Quote:
Originally Posted by asdfasdf32
Canola oil is fine to sear in and will produce a good sear; it just won't taste quite as good as using butter. And, as you found out, too much oil is way better than not enough oil. Remember, deep frying to sear an already cooked steak is a fine option (Gobbo posted a homemade video of this), so obviously too much oil is almost never going to be a bad thing, so long as it's up to temperature.
The problem using butter with searing is that searing requires high heat. Usually the butter will burn or cook off before you reach a good temperature for this.
If using cast iron, as you should be (assuming you're not using a grill), bring the pan up to high heat. Then add the butter and immediately add the steak. You can also melt and mix the butter with canola which is ideal for high heat. Also, you can just lightly finish the steak for 30 seconds in some butter after the initial searing in a heat tolerant lipid.
Another option is using ghee, clarified butter, which has a higher heat tolerance.
Usually if you're cooking thin steaks for over 10 minutes you've went way too long. You just want to sear it, cook it long enough where the carry-over heat will kiss the proper internal temperature. Using a meat thermometer while learning isn't a bad idea even if poking the hole in the steak might let some juices escape.
Sirloin's texture can suck for use as a traditional steak. Also should marinade this type of cut.
(Everything above = IMHO.)