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Q. What’s the best way to home-cook a steak so it turns out restaurant quality? — Melissa, Grand Chute

A. Melissa, all of my friends in the restaurant business would much prefer if you keep going out for steaks, but I will share my thoughts with you for the rare occasion when you choose to prepare your own at home. First, buy the best piece of meat you can afford. We are blessed in the Fox Valley with several excellent meat markets and specialty stores. Season your steak several hours prior to cooking it to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat, in the morning for dinner that evening works best. Allow steaks to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling. To get a good crust on a steak, you need a really hot grill. I ALWAYS spray my steaks with pan spray before grilling. I wrote this several years back in a column called “Great Grill Marks.” Pan spray allows the heat of the grill grates to sear the steak nicely and also will prevent it from sticking to the grill. Grill the steaks to one doneness below your desired doneness as the heat from the cooked steak will carry-over one full doneness (like medium-rare to medium). Allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes to relax the fiber of the meat, which will help retain moisture during the eating process. Last but not least, brush the steak with a little steak butter or similar dressing to give it that little perk-up as you eat it. Enjoy!

Chef Jeff’s Steak Butter

1 pound butter
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 tablespoons beef base or bouillon
1 tablespoon salt, kosher or course
1 tablespoon black pepper, course ground

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Brush on steaks immediately after grilling or just prior to service. Serve and enjoy.

Yield: 1¼ pounds