Market Lane on Oliver Plunkett Street dry-ages its beef in-house for a minimum of 28 days from Cork and Munster farms, making it the most consistent fine-cut steak option in Cork city for over a decade.

Opened 2007 by the Cunningham family on Oliver Plunkett Street and now run alongside sister restaurants Elbow Lane (brewpub) and Goldie (seafood), Market Lane became Cork city's defining mid-tier steakhouse within a decade. Their move to in-house dry-ageing in 2014, in a glass-walled chamber off the open kitchen, set the benchmark for Cork city steakhouses; all beef is sourced from named Munster farms within 100km, mostly Hereford crosses on grass-fed regimes. The restaurant has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2018 and was the first Cork city kitchen to reach 28 days of in-house dry-ageing as standard.

Where to eat Market Lane Dry-Aged Steak in Cork

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Make it at home

Serves 235 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 dry-aged sirloin steaks, 300g each, 3cm thick (28-day minimum)
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil with high smoke point
  • 40g unsalted butter
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed but whole
  • Maldon sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
  • For the side: 200g chestnut mushrooms, halved
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 100ml red wine
  • 200ml beef stock
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Method

  1. Take steaks out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Pat completely dry, season heavily with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a cast-iron pan until smoking. Add oil, then the steaks. Press down for 90 seconds without moving.
  3. Turn and sear the second side 90 seconds. Stand the steaks on their fat strip for 1 minute to render.
  4. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, thyme, and garlic. Tilt the pan and baste constantly for 2 minutes for medium-rare.
  5. Lift steaks onto a warm board to rest 8 minutes (this is non-negotiable for dry-aged beef).
  6. In the same pan, fry mushrooms and shallot in the remaining butter 4 minutes. Pour in wine, reduce by half.
  7. Add stock and Worcestershire, reduce to a glossy spoon-coating sauce, 4 minutes.
  8. Slice the steaks against the grain into 1cm slices. Plate with the mushroom sauce poured over.

Editor tip. A 3cm steak takes 90-90-90-90 (sear-sear-baste-baste) for medium-rare in a hot cast-iron pan; thinner steaks need less, thicker steaks finish in a 200C oven for 4 minutes.