Butter-Basted Cast Iron Ribeye

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Cook Time: 15

Resting Time: 40

Total Time: 55

Servings: servings

Calories: 406kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Simple skillet seared ribeye steak flavored with rich garlic herb butter

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 boneless ribeye steak about 12 ounces
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3-4 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

Pat steak dry using paper towel. Season all sides of the meat with sea salt and black pepper then set aside to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
1 boneless ribeye steak, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Add avocado oil to cast iron skillet over medium-high flame and heat it until the oil has a shimmering appearance, starts smoking, and moves easily across the pan when tilted.
1 tablespoon avocado oil
Use tongs to carefully add steak to heated pan and cook for one minute then flip and cook the other side for another minute. Continue flipping the steak every 30 seconds until it reaches 100 degrees.
Add butter to pan along with garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Once butter is fully melted and foamy, grab the panhandle and tilt the pan to pool the butter and herbs. Spoon the butter over top of the steak several times then flip it and repeat on the opposite side.
Check the steak’s temperature and repeat the basting and flipping process until the steak reaches about five degrees less than your desired temperature (see notes).
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3-4 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Remove steak from pan and place on wire rack to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Resting the meat on a wire rack allows the drippings to fall away from the meat instead of puddling around it, which softens the steak's crust.
If desired, pour the garlic herb butter from the pan over top of the steak to serve.

Notes

Preparation Tips

You can cook the steak up to three days ahead of time as long as it's stored properly. Alternatively, you can season the steak up to 24 hours before resting and preparing it.

Resting the steak allows it to come to room temp, which makes for more even cooking. Putting a cold steak on a hot pan can produce an overcooked or burnt exterior with an undercooked interior.

Steak Temperatures

- 120 - 125° Fahrenheit is rare (soft, cold, and red in the middle)

- 130 - 135° Fahrenheit is medium rare (firm, warm, and red in the middle)

- 140 - 145° Fahrenheit is medium (firm, warm, and pink in the middle)

- 145 - 155° Fahrenheit is medium well (warm with a thin pink line in the middle)

165° Fahrenheit is well done (firm and brown throughout)

Cutting the Steak

You may have heard of the "grain" of a steak, which consists of the lines of muscle fiber that run through the meat in one direction--like wood grain! When it's time to cut, cutting against the grain is the way to go as it breaks up the fibers and results in a more tender and palatable bite. To do this, place the knife perpendicular to the grain lines and cut. When done right, you will see subtle vertical lines running through each slice.

Storage & Reheating

To store, snugly wrap uneaten steak in aluminum foil or plastic wrap as soon as it reaches room temperature then place into an airtight container and refrigerate. Keeps for up to four days.

I recommend reheating ribeye in the oven or air fryer for the best results. Note that the reheating process will cook it further. For example, if you originally cooked the steak to medium well, it will be closer to well done after you reheat it.

Nutrition