First, you find some aged USDA prime, bone-in ribeye, and select the two best steaks. Then you hop a flight and come to my home town, then to my house. I've got the cast iron pan that's just right for the job. We'll season with salt and pepper only. I'll cook the first steak to perfection, with some sauteed portabella caps on the side, and invite you to cook the 2nd one, using the same technique I used. Then we break out the A1 Sauce, the Lee & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce, some good, home made salsa, and sever it up with steamed asparagus on the side. I'll eat my steak, and you eat yours.
Easy, right?
Seriously, it depends on the thickness of the steak, and what cut you are using. Remember, the goal is to get the meat hot enough to fulfill your particular taste. Searing does not seal in the juices. Try it. you will see juices pool on top of the steak while the other side is forming that wonderfully flavored browned crust. Flip it over after three minutes and let it sit for another three minutes. Again, you will see juices oozing out the top.
What searing does, is to make that wonderfully browned, and flavorful crust. What makes it juicy and tender is cooking it to the proper temperature, and choosing a good cut of meat.
The above directions were for a rare, bone-in steak, chuck, rib-eye, 7 bone, etc. If I were cooking top round, I would pound it to help tenderized the meat. In fact, I have a spring-loaded chopper with three blades that I use to work seasoned flour into the meat for chicken fried steak. Cook that steak in a little oil for about ten minutes per side, over low heat. cook until the coating is well browned.
For sirloin, brisket, flat-iron, petite, flank, and hangar steak, I cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until the meat juices begin to appear on top. I remove the meat to a platter and let rest for about seven minutes. Then I slice it on the bias, against the grain, to form thin slices of medium rare meat.
Porterhouse, T-bone, New york Strip, Ribeye (also called club steak) are all cooked the same way.
A classic technique for Beef Tenderloin; cut into 1 inch thick medallions, seasoned with salt an pepper, wrapped with bacon that is secured to the sides with toothppicks, and fried in butter for 4 minutes per side. Top with a steamed artichoke heart, with mushrooms on the side. Place compound butter on top, before placing the artichoke heart on top.
Now if you're going outside, just make a camp fire and skewer that steak on a stick. Roast over the hot coals and then eat it like you were a carnivorous animal. Or, gill it over hot charcoal.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North