Montanan vs. Gordon Ramsay vs. AI: How to Cook a Steak

With the news that Google will make you a recipe with the help of AI, I wondered if AI could help with something like a steak.

But making a steak can be a bit of an art, so let's try a three-way challenge: who makes a better steak, a Montanan, Gordon Ramsay, or AI?

How a Montanan Makes a Steak

First, let's start with a Montanan. My pal KC is Montana-born and bred and is a bit of a chef in his own right. If I needed a Montana who knows how to make a steak, he'd be my guy.

"I've become a big fan of the reverse sear," he said before he launched into the recipe but then stopped himself. The first step, he says, is to get the steak to room temperature.

"You gotta take it out of the fridge for a while, season it however you want it, then throw it on the smoker until it gets to roughly 115°. So you're just adding smoke to it for about half an hour basically, and then when it gets to 115° you pull it off." After that, he says, follow these instructions: 

• Let the steak rest while heating a cast iron skillet until it's really, really hot.
• Sear the steak for two minutes on each side. It should be 135 degrees, meaning it will come out rare to medium rare.

I did ask KC if he borrows any strategies from renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay when making a steak.

"I add butter to the cast iron skillet when I sear the steaks, and sometimes I baste it with a spoon like Gordon does because it looks fancy."

How Gordon Ramsay Makes a Steak

Now let's consider what Gordon Ramsay recommends. He gives his 10 tips to make a steak in the video below, and here's where he and KC agree (or maybe KC learned these tricks from Ramsay):

• Let the steak rest before cooking it
• Searing
• Use butter (and like KC said, in the "fancy way")

But here's what else Ramsay recommends:

• Seasoning is important. He says you need to season "heavily" because you're going to lose some while cooking. It's so important, he says, that you should season it twice.
• Pay attention to how you put it in the pan so you don't burn yourself. Our Montanan KC probably wouldn't be worried about this. He'd probably say that's either common sense or a few burns come with the territory.
• Pay attention to how it smells--add garlic and rosemary.
• Let the steak rest after it has been cooked too
• Slice it "at least half a centimeter thick"
• Use your wrist to determine the right texture of the steak, and that will indicate doneness
• Share!

READ MORE: What Google Autocomplete Says About Montana and Montana Cities

Gordon Ramsay explains these tips in greater detail so definitely check out the video that these come from to really understand what he recommends.

How AI Makes a Steak

For the most part, AI followed the same recipe as our Montanan and Gordon Ramsay. There were a few differences:

• Use oil, either olive oil or vegetable oil to grease the pan or grill
• There's no mention of searing the steaks, but it does recommend using a thermometer to determine doneness
• When resting the steaks use aluminum foil and "tent" it over the top
• Serve with side dishes like mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or salad.

Arguably, Gordon Ramsay is the pro, so his detailed recommendations will probably lead to the best steak. Also, I think we need to deduct extra points from AI for suggesting vegetable oil.