Interestingly enough I keep coming across social media posts bestowing the joys of air frying a steak. I was pretty skeptical to say the least. Finally, the other day I came across a guy who I know really enjoys a good steak from his previous posts and he was pretty excited about this new method of cooking steak.
Once I seen that post, I had to try it for myself. Here's the technique I used with some thoughts afterwards about the taste and outcome.
I like a good T-Bone and thought I'd use one for a first attempt. This cut was about 3/4 inch thick.
I didn't really get fancy with this. I kept it real simple adding only some spices and garlic olive oil.
This mortar and pestle is carved from a coconut shell I think. I bought it at a flea market several years back and love using it every chance I get. You could easily do this in a bowl though.
I dropped two tablespoons of olive oil in the mortar (bowl). I added two large cloves of garlic and about a 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea-salt to the olive oil. I then took the pestle and smashed it all up. This infuses the olive oil with all that garlic goodness. I then drizzled that over each side of the steak and spread it around. Once the steak was marinated, I tossed it in the air fryer at 450° and cooked each side for 7 minutes.
As you can see in the top picture I served it with a little rice, steamed vegetables, and shrimp. I also melted a tablespoon of butter over the top.
Final Thoughts
I just got this air fryer so I'm still getting used to using it. This is my second air fryer and this is the second time using this one. The instructions say to air fry at 450°, next time I do this I may fry it at a slightly lower temperature. The steak came out medium-well and I'm more of a medium-rare to rare kind of guy. Still, the meat was tender and juicy.
Besides being a little over cooked for my tastes, I will say I enjoyed it A LOT. It was a pretty hassle free way to cook a steak. I'd definitely do this again.
Is it the best way to cook it?
I don't think so. Although I'd do it again, and probably will often during the winter months. I much prefer a steak on the grill during the warmer months. Nothing beats a steak on the grill in the summer while drinking a cold beer under the sun!
I've read a couple people on KETO boards say that if you like your steak rare just toss it in the air fryer frozen. I'm skeptical of this but may try it on my next attempt.