before the steak is fully cooked.
Spices can be added directly to beef before cooking or added to braising pots, stews, curries and casseroles. If you are creating a dry beef rub, we recommend that you use a mix of herbs, spices and salt/pepper, and that you let the rub soak in for a few hours before cooking. The following spices taste great with beef:
Fresh herbs taste best when sprinkled over meat just before serving. The following fresh herbs taste fantastic with steak, burgers and any grilled beef:
Dried herbs taste great on roast beef or added to stews, casseroles and braises. Don’t forget that dried herbs are more potent than fresh herbs – typically, you will need 3 times the amount of fresh herbs as dried herbs. Dried herbs that taste particularly amazing with beef include:
Gordon’s Guide To Herbs
FAQ
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