Seasoning for Successful Steak
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By: Jack Mancuso
Do you have one of those friends who serves a jaw-dropping steak every-single-time? You wishfully think of stepping into that person’s shoes and enjoying the accolades. Guess what? You can. Knowing seasonings for successful steak and how to mix and match them, you can take steak to new levels.
By the way, if you feel a little unsure, it’s ok to begin with cheaper cuts. Your practice improves your pallet. You find what you like or hate. You also begin discerning how to encourage tenderness. Stop into TikTok or Facebook for some tips to get you off on the right foot.
Steak Sensation!
Close your eyes. Think of steak. What immediately comes to mind? A whole piece ready for your enjoyment. However, steak has many more applications. Some ways you can use steak include;
- Breakfast
- Cheese and steak stuffed peppers
- Crockpot wonders
- Greek salad topper
- Fajitas
- French dip
- Sliced for sandwiches.
- Steak au poivre
- Steak fettuccine
- Subs
- Tacos
- Shishkabobb
- Stir fry
I could go on for days showing you steak’s versatility and still couldn’t cover anything. As you consider your recipes, think about the final flavor profile you want. What influences will the meal reflect? These ideas really personalize your fare. It can become your signature steak dish!
Herbs & Spices that Pair with Steak
Seasoning steak is kind of like seasoning chicken. Everybody has an opinion. Out of the throng, some herbs and spices appear repeatedly. Note: This list does not include things like wine or beer that can tenderize, honey (a binder), butter, and oil.
Chili pepper (various flavors like chipotle and ancho): These bring a little heat, warmth, and depth to your dish.
Cuso Seasonings that include types of chili peppers include Hot Honey, Spicy Garlic Buffalo, Cuso’s Dirt ®, Maple Bourbon, Dust, Grass, Tequila Lime Habanero, and Gravel. The chili plays different roles in each seasoning. For example, the chili in our Maple Bourbon produces sweetness and heat.
Garlic (powder or granules): Garlic plays well with others. More of it, and there’s a spicey end note. Less, it becomes a stagehand.
Cuso Seasonings that include garlic include Cuso’s Dirt ®, Spicy Garlic Buffalo, Hot Honey, Maple Bourbon, Dust, Gravel, Tequila Lime Habanero, and Lemon Pepper. You can really appreciate the garlic’s presence in the Spicy Garlic Buffalo blend.
Onion (powder or granules): Onion helps break down steak protein so the steak is tender. It’s a mellow flavor, perfect for pairing with other spices of your choice.
Cuso Seasonings that include onion are: Hot Honey, Dust, Lemon Pepper, Tequila Lime Habanero, Gravel, and Maple Bourbon. The impact of onion comes through heavily in the Tequila Lime Habanero Seasoning.
Pepper: There is a reason that pepper retains the title of the “King of Spices.” Not only was it used as currency, but it is perhaps the most common spice alongside salt used in recipes.
Cuso Seasoning with pepper are: Hot Honey, Dust, Lemon Pepper, Tequila Lime Habanero, Maple Bourbon, and Gravel. When you want the pepper to stand out, try our Gravel seasoning.
The two Cuso Seasonings with rosemary are Cuso’s Dirt ® and Grass, with the Grass releasing more of the rosemary’s aroma.
Salt (Sea): There are a dozen (or more) types of salt. The three most commonly used in cooking are sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, and table salt. Salt brightens the flavor of food, taking it from bland to distinctive.
Cuso Seasonings with salt are Grass, Hot Honey, Lemon Pepper, Spicy Garlic Buffalo, Cuso’s Dirt ™, Maple Bourbon, Dust, Tequila Lime Habanero, and Gravel. Salt’s presence sneaks out in each of these blends.
Smoked Paprika: Paprika adds color to your dish. It provides smokiness even when you have no smoker. There’s a note of sweet barbecue, too.
Cuso Seasoning with Paprika includes Cuso’s Dirt ™, Hot Honey, Spicy Garlic Buffalo , Maple Bourbon, Dust, Tequila Lime Habanero. Paprika helps you create more visual appeal.
Can’t Choose?
Unless there’s a powerful theme running through a meal, you’d be hard-pressed to find steak recipes with just one or two seasonings. Sometimes it’s hard to choose. We can help with this. You have several options.
Build your own 3-pack of rubs: Pick out any three that you find alluring. We’ll bundle them into savings.
Cuso's Essential Seasoning - 3 Pack (Cuso’s Dirt™ seasoning, Grass, & Lemon Pepper Seasoning): If you feel torn between flavors, start out with our essential seasoning pack to start your spice array.
Cuso’s Seasoning 4 Pack: Dirt™, Gravel, Maple Bourbon, Coconut Rum - Moving up from a three pack. How about a bundle with three of our newest seasonings alongside our premier blend?
Cuso's Variety 6 Pack Seasonings: When the cupboard looks bare, consider this cost-saving pack: Dirt™, Gravel, Grass, Spicy Garlic Buffalo, Lemon Pepper, and Maple Bourbon.
Cuso's Variety 10 Pack Seasonings: Go for the gusto! Get all 10 of our seasonings in one pack.
PitMaster’s Memo: Steak Dressed Down
Have you ever eaten a steak where you can barely taste the meat? There are so many herbs and spices that they hide the glorious flavor of a good steak. It is really okay to pull out the salt and pepper and leave it at that.
Some Side Dishes for Steak
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Cobb or Wedge Salad
Some Drinks that Pair with Steak
Amber Ale
Club soda with lime
Cuso's Key Lime Habanero Margarita
Chef Cuso’s Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned
Lemonade
Red wine
