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This simple ribeye recipe features pan-searing in a cast iron skillet, developing a perfectly seared exterior and tender interior. The blue cheese compound butter offers a savory and garlicky topping with a delicious blue cheese flavor that compliments every bite. A surprisingly delicious combination with an easy-to-follow cooking formula!
The ribeye, also known as the Delmonico steak or cowboy steak, tends to be a fattier cut with marbling throughout. The fat contributes to the flavor and juiciness, making it the most flavorful cut of beef I’ve prepared so far. Always buy bone-in or partial bone-in ribeye—the bone adds flavor and contains the juices when cooking.
You can’t go wrong serving steak with potatoes, so decide if you’d like some crispy roasted red potatoes or softer mashed potatoes. To get some green on your plate, I’d go with roasted brussels and bacon.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Ribeye steak: sometimes labeled Delmonico steak. I prefer bone-in ribeye but you can also use boneless ribeye. Look for a cut that is roughly 1 inch thick. You can also use NY strip for this recipe.
- Oil for searing: opt for a little bit of vegetable/canola/or high-smoke-point oil such as algae cooking oil.
- Rosemary/thyme: always use fresh herbs. Dry spices are not a substitute for this recipe. tarragon is another nice option.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
Step by Step Instructions
Temperature For Steak
Note, the following chart features estimated cook times based on pan-searing a 1-inch thick ribeye in a preheated and hot cast iron skillet. Always check with a digital thermometer as the steak cooks and remove steaks from heat 5 degrees below the final desired serving temperature.
| Doneness | Temperature Range | Cook Time (per side) |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 120°F to 125°F | 2 minutes |
| Medium rare | 125°F to 130°F | 3 minutes |
| Medium | 135°F to 140°F | 4 minutes |
| Medium well | 145°F to 150°F | 5 minutes |
Note: Cooking steaks at high temps in a skillet tends to get smokey. Open a kitchen window and turn on your kitchen’s overhead vent fan before you start to help with ventilation.
Let Steaks Rest
The legend, Anthony Bourdain once said, the most important aspect of cooking any steak is the rest period after you take it off the heat. Letting a steak rest for 5-7 minutes before cutting is critical for two reasons.
Juice redistribution: during cooking, the heat causes the muscle fibers in the steak to contract, pushing the juices toward the center of the meat. If you cut into the steak immediately after cooking, these juices will spill out, leaving the steak drier. Resting allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat.
Temperature equalization: resting allows the temperature inside the steak to even out. The outer layers cool slightly while the heat continues to transfer inward, resulting in a more consistent doneness throughout the steak. It’s important to always undershoot your final serving temperature when preparing steak, as the internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests.
More Steak You’ll Love
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Pan-Seared Ribeye with Blue Cheese Butter
Ingredients
- 16-20 ounce bone-in ribeye steak, about 1 inch thick
- 1 tablespoon algae, vegetable, or canola oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 whole garlic cloves, optional
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Blue Cheese Butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 sprig fresh minced rosemary, removed from stem
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, removed from stem
- 1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
- salt, to taste
Instructions
For the blue cheese butter
- Combine butter, blue cheese, rosemary, thyme, salt, and garlic in a small bowl. Mix until fully incorporated. Roll in plastic wrap into a cylinder. Place in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes and remove 5 minutes before serving.
For the ribeye
- Remove steak from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking. This is to bring the steak to room temperature and ensure your cooking times are more accurate. Season both sides liberally with kosher salt and pepper.
- Add oil to a cast iron skillet and turn up high, allowing the skillet to become hot first. Place the ribeye face down and sear undisturbed for 3 minutes. Flip the ribeye and sear for an additional 3 minutes for medium rare.
- Turn off the heat (remove pan from heat) and add plain butter, rosemary, thyme, and optional garlic cloves to the skillet. Once the butter foams, use a spoon to spoon the melted butter drippings over the steak.
- Place steak on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a slice of blue cheese butter. Can also do this as steak rests.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My only recommendation is to put the cast iron skillet in the oven when you are pre-heating the oven and remove it once the oven is heated. Then, add some butter to the skillet on the stovetop and you can immediately begin searing. This is not my original idea, but a technique I learned in the past.
how much garlic for the garlic blue cheese butter?
1 small clove – was updating and accidentally lost it!