You can almost hear the sizzle as cooks rhapsodize how they serve steak.

They shared steak secrets, their insider tips to enjoy one of their favourite dishes in time for this weekend’s Victoria Day holiday — the unofficial start of summer.

Don’t clutter it up with too many flavours, they implored. Keep it simple, say the field to fork experts, a farmer, butcher and chef.

Ted Dimoglou, usually holding forth with raw fish for sushi, likes steak, too. just not with fussy flavours and formality.

“I want the fattest cut of steak with marbling and a little salt and pepper,” says Dimoglou, with Oishii Lounge, 255 Ouellette Ave. “Just keep it simple, and let the beef do all the talking.”

Just choose the best beef, filet mignon, said Ted Farron, a butcher who knows his cuts, with his 26-year-old South Windsor business Farron’s Gourmet Butcher Shop.

“It’s the very best cut. you can get a five-ounce steak for $6.”

Besides, he said, the portion fits health-eating guidelines from Canada’s own food guide. Serve it with starch, such as potatoes and a salad full of vegetables.

“And you have a wonderful meal.”

With steak, he suggests, appearance is everything. So, make the grill marks with a brush of oil on both sides that aids appearances and helps sear the steak and seal in moisture.

Avoid sauces, especially for true steak eaters. They don’t want the flavours in the way of their favourite beef.

Have sauces on the side for those who want them, he suggests.

In turn, Farron likes marinades so the steak can pick up seasonings like oregano.

“Marinades create another dimension of flavour,” he said.

And steak remains a good choice for meat eaters, he reassures.

“Steak is at the top of thelist,” when it comes to popular cuts of meat. His shop, he boasts, has become a top seller of Black Angus beef in Canada.

“We age the beef, we use the best beef. We don’t want to be cheapest, we want to be the best.”

So does Tom Divitaris, a beef farmer whose approach remains healthy and all-natural for the beef he retails from the store on his farm near Woodslee.

It’s located at 1947 Myers Road, formerly Rochester Township Concession 2.

The most important ingredient to a good steak is the cut of meat itself, he said.

“It’s the quality, Divitaris said. “The steak has to come from a good source.”

His favourite tip is the high-temperature searing, which closes up the steak, locking in flavours and sealing both sides, he said.

Divitaris suggests a backyard chef invest in one important utensil, a meat thermometer. Depending on the thickness, look for a temperature of about 155F or 68C for medium rare, about 140F or 60C for rare with a pink colour.

But before even heading to the grill, Divitaris said he washes off the steak, pats it dry and brings it close to room temperature.

Read on for more suggestions and recipes for adding sizzle along with fireworks for the holiday weekend.

BIG BASTED BEEF MEDALLIONS

Think thick. Use a thick cut of steak, such as individually sized beef medallions for the best in beef on the grill. Recipe is from the Beef Information Centre at beefinfo.org.