We absolutely love rib eye steaks and we prefer to have them at home so we can season and cook them the way we like. We are only a little fussy! I like to pick out the steaks and find big, thick, and well marbled rib eyes – and USDA prime grade.
I use my cast iron skillet for steaks because of the great sear you get which is crucial. Also, when you finish the meat in the oven, cast iron is the way to go. My husband likes his steak rarer than I so I keep his refrigerated while mine comes to room temperature. This helps prevent the center from overcooking. You can always cook it a little more if it is too rare, but you cannot fix an overcooked steak.
This is my favorite way to prepare steak and they have been delicious every time!
Ingredients
2 Rib eye steaks (around 1¼ lb. each), at room temperature
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. Avocado oil (or another high smoke point oil like canola)
2 Tbsp. Butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 500° F
Pat the steaks with paper towels to dry.
Season the rib eye steaks all over (even the edges) with salt and freshly ground pepper. Let the meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet with oil on high to get it very hot. Turn is down slightly to medium-high before adding the steaks.
Add the steaks and cook over medium-high heat until crusty on the bottom, about 3-5 minutes, then sear the sides. Turn steaks over and sear for 3-5 minutes.
Very carefully, using oven mitts, transfer the hot skillet to the preheated oven.
Leave in the oven for about 3 minutes for medium rare steaks or for about 5 minutes for medium steaks.
Transfer the steaks to a cutting board or a warm plate and loosely cover with foil.
Let them rest for 5 minutes. Top with butter and they are ready!
Serve the steaks whole or slice the meat across the grain and serve.
Enjoy!
Notes
• The steaks should be at room temperature before cooking. Take them out of the fridge an hour before cooking.
• It is tricky reheating steak but if you do have any leftover, store in an airtight container up to 4 days. I love steak on salad which is great for leftovers because you do not have to reheat. If you reheat the meat, do so gently in the microwave at 50% power.
• When we have leftover steak, my husband loves to chop it and put it in scrambled eggs. It is really good this way and since it is difficult to reheat and maintain the texture and flavor, this works very well.
• Baked potatoes are always great with steak! Other sides I like to serve with rib eye are sautéed spinach, roasted asparagus, or a salad.