article: There’s nothing better than a succulent steak, sizzling from the hot plate, charred to perfection on the outside, bursting with juices within. People often get it wrong when  cooking this cut of meat and end up with an overdone dish that’s bone dry, grey-hued and distinctly unappetising. So what is the best way to cook the perfect steak? Do you season before or after? Oil the pan or the meat? And what are the best cuts? Scroll down for video . Speak to your butcher when you're shopping for a perfect steak and pay a little bit extra for the best meat . Allow your meat to come to room temperature before you start cooking, Mr McCarroll advised . According to Jared McCarroll head chef at M Restaurant and Grill, the first step to a perfect steak starts when you are shopping; when buying steaks purchase the best meat you can afford. He told Femail: ‘It’s best to speak to your local butcher and pay a little bit extra and reap the rewards when eating it.’ And while we all stress about the cooking times for steak, he advises in checking the temperature of the meat before you start preparing your meal. 'One of the most important steps in cooking the perfect steak that is often forgotten or never thought about, is to allow your meat to come to room temperature first. 'This will shorten the cooking time and help to prevent grey rings from happening,' Mr McCarroll continued. Your steak should have a fine texture, be well marbled (veins of fat running through the meat) and firm to the touch. The shape and thickness of the steak is also important; the best steaks are one to 1.5-inches thick as a thinner cut is likely to get dry quicker. ‘The texture will depend on the quality of the beef and the cut; fillet has the best texture but the least flavour, whereas ribeye has more flavour and more fat, less texture but more flavour,' the chef said. ‘When it comes to the shape of the steak, try and keep it flat and a decent thickness. ‘Too thin a steak will be easy to overcook. Also try to keep the shape the same throughout the whole steak as this will help to keep the cooking consistent. A rib-eye (pictured) has more fat and more flavour but less texture . Some people like theirs blue while others don’t want to see any pink in their meat. But what are the perfect timings to cook steak the way you like it? If you are unsure, it's best to speak to your butcher as they will be able to give you the best advice based on the thickness and cut of meat. The cooking times below are for a 2cm thick sirloin steak . Blue: 1 minute each side. The steak should be just warm and fell spongy under your fingertips. Meat should still be dark in colour . Rare: 1.5 minutes per side. Dark red with some juice. There will be some resistance when you press the meat but it should still feel soft and bouncy . Medium rare:  2 minutes per side. Pink meat with pink juice. Springy, soft and spongy. Medium: 2.5  mins per side. Your meat will be mostly cooked with only pink in the middle. The steak will feel firm. Well-done: 4 to 5 minutes. There will be hardly any pink and the meat should have a bouncy, firm feel. But which cuts are the best? Or do they all have their own strengths? 'The cut depends on individual preference,' he said. 'The most important thing is to look out for marbling. Marbling is a great way to tell the quality of the meat. The more marbling a piece of steak has means the more moist it will be. Marbling means your steak is full of mono saturated fatty acid, proven to reduce cholesterol levels. It also has a low melting point, thus giving you the melt-in-the-mouth effect. When seasoning, Mr McCarroll advises using coarse salt. ‘When seasoning the beef, I would place the beef on the grill and season the top with a coarse salt; either rock salt or Maldon is good. ‘The steak will absorb the salt and when you flip it the excess salt will fall off, which means you can season the other side. Cook your steak on a grill and only flip it over once, he said. 'For me the best way to cook a steak is straight on the grill. Charcoal and wood will give you the most flavour and smokiness but if you have a gas BBQ that will do as well. 'Ideally you should only flip your steak once,' he continued. And while we’ve all been told various cooking times for the perfect steak, Mr McCarroll says there are too many variables to have anything set in stone. ‘Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the steak, whether it is room temperature, how hot your grill is. 'There are too many variables to give a specific cooking time,’ he said. The T-Bone (left) gets its name from the distinctive T-shaped bone. Filet mignons are prized for their tender meat although they are the least flavourful cuts . T-Bone: This cut gets its name from its distinctive T-shaped bone T-shaped bone. A succulent piece of meat which is both a strip sirloin (bone in) and a tender filet mignon. Also known as: Short loin, porterhouse, club steak . Filet mignon: A cut taken from the heart of the beef tenderloin. Known for it’s tenderness and texture but is not the most flavourful cut. Also known as tenderloin, tournedos, cheauteubriand, beef medallion . A New York Strip has good marbling and a strong flavour. Top Sirloin comes from the rump and is tougher . New York Strip: A cut taken from towards the rear-end of the steer from just behind the ribs, this has good marbling and strong beefy flavour. An excellent cut for grilling as it has less fat. Also known as: Strip Lon, Shell Steak, Kansas City Strip, New York Strip Steak . Top Sirloin: Sirloin meat is near the rump so this might take some chewing as its much tougher than meat taken from the loin or ribs. The top sirloin however is taken from the tender centre of the sirloin. Grilling it quickly will bring out its flavours best. New York Strip: A cut taken from towards the rear-end of the steer from just behind the ribs, this has good marbling and strong beefy flavour. An excellent cut for grilling as it has less fat. Also known as: Strip Loin, Shell Steak, Kansas City Strip, New York Strip Steak . The classic rib eye is a well-marbled piece of meat. The porterhouse is a combination of two cuts of steak . Rib eye: A classic cut, rib-eye steaks are usually well-marbled which make them one of the juiciest, melt-in-the-mouth steaks. Fat is what gives this steak its flavour . Also known as: Scotch fillet, Delmonico steak . Porterhouse: A combination of two cuts, the porterhouse is a very large steak comprised of A New York strip on one side and a tender filet on the other. Also known as: T-Bone, Short Loin.
highlights: Jared McCarroll head chef at M Restaurant and Grill shares his expertise .
  The more fat your steak contains the more juicy it will be after cooking .
  Look for thickness rather than weight when choosing which steak to buy .
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