Steak 101: A Melbourne Chef’s Guide to Choosing and Cooking Steak

Few dishes reward a little knowhow better than steak. The difference between a decent one and a memorable one often comes down to produce, cut and technique – the small decisions that add up in the pan.

For chef Tim Menger, those details are everything. As executive chef at Blackbird’s Melbourne outpost – which recently made it onto this year’s World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list – on Flinders Lane, he works with premium beef, a broad steak selection and a woodfired Josper grill that lends a subtle smokiness to the meat.

“It’s about making sure that we get the best possible produce,” Menger says. “It’s also about having that extensive steak list.”

But restaurant-quality results aren’t out of reach for home cooks. You don’t need a dry-aging cabinet or fire-powered grill to make great steak. From finding the best produce to picking the right cut, here are Menger’s tips for cooking a superb steak of your own:

The best quality beef

In the Blackbird Melbourne kitchen, the team works with producers such as Flinders & Co – and finding a butcher that stocks this calibre of beef is a great place to start.

“Flinders has a shop in the South Melbourne Market, where you can certainly get access to some seriously premium cuts at a reasonable price,” Menger says. “You’re also looking at places like Victor Churchill or Grange Meats, but your local butcher will do a lot for you if you develop that relationship.”

A thousand cuts

Not all beef is created equal, and the cut you choose can make a big difference. If you’re cooking to impress – and feeding a few mouths – Menger suggests opting for a larger premium cut.

“For me, if I’m cooking for family and friends and I want to show off, something like a one- or one-and-a-half-kilo T-bone,” Menger says. “Again, on the premium side of things, if you ask your butcher for a whole sirloin, you can portion it yourself.”

He also recommends looking at some lesser-known cuts, which can be equally delicious and more affordable.

“You’ve also got things like the hanger steak or the flat iron steak – those secondary cuts of meat,” he says. “One of my personal favourites is the bavette, which is a piece of meat off the flap and normally not too expensive.”

Cooking technique

While you probably won’t have access to a restaurant-grade grill at home, Menger says there are simple ways to get great results – starting with the pan.

“You should have a heavy-based skillet, like a cast-iron pan, that holds a lot of heat – that way you can get a really good sear,” he says. “You can then even put it straight into your oven and finish the piece of meat off if you’re doing some of the larger cuts.”

Menger suggests aiming for an internal temperature of about 38 degrees Celsius for a rare steak and around 48 degrees Celsius for medium. Using an instant-read thermometer is a safe way to hit your target. You also want to rest your steak for as long as it takes to cook it.

“If we’re cooking a 250-gram porterhouse steak or sirloin steak, we only take about seven minutes on the grill and we’re going to rest it for seven minutes before we serve it,” he says. “That way, your juices stay in the meat, the muscles have had time to relax again, and you should end up with a really tender piece of meat.”

How to serve a great steak

When serving steak at home, Menger says it’s best to keep it simple and let the steak do the heavy lifting.

“Serving any steak with lemon and a bit of roast garlic, you win every time,” he says. “The garlic doesn’t have to be stupidly hot, the lemon just makes the meal what it is, and then you’re just making sure that you’ve got a good sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to go on top.”

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Blackbird. To experience Blackbird yourself, reservations can be made via their website, or check out their upcoming steak event for MFWF 2026.