Cast Iron Ribeye, Pan-Seared and Herb Butter Basted

Cast Iron Ribeye, Pan-Seared and Herb Butter Basted. This is how to cook a ribeye in a cast iron skillet for a quick and amazing steak.

I was chatting with my local Le Creuset store manager about cast iron skillets, and she asked if I wanted to see a video of the pan in action.

Jump to:

• Equipment
• Ingredients
• How to Cook a Ribeye in a Cast Iron Skillet
• Substitutions
• What should I serve with Cast Iron Ribeye Steaks
• Cast Iron Ribeye Recipe
• 💬 Comments

A rib eye was searing in the skillet. The chef covered it with herbs and garlic and slid it into the oven. Then he moved it back to the stovetop and finished with a butter baste. I was mesmerized, watching him spoon sizzling butter over the ribeye.
The manager knew she had me - I'm pretty sure I stopped talking in the middle of a sentence, jaw hanging open, staring at butter-basted beef. The next thing I remember is leaving the store with a heavy box under my arm.
I came home and duplicated the recipe - and I regret nothing. It's every bit as good as it looked in the video.

What kind of Cast Iron Skillet should I use?

I wrote this recipe years ago. Since then, I switched from an enameled Le Creuset skillet to a bare metal cast iron skillet. (And, sadly, my local Le Creuset store closed.)
Enameled and bare cast iron will work with this recipe; I switched because I'm a kitchen gear fanatic and wanted to try bare cast iron skillets. 
The advantage of the enameled skillet is it is much easier to care for without the risk of rusting. I have to baby my bare metal cast iron pan, seasoning it with oil after every use.
Inspired by: Classic Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak [CertifiedAngusBeef.com]

Equipment

• 12-inch cast iron skillet (I use a Le Creuset cast iron skillet in the pictures, but a bare metal cast-iron skillet like a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet will work just as well.)
• An instant-read thermometer and a probe thermometer. The instant-read thermometer is for checking the final doneness. With its wire and alarm, a probe thermometer makes it easy to pull the steak out of the oven at 105°F so it doesn't overcook before the butter basting.

Ingredients

• 2 (1½ inch thick) bone-in Ribeye steaks
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (1½ teaspoons per steak)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground mixed peppercorns (or black pepper)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium shallot, trimmed, peeled, and sliced paper thin
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 4 tablespoons butter

How to Cook a Ribeye in a Cast Iron Skillet

Season the steak

One hour before cooking, remove the steak from the refrigerator, pat it dry with paper towels, and season it evenly with salt and pepper. Let the steak sit at room temperature until it is time to sear.
You can salt up to two hours in advance. But, if you can't salt at least an hour in advance, season the steak right before cooking. It needs at least an hour for the dry brine effect.

Preheat the pan

Thirty minutes before cooking, put the skillet in the oven and heat at 450°F to get the pan ripping hot.

Sear the ribeye for 4 minutes a side

Move the pan from the oven to the stovetop and turn the burner to medium-high heat. (Carefully! The pan is hot!) Pour the oil into the pan, and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Put the steak in the pan and sear without moving until a browned crust forms on the bottom, about four minutes. Flip the steak, and cover each with sliced shallots, two thyme sprigs, and one rosemary sprig. Move the pan back into the oven.

Oven roast the steak for 5 minutes

Roast the steak in the oven until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 105°F, about five minutes. (Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the steak.)

Baste the steaks with butter for 5 minutes

Move the pan back to the stovetop over low heat. (Again, be careful, hot pan). Put the butter into the pan between the steaks. Once the butter melts, scrape the shallots and herb sprigs off the steaks and into the butter. Use a spoon to baste the steaks with the butter, and cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 115°F to 120°F for medium-rare, about five minutes of basting.

Brown the shallots and serve

Transfer the steaks to plates, leaving the shallots and herbs in the pan. Continue to saute the shallots and herbs in the butter, occasionally stirring and scraping the pan, until the shallots are brown and crispy about three more minutes. Discard the herb sprigs. Pour the shallots and butter over the steaks, serve, and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Meat thermometer: A thermometer is how to ensure doneness. You can go with my timings, and they'll probably work fine, but every kitchen, stove, and cast iron pan is different. Using a thermometer, you'll get the doneness you want.
• Different Doneness: Don't like medium-rare steak? For rare, sear the steak for three minutes, then cook to 100°F in the oven (about five minutes), then on the stovetop to 110°F to 115°F (about 4 more minutes). Medium? 115°F in the oven (about 8 minutes), then 120°F to 130°F on the stovetop (about 8 more minutes). More than that? You're alone, and I don't want to know about it.
• Careful! Hot Pan!: When handling an oven-heated cast iron pan, oven mitts are your friend. The Le Creuset handle mitt is terrific - it easily slips on the handle of my Le Creuset and Lodge cast iron skillets. 
• Just a little oil: I use vegetable oil because of its high smoke point, but canola, grape seed, or avocado oil will all work. I don't use extra virgin olive oil, but not because there's anything wrong with it. Olive oil will work fine in this recipe, but high heat flattens out the extra virgin olive oil flavors I'm paying to get, so I'd rather use cheaper vegetable oil for high-heat cooking.

Substitutions

What if I have a different thickness of steak?

If you have 1-inch thick steaks, skip the "transfer to the oven" step and go straight from searing to butter-basting the steaks on the stovetop, and only butter-basting for about 3 minutes. If you have thicker steaks, the time in the oven will increase, but as long as you oven roast to 105°F, everything else in the recipe works the same.

What can I substitute for the fresh herbs and shallots?

Use any fresh herbs you have on hand. If all you have is thyme or rosemary, use it, and don't worry about the other herbs. If you want to change the flavor, Tarragon or Parsley gives the steaks a French Bistro flavor, and a little slivered basil gives the steaks an Italian Trattoria slant.
If all you have are dried spices, save them for the end, and add them to the melted butter to sizzle for about 30 seconds before pouring the butter over the steaks.
If shallots are too fancy, use a couple of smashed garlic cloves. Or substitute thin-sliced red onion for the shallots or thin-sliced bell peppers.
Or, skip all the fancy stuff, and go straight for butter-basted cast iron ribeye steaks, skipping everything but the steak, salt, pepper, and butter.

Can I use any other cut of beef instead of rib eye?

I prefer bone-in rib eye steaks, but this recipe will work with boneless ribeye steaks, New York strip steaks, or beef tenderloin. This recipe works if you have a good cut of steak and cook it to temperature with an instant-read thermometer.

What if I don't have a cast iron pan?

Any good, heavy bottomed skillet will work with this recipe. A stainless steel clad aluminum pan (like All-Clad) works great, and a carbon steel pan is also good. Don't use nonstick pans for this - the nonstick coating can't handle this high heat.

What should I serve with Cast Iron Ribeye Steaks

I'm a steak and potatoes guy, so while I have the oven on, I use my quick-baked potato recipe or my sheet pan potato recipe. I also like to serve with some steamed green beans or asparagus, and a caesar salad.

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What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Please leave them in the comments section below.

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