Rub Your Steaks With Garlic For An Easy Flavor Infusion

Steak and garlic are perfect partners when it comes to rich savory flavor, but the two ingredients aren't always easy to cook together. The problem is that steak loves a high temperature, but garlic burns very easily. Rather than adding minced garlic directly to your ripping hot pan with your beef, one simple solution is to rub the meat all over with a garlic clove before you cook it.

The reason garlic burns so quickly is because of its low water content, and smaller pieces cook — and burn — much faster than whole cloves. Once the allium starts to burn, the flavor turns from deliciously mellow to unpleasantly acrid and bitter very quickly. Rubbing the beef with the allium means you get all of the desired taste, but the actual garlic itself doesn't come into contact with the heat, so there's no risk of it burning. 

To get the best results, first cut the clove in half. This releases sulfur compounds that are responsible for that distinctive robust aroma and flavor. It's why different ways of cutting garlic affect the taste; more chopping releases more of the compounds, making it taste stronger. Use the cut side to rub across the surface of the raw steak to impart the maximum amount of flavor. And if you want to incorporate even more garlic into your steak dinner, there are several ways to do it.

To avoid burning fresh garlic when cooking steak, you need to introduce it towards the end of the cooking process rather than early on. Take a tip from Gordon Ramsay and use the allium along with fragrant fresh thyme, olive oil, and butter to baste the beef once it's been seared (via YouTube). You don't even need to peel the cloves — just lightly crush them to release extra flavor. When the meat is cooked, use tongs to brush the hot garlic over the steak before it rests.

Incorporate more allium flavor by making a garlic compound butter to spoon over cooked steak. Simply mix room-temperature butter with minced raw garlic and your choice of herbs, and let it melt on top of the beef. Or use garlic to elevate a steak sauce. Saute the garlic quickly before adding your liquid, whether that's beef stock, wine, or cream, as this will lower the temperature of the pan and cook the garlic more gently. Cooking it separately from the meat means you can control the heat, and won't risk scorching the garlic — a common mistake when making steak sauce.

For a mellower, sweeter garlicky flavor to accompany your steak, wrap a whole bulb in foil and roast it. This method gives the garlic a soft, squidgy texture. Just squeeze the cooked cloves out of the skin, and you'll be able to spread them over the cooked meat.