Jessica Rowe readily admits she’s no great cook and is an even worse ‘housewife’. However, the popular TV personality who shares her hilarious domestic disasters on her website Crap Housewife says her kitchen efforts have fortunately improved this year with a little help from Australia’s best butchers. She now knows how to make the perfect steak.

As host of MLA’s Greatest Butcher on Your Block: Ask Your Butcher video series, Jessica has learned some great tips on how to cook meat.

“Steak has long been the bane of my existence – I’ve always been nervous about cooking it,” Jessica says. “Usually I burn the outside and serve it up raw and uncooked on the inside. However, now I finally understand how to cook steak properly thanks to my butcher.”

How To Make The Perfect Steak

“The best tip is to take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking and let it rest at room temperature beforehand so it can tenderise a bit. Then you just rub it in a little oil with salt and pepper on both sides and cook for a few minutes either side. My daughters Allegra, 13,  Giselle, 11 and my husband Peter (Overton) now love my steaks!”

Jess features in all new videos alongside butchers learning tips including how to brown meat to perfection, how to make the perfect steak, a delicious kebab skewer and how to carve a leg of lamb like a pro.

Always Brown Your Meat

Browning beef or lamb before adding the pieces into a casserole, curry or stew is the best way to ensure juicy, succulent meat packed full of flavour, shares Brad Callaghan from Auburn Meadow Meats in Sydney’s Rose Bay.

“Use the same pan for the dish to ensure you capture all the beautiful flavours and save time with washing up,” he says.

“Quite simply I never knew you had to brown meat when making a curry or a stew,” says Jessica. “I would just bung it in the pot and hope for the best! However, thanks to Brad, I’ve now been taught to coat the meat in flour to start with, and then lightly brown each side before making a stew. It makes for the tenderest, tastiest meat. Just delish!”

How to brown your meat to perfection

1 Dice your meat into even cubes 2-3cm is a good size. Place a small amount of oil in the casserole pan on a medium heat.

2 Using a ziplock bag add your meat to flour, salt and pepper and shake together until it is all covered lightly.

3 Add your meat cubes to the pan. Remember the meat needs to sizzle as it hits the pan. The aim is to sear the meat and lock in the flavours (if it does not sizzle the pan is not hot enough). You may need to cook your meat in batches depending on the size of the pan. This stops the meat from stewing.

4 Cook until all the meat is brown. Return all the batches back to the pan and start to add in your other ingredients whether you are making a casserole, curry or stew.

Check out this delicious recipe for Coconut Beef Curry, using this browning technique.

What are your top tips on how to make the perfect steak? Tell us in the comments below.

Check out The Greatest Butcher campaign page.