Steak lovers rejoice at the savory and succulent perfectly cooked (medium rare) Rib Eye steak. Images of this beautifully prepared piece of meat all while filling the room with this amazing aroma.
Long ago, I fell in love with the Rib Eye on a surf camping trip with my high school buddies. Our plan was to head out after school and camp out at San Onofre State Beach, wake up early and hit the surf. Being high schoolers, we didn’t have much money which equated to buy cheap to eat. So we visited the grocery store and it was every man for himself. Being teen aged boys, we all hit the meat department for steaks! Back in the day the best steaks were Filets (of course), and New Yorks. Rib Eye’s were less than Top Rounds. So I bought a thick fat Rib Eye and some butter. Looking back, I probably over-cooked it but what I definitely remember is that I took my first bite and it was all over!
Today, when you go to a nice steak joint Rib Eyes are at the top end of the price range. Tomahawks can be more than a Filet Mignon. But the high price isn’t really my issue. It’s the fact that I like my steak exactly how I like my steak. No rubs. No special seasonings. Pure and simple just like when I seared my first Rib Eye in San Onofre. Salt, pepper, and butter. So here’s my sure to kill it way to cook a Rib Eye.
First, you GOT to find yourself a nice cut. Sure, Prime is best but I’ve found that when cooked just right, Choice and even Select come out savory and delicious! If you are going to go with Select or Choice, you may have to weed through the steaks as its always best to have that marbled fat running nice and evenly through the meat. It is the fat that makes a steak great!
Preparation: No problem. If you buy your meat the day before or even in the morning for dinner that night, remove the wrapper and put it in the fridge. This is to allow the outside of the steak to dry out a bit. This is what they refer to as “dry aged”. All grocery stores will dry age their meat some but if you can add a little of your own dry aging you won’t be disappointed. When it’s time to cook your steak, remove it from the fridge and let it sit until it reaches room temperature. During this time, pre-heat your oven at 400 degrees, rub both sides of the steak with some oil, and rub in some salt and pepper.
Cooking: I love a steak cooked in a cast iron skillet but a simple non-stick pan works just fine. Set your flame to high. The higher the heat, the better your meat! Get that pan nice and hot! Drop that red beauty into the pan and leave it alone. Do not mess with your steak. Let it sear. How long depends on how thick your cut is. For this recipe, I always choose my Rib Eyes that are at least 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. Let that beauty sear untouched for about 4 minutes, then flip it. Now, take a good heaping of butter and slap it into the pan. You’re going to cook it for another 4 minutes. As the butter melts and starts to darken, take a spoon and ladle the melted butter over your steak. Repeat this multiple times. Now here’s they key part. After the second side is cooked, and depending on how thick your steak is, remove the pan from the heat. Use your thermometer and check the temperature in the middle of the steak. I like my steak medium rare but not blood red in the middle. For me, that equates to a finish product of 140 degrees. Now, if you’re like me and you’ve got this two-inch slab, there’s no way it’ll be much more than 110-115 degrees at the center. So grab the entire pan and stick it into the oven. How long depends on what the temperature is. Here’s the thing, whatever end result temperature you want it to be, pull the steak about 8-10 degrees cooler. You’ll make up that temperature during the “rest” period. At 400 degrees, a steak will rise 1 degree every minute. So, take the temperature of your steak, subtract that from the number you want to pull it and that’s how long you need to cook your steak in the oven. Once your steak is the desired temp at the center, remove it from the oven but leave it in the pan and let it rest for about 5-7 minutes. Do not mess with it. Allowing a steak to rest allows the meat to absorb back the juices created when cooking it. During this time, the steak will continue to cook. Ladle more butter over the top. Depending on if you like yours more rare or more done is up to you. After you’ve allowed your steak to rest, give it one more final splash of the butter. By this time the butter should be a thicker dark brown color. Stick it on your plate with your favorite sides and enjoy!
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