How to Make the Perfect Steak Lean in close because I am about to tell you what restaurant chefs don't want you to know: the secret to making the perfect steak. This past weekend, Chef Ezra Title of ChezVous Dining came over to my house to teach my husband and his friends how to make the perfect steak. One man was skeptical that he would be able to get it to a perfect medium-rare. One man wanted to know if we would all have to hover around the barbecue outside in the freezing winter. One man didn't understand why Ezra had to come at all.  Aren't all men born with the instinct for cooking the perfect steak? Apparently not.  Apparently they had a lot to learn. Apparently the world's best steak is not done on the barbecue, but on your stove top. How To Cook the World's Best Steak Warning #1: There may be gaps in the steps below because while Ezra was teaching us to make the steak, we were also eating copious amounts of his delicious breads and spreads.  If you wish to fill in the gaps, you can contact Ezra and have your own private lesson. Warning #2: This is not a health-conscious meal.  Don't worry about it; just enjoy. Step one: Buying the steak. This one is an easy one: ask your butcher to help you choose it.  Ask for one with lots of marbling and that is at least 1  inches thick.  New York Strip