how do I broil a steak?

How thick is it and how much pink do you want left in the center?

Preheat your broiler and keep the over door ajar a couple inches. There should be a natural spot for the door to remain open slightly without you having to hold it open.

Season the steak with whatever you want it to taste like (salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, whatever) or leave it unseasoned. Put the steak on a broiler pan (it's got slots in it so that the juices drip down into a catch pan underneath). Set the oven racks so that the meat is about 3" from heat.

Broil each side for 3-4 minutes for rare (still red and cool in the middle), 4-6 minutes for medium (warm, slightly pink in the middle), or 6-7 minutes for well done (what a waste of a good piece of meat, but that's just me). These timings are for a 1 inch thick steak and should be increase or decreased 1 minute per side for each 1/2 inch of thickness.

Don't be surprised if the kitchen gets smokey. It's common when using high heat and an open oven for the smoke detector to go off. Just pay attention to it, flip it half way through and you'll be fine.

Yeah, high heat is the trick.

I take my steaks and put a good amount of kosher salt on each side, patting it in.

Then, I put in a cast iron skillet on stop of the stove, and do 3 or 4 minutes each side, like JPB said. That gives it a nice crust, but it's still rare on the inside

Don't eat them as soon as you take out of the broiler or pan. Let them sit on a tilted plate for a few minutes, the meat inside will continue to cook for a few minutes, and the extra time gives the meat time to rest, so it doesn't loose all its juices when you cut it.

While they are "resting" sautee some onions and mushroom in the pan you just used. The salt from the steak cooking will season them, and they'll taste great piled on top of the steak. At the last minute, pour any juices that have drained from the meat into the mushroom and onions.

If you have a hood vent on your oven, turn it on, the smoke can be alarming. I've had it set off the smoke detector.

It's really very easy once you get the hang of it.

Enjoy your meal!

Oh damn, I forgot.

Like JPB said, make sure your broiler is REALLY preheated.

If you do it in a cast iron skillet, put it on a high heat and let it heat up for at least 5, 10 is better, minutes.

That's the time you use to cut up the vegs and make your side dishes.

ok, chai, what time is dinner?

Yeah, I've started using a grill pan on the top of the stop and skipping the broiler too. The key in either case is to FLIP IT ONCE and only once. Let it get nice and seared on the first side and then flip it over and do the same with the other side.

If you have a grill pan you can make those silly half-crosses by giving it a quarter turn half-way through the cooking time on each side. I think the less it's fussed with the better it is.

Good point about letting it rest. You can put some foil over it while it rests if you want it to cook even more. Don't cover it tightly though, you don't want it to steam.