Air fryer steak

Last Updated on August 31, 2019

Air fryer steak recipe – Learn how to make juicy, succulent steak that is generously seasoned to perfection and then cooked in an air fryer.

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It doesn’t get any better then air fryer steak – I’m talking extra juicy, lean, bad to the bone type of meat. Steak is probably one of my favourite types of red meat and I do enjoy eating it for dinner on the odd occasion. If you are a steak fan like I am then you will truly enjoy this recipe post.

I have to be grateful to a very good friend of mine who was boasting about how great air fryer steak is.  To think it was me who recruited her to the air fryer wagon. In turn she convinced me to try cooking my steak using my Power Air Fryer XL .

Admittedly, at first I was skeptical, I didn’t expect the results to be exceedingly good. I know my trusted air fryer was a great kitchen appliance but wasn’t convinced it could cook steak to my liking. When I finally got around to cooking my sirloin steak, man was it good – juicy, succulent and sooooo tasty too!!

Cooking steak to YOUR preference

I just had to share how amazing this steak recipe truly is, of course the duration of time for cooking steak varies. I realise some people like there steak rare, other medium-rare, then you have the medium and well done crew. This post isn’t about recruiting others to adapt to their preference, you like what you like and I like what I like..end of story!!

As you can see by my picture I’m down with the “well done” crew, I’m used to people mocking me and making jokes but that’s the way I like my steak and I won’t impose my cooking preference onto others which is why I will specify different cooking times to suit YOUR preference. 

It doesn’t matter whether you are team rare or team well done, this post caters to all parties.

How to tenderise a steak 

Let’s get down to the steak basic, should we tenderise the meat? If so, how do we do this? 

Tenderising meat is a matter of preference in a sense. As general rule of thumb, the cheaper cuts of meat i.e the round, chuck, brisket and belly are more flavourless and tough. These tend to works best for slow cooking so the muscle fibres can breakdown.

The aforementioned definitely needs tenderising, however in my experience I had brought more premium cuts of meat like sirloin which has proven to be tough too so I usually tenderising all cuts of meat just to be on the safe side.

Keep in mind to tenderise steak is an optional step, but one I recommend, so you can choose whether or not you wish to include tenderising the meat.

You can tenderising meat using the following ways…….

• Course salt i.e sea salt, himalayan pink salt. Lay the steak on a plate and cover each side with the salt, massage into the steak, cover and rest for a hour (if pressed for time) or 24 hours for extra tenderness. Then rinse off the salt and cook accordingly….
• Use a meat pallet to pound the meat, this will instantly breakdown the muscle and flatten out the meat.
• Marinate the meat in citrus/fruit juice i.e papaya/pineapple. The enzymes in juice is said to help breakdown the connective tissue. Simply pour juice over the steak, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, rinse off and use.

How to cook steak in the air fryer

Air fryer brand – First and foremost before I get into the logistics of making steak, let’s talk product brand. The air fryer that I am currently using the Power Air Fryer XL . I’ve used this one for all my recipes!!

Preparing the steak – Aside from tenderising my steak (optional step). I brushed each side of the steak with coconut amino (soy free alternative) and melt some coconut oil and coated it in that too.

Beef seasoning – I have this homemade beef seasoning which I use for most of my red meat recipes. It’s my go to and works so well with this steak. I generously rub the steak (both sides with the seasoning) the amount used is up to you before putting it in the air fryer.

Cooking time – Now this is where things becoming more personal. I will state the cooking time for each stage of the meat below. Whatever you do make sure to turn the steak over half way through, whatever the cooking time maybe. I use cooked my steak using the pre set steak option and set the temperature to 190c

Cooking preference/done-ness of the steak 

Air fryer steak  rare -4-5 minutes

Air fryer steak  medium – -7-8 minutes

Air fryer steak well done – 10-12 minutes

Air fryer steak (pictures with steps)

Tenderise the meat if required

Then coat the meat with coconut oil and coconut aminos (soy free alternative)

Place the steak in the air fryer basket, select the steak icon then cook to your preference

More air fryer recipes you may like

Jamaican fried chicken

Tasty air fryer hamburgers

Air fryer chicken wings

Air fryer shrimp

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