Pan Seared Ribeye Steaks

In life there are a few things that hit just right… my one being a perfectly cooked medium steak after a long day of yard work, or to just simply to tie together a weekend on a sunday evening. Either way, sometimes in life you deserve a juicy, mouth watering steak and this recipe is it.

A great pairing for these steaks is my CopyCat Chop House Salad, check it out under “Dips, Salads, and More.”

Now first what does pan seared mean? Pan searing is a cooking method where the protein is cooked on high heat using little oil so that a crust forms on the outer skin. This can be done with beef, poultry, seafood, and even vegetables. By forming that crust you get to lock in all the juicies on the inside and have something great to cut into.

Now with pan searing also comes a technique called basting, think of them as best friends. If you watch Gilmore Girls then think of it as how coffee is to Lorelia, it’s needed. You’ve probably seen basting done on almost any food network show, but if you haven’t it’s a cooking technique where you spoon fat over the protein to keep it moist and add flavor. For my steaks I always use crushed garlic cloves, fresh thyme and rosemary, and full fat butter (this is something you need to keep your low fat butter away from) . The aromatics help enhance the flavor of the steak, as well as make your house smell divine.

Now today we are working with boneless Ribeyes, you can use any cut of steak for this recipe, but believe me the ribeye is the best. Why might you ask? Because the marbling in a ribeye provides the best flavor and juices for this method of cooking -The more marbling, the better. If you decide to use a bone-in cut that is great too, just adjust cooking time for that. I purchase my steaks at Costco, but you can find them at any grocery store. Look for a bright red color with lots of pink marbling, and also note that the steak shrinks a little in cooking so don’t be intimidated by thickness. Below are about 1 1/4 inch thick.

Now whether this is for yourself or for guests, this is fairly simple to cook. You always start with patting dry your steak and then seasoning the hell out of it with salt and pepper. (Bring out the good salt and pepper for this). Your steak is thick and the salt/pepper will help with the crust. In the meantime heat your pan up over medium-high heat.

Sub-note: You really, really, REALLY want to use a cast iron with this recipe. Not only does it cook better with cast iron, but the overall turnout is great. Cast irons are the pros for pan searing, and if you’re lucky enough you can even get one that’s been passed down through generations like mine has. That being said, it can still be done on a stainless steel pan , but I’m sorry to inform that a non-stick pan will not work for this recipe.

Heat your cast iron up to high temp and add a small swirl of oil, i’m talking barely enough to cover the pan. Lay the steak down and do not touch it till a crust has formed, this will take about 4-5 minutes. Before flipping over , I like to sear the sides as well by holding the steak with tongs about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Now I flip the steak over completely and sear for another 4-5 minutes. NOTE : this is for a medium steak, for Rare stick to 2 mins per side plus basting, Medium Rare stick to 3-4 minutes per side plus basting, for Medium Well stick to 6 mins per side and Well Done stick to 6+ mins per side , both plus basting.

At this point the temperature you like your steak is important. I prefer a perfect medium, but anything else is easily doable as well. There are a few methods to checking your steaks temperature like a meat thermometer or the feel test. To use a thermometer just slide the probe into the thickest part of the steak and give it a few seconds to read, be careful not to touch bone. For the fell test (more well known as the palm test), follow the picture below and just feel the steak to match it up. The palm test is my favorite method, and I always pull the steak a little before it reaches my preferred temp because it continues to cook while it’s resting.

Using a theometer temps:

Once your steak has been cooked on both sides creating a beautiful dark crisp crust, add in half a stick of butter… don’t be shy with the butter! Add in your crushed garlic cloves, spring of thyme and rosemary and take a big spoon and start scooping up the butter and flicking it over the steak for 1-2 minutes. Pull the steak and let it rest for 15 minutes. DO NOT CUT UNTIL STEAK HAS RESTED at a minimum of 10mins. Resting the steak gives it time for the juices to settle so you won’t loose flavor, so please don’t skip the resting stage.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

• Cast Iron Skillet or Stainless Steel Pan
• Tongs
• Paper Towels
• Cutting Board
• Boning Knife for slicing (any sharp knife will do but boning is best)

PAN SEARED RIBEYE

• 1 inch thick Ribeye
• 1 Tablespoon Oil
• 2 springs fresh Thyme
• 2 Springs Rosemary
• 4 Tablespoons Butter ( Half a stick)
• Salt and Pepper to personal liking

DIRECTIONS:

• Start by pat drying your steak and heavily season with salt and pepper – I suggest taking steak out about 30 mins before cooking for a better result
• Bring skillet up to medium high heat and lightly oil
• Place steak on pan and sear. Rare – 2 mins per side Medium Rare – 3-4 mins per side Medium – 4-5 mins per side Medium Well – 5-6 mins per side Well Done – 6+ mins
• Turn steak on side and sear each side at least 1 min
• After steak is searing on the final side add butter and aromatics (crushed garlic, thyme, rosemary) and with a big spoon baste steak for at least 1 min, do not exceed 2 mins.
• Pull steak from heat after checking for correct tempature or doing the palm test. I like to pull my steak right before it reaches temp so it’s perfect after rest time. If your steak is not cooked to your liking, flipover and continue cooking for 1 min each side, continuously checking temp or feel for doness.
• Rest steak for 15 mins before slicing and enjoy!

Above is a picture of my steaks resting, notice the crust!