The length of time you pan fry steak is 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare steak and 5 to 6 minutes per side for well done steak.
When pan frying steak you should use a hot, oiled pan and sear the steak for the initial time on one side and then you flip the steak over and continue cooking the steak until the steak reaches your desired internal temperature, and then let it rest before you slice it.
When pan frying steak you pan fry the steak on high heat to initially create a crust and then you reduce the heat to medium or medium-low heat to finish the cooking of the steak to how well done you desire your steak to be.
The high heat searing of pan frying steak, quickly sears the steaks exterior and builds flavor and texture and the lower heat then allows the steaks inside to cook through more evenly and prevents the crust of the steak from burning.
Another method of cooking steaks is the 3-3-3 rule for steaks which is a cooking guideline which involves the searing of each side of a 1 inch thick steak for 3 minutes over high heat and then you cook each side of the 1 inch thick steak for another 3 minutes over lower and indirect heat, for a total of 12 minutes of cooking time before a mandatory rest of the steak.
The 3-3-3 rule for cooking steaks creates a nice flavorful crust on the steak, from the high heat sear and finishes the interior to a medium-rare doneness without burning the outside of the steak.
When grilling steaks using the 3-3-3 rule set up one zone on the grill for high, direct heat and another zone for lower and indirect heat.
Then place your steak over the high heat for 3 minutes to allow it to develop a crust.
Then flip the steak and sear it for another 3 minutes on the high heat side of the grill.
Next transfer the steak to the lower, indirect heat zone and cook the steak for another 3 minutes on one side and then flip and cook the steak for another and final 3 minutes.
Then you let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes to 10 minutes before you slice the steak to ensure the steak has evenly cooked and is juicy.
The 3-3-3 rule for cooking steaks works due to the high heat causing the Maillard reaction, which creates a flavorful, brown crust on the exterior of the steak.
And moving the steak to indirect heat from the direct heat allows the interior of the steak to cook through gently and evenly without burning the exterior of the steak.
The 3-3-3 rule method for cooking steaks is designed to yield a perfectly medium-rare steak, although you can also adjust the indirect heat timing for more well done results of your steak.
the 3-3-3 rule for steaks works best for steaks around 1 inch to 1.5 inch thick.