Get the perfect steak with the Japanese aburi technique
It looks like perfection, and that’s exactly what it is: those gorgeous ‘slices’ of steak, perfectly pink in color with a dark edge around them. You can find them, among other places, at good sushi restaurants. When the steak is that good, you know you’re onto a winner. Sushi chefs achieve that perfection with the aburi technique. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s a technique you can also learn down to the finest detail.
What you need to track down to become an aburi pro: your blowtorch. You may use it once a year, on that one Christmas Eve when you make crème brûlée. Dust it off or pick one up at a (online) cooking store.
Flame-seared
You see the aburi technique used a lot in sushi. Aburi literally means ‘flame-seared’. Now you probably understand why you need your blowtorch. You sear the surface of your meat or fish with the torch just enough to partially cook it, while the inside remains raw. The texture and flavor you create this way are delicious. Exactly the perfection you’re looking for. Tender, buttery and with a lightly crunchy charred exterior. Bonus: it also burns away any bacteria. That’s especially useful with raw fish.
Sharp and blue
The aburi technique is perfect for marbled cuts of beef. They often contain enough fat to sear properly. In Japan, they use the technique a lot with wagyu, for example.
Extra tip: you don’t want an overpowering burnt, charred flavor in your meat. That develops when unburned hydrocarbons from the torch end up on your meat or fish. So adjust your torch properly beforehand. Does your flame look sharp and blue? Then it’s ready to fire. Sear it only briefly, because you want to preserve that raw interior. Searing for a little longer means the inside will cook more. That’s possible, but in principle the aburi technique isn’t intended to cook the inside of meat or fish. So you need to be somewhat fond of raw food.
Whether you’ve fully mastered the technique or not, make sure you don’t make these 6 mistakes when cooking steak. You don’t want to ruin a beautiful piece of meat.
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