There’s steak and then there’s butter-basted, pan-seared rib eye. This rich and satisfying recipe calls for simultaneous searing, basting, and flipping, but the tender, quickly cooked meat is worth the effort. Searing involves cooking the surface of meat at a high temperature to create a brown crust. Basting requires continuously spooning hot fat over the steak, to cook it and add flavor. We combined the two techniques so the steak developed a nice crust, cooked quickly, and stayed moist. While the bottom of the steak seared in the hot skillet, the top kept cooking, thanks to the hot basting liquid.
To prevent the gray band under the crust that indicates overcooked, dried-out meat, we also repeatedly flipped the steak throughout the searing process. A hot skillet cooks food from the bottom up. When a protein is flipped, the seared side, now facing up, is also hot. While some head is pates into the air so the meat cools slightly and doesn’t overcook, lingering residual heat continues to cook the protein from the top down. The more a protein is flipped, the more it cooks from both sides. Our basting liquid—butter infused with shallot, garlic, and thyme—enhanced the cooked meat’s flavor and made a rich sauce. We prefer this steak cooked to medium-rare, but if you prefer it more or less done, see our guidelines on this page. 1 (12-ounce) boneless rib-eye steak, 1½
Jump to RecipeInstructions :
- Pat steak dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steak in skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Flip steak and continue to cook for 30 seconds. Continue flipping steak every 30 seconds for 3 more minutes.
- Slide steak to back of skillet, opposite handle, and add butter to front of skillet. Once butter has melted and begun to foam, add shallot, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Holding skillet handle, tilt skillet so butter pools near base of handle. Use metal spoon to continuously spoon butter and aromatics over steak, concentrating on areas where crust is less browned. Baste steak, flipping it every 30 seconds, until steak registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat and transfer steak to cutting board; tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Discard aromatics from pan and transfer butter mixture to small bowl. Slice steak thin and serve with butter mixture.
Butter-Basted Rib-Eye Steak
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce boneless rib-eye steak, 1½ inches thick, trimmed
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot peeled and quartered through root end
- 2 garlic cloves lightly crushed and peeled
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Pat steak dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steak in skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Flip steak and continue to cook for 30 seconds. Continue flipping steak every 30 seconds for 3 more minutes.
- Slide steak to back of skillet, opposite handle, and add butter to front of skillet. Once butter has melted and begun to foam, add shallot, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Holding skillet handle, tilt skillet so butter pools near base of handle. Use metal spoon to continuously spoon butter and aromatics over steak, concentrating on areas where crust is less browned. Baste steak, flipping it every 30 seconds, until steak registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat and transfer steak to cutting board; tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Discard aromatics from pan and transfer butter mixture to small bowl. Slice steak thin and serve with butter mixture.