The 2-Part Oil Trick Gordon Ramsay Uses For The Crispiest Steak Crust

If you want to know how to cook a steak perfectly, you look to an expert. You look to someone who has done it dozens of times and in various ways. You, obviously, look to Gordon Ramsay. His tips on how to season steaks or how to pick out the best cut of steak never seem to disappoint, and neither do his various techniques for getting a great sear. To achieve the perfect sear, he oils both the steak and the pan.

In a laid-back cooking session with Matthew McConaughey on Ramsay's YouTube channel, the legendary chef did something that even made McConaughey quickly whip his head to the side and question: "You put the oil on before?" Yes, Ramsay is double-dipping oil when cooking a steak in a pan. He puts oil in the pan, plus a little on the steak, to achieve a super-crispy sear and speed up the heating process, as he explains.

With that said, much of Ramsay's process remains relatively traditional. He prefers to salt and rest his steak overnight before cooking — the longer the better — as the salt draws out the steak's natural moisture for a crispier crust and juicier interior. Once it's ready to go, he gets his pan rip-roaring hot with oil before dropping the seasoned (and oiled) steak into it.

Pan-searing a steak requires an extremely hot pan and oil, so you need an oil that can handle the heat and has a high smoke point. Consider avocado, grapeseed, or canola oil. You don't want to use plain extra-virgin olive oil, as it will start to burn under high heat. You can sear a steak using ghee (clarified butter) or beef tallow, which many cooks use on their flat-top surfaces. Both options have high smoke points and a rich flavor that can enhance your protein, but ghee and beef tallow contain far higher levels of saturated fat. 

And yes, you've probably seen Gordon Ramsay throw butter into a tilted pan when he's cooking a steak, but that's after he has already seared the crust. Butter-basting your steak allows the meat to take in moisture and flavor, and the high smoke point oil keeps the butter from burning. Adding the butter too soon may disrupt the sear, so it's generally best to finish the cooking process with this delicious technique.