Main course · Steakhouse, cast iron
Pan-seared ribeye
A ribeye 3.5–4 cm / 1¼–1½ in thick is pan-seared in a smoking-hot cast-iron skillet for 9–12 minutes, turned every 30–60 seconds, basted with butter, garlic and thyme at the end and taken off at 49–50 °C / 120–122 °F; a 5-minute rest brings it to medium-rare.
At a glance
- Thickness
- 3–4 cm / 1¼–1½ in
- In the pan
- 9–12 min, turned every 30–60 s
- Pull at
- 49–50 °C / 120–122 °F
- Finish
- Butter, garlic, thyme; rest 5 min
- Time
- 15 min active, 60 min total
What it is
The pan-seared ribeye is the steakhouse steak cooked on a domestic stove: a thick ribeye seared in a heavy cast-iron skillet, turned often and basted at the end with butter, crushed garlic and thyme. It takes about 15 minutes of active work; most of the hour goes to salting the meat.
The cut suits the pan because of its fat. The eye (longissimus dorsi) is tender and evenly marbled, the cap (spinalis dorsi) curled over it is the most marbled part of the steak, and the seam of fat between the two renders in the pan and bastes the meat from inside. Heavy iron stores enough heat to keep the surface above the 140 °C / 284 °F that browning needs when the cold steak lands on it (see cast-iron steak).
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ribeye steaks | 2 × 300–350 g / 11–12 oz | boneless, 3.5–4 cm / 1¼–1½ in thick |
| Coarse salt | about 1% of the meat's weight | 6–7 g / ¼ oz for 650 g / 23 oz |
| Black pepper | to taste | freshly ground |
| Neutral oil | 1 tbsp / 15 ml | high smoke point (peanut, rice bran) |
| Butter | 40 g / 1½ oz | unsalted |
| Garlic | 2–3 cloves | crushed in their skins |
| Thyme or rosemary | 4–5 sprigs | fresh |
Your steak: time and temperature
Set the thickness, the doneness and the method: the minutes, the temperature to pull it at and the rest change with them. The same numbers as the tables of Steakpedia.
Estimates to plan with, not a guarantee: every piece, butcher and grill is different. Nothing you type leaves this page. The full calculator, with a timer and a start-time planner →
Method
- At least 40 minutes ahead, pat the steaks dry and salt them all over with about 1% of their weight in coarse salt; leave them uncovered on a rack. Salting the day before, uncovered in the refrigerator, also works.
- Heat a 25–30 cm / 10–12 in cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5–10 minutes, until a drop of oil smokes as soon as it touches the metal.
- Pat the steaks dry again, add the oil and lay them in the pan. Leave them until they release, about 1 minute.
- Turn them every 30–60 seconds. Frequent turning cooks the interior more evenly and narrows the grey band under the crust; a single turn gives a slightly darker crust.
- Hold the steaks on their fat edge with tongs for 30–60 seconds to render the fat.
- When the centre is 8–10 °C / 15–18 °F below the pull temperature, lower the heat to medium, add the butter, garlic and herbs, tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks for 1–2 minutes. Butter turning black means the heat is too high.
- Take the steaks off at the pull temperature for their thickness (table below), read with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part.
- Rest them for about 5 minutes on a rack, season with pepper and slice.
Times by thickness
Total time in the pan for a steak straight from the refrigerator, turned frequently in a well-preheated skillet. Every row aims at medium-rare: a final 52–56 °C / 126–133 °F after a 5-minute rest. At 5 cm / 2 in, a reverse sear (low oven first, the pan at the end) cooks more evenly. Other doneness levels are in the temperature chart.
| Thickness | Time in the pan | Pull at | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 cm / ½–¾ in | 3–5 min | 52–53 °C 126–127 °F | High heat throughout |
| 2.5 cm / 1 in | 6–8 min | 50–51 °C 122–124 °F | Butter in the last 1–2 min |
| 3.5–4 cm / 1¼–1½ in | 9–12 min | 49–50 °C 120–122 °F | Render the fat edge |
| 5 cm / 2 in | Reverse sear | 48–49 °C 118–120 °F | Oven first, pan at the end |
Bone-in, wagyu and the cap
Bone-in. A bone-in ribeye (rib steak; with a long frenched bone, cowboy or tomahawk) cooks more slowly next to the bone. It needs 1–2 minutes more than a boneless steak of the same thickness, and the temperature is read away from the bone.
Wagyu. Wagyu and other very marbled beef is seared over medium heat, not high: its fat melts at a lower temperature, floods the pan and burns at full heat. It is usually cut 1.5–2 cm / ½–¾ in thick and needs no butter.
The cap. The spinalis is thinner than the eye and cooks faster, especially on chuck-end steaks where it is large. Cooks either accept it slightly more done or lift it off and sear it separately, 1–2 minutes per side.
Serving
After resting, the juices on the plate go back over the steak. The eye and the cap are sliced separately, across the grain, 1–1.5 cm / ½ in wide, because their fibres run in different directions.
The pan butter, with its garlic and herbs, is the simplest sauce. Others are chimichurri, béarnaise and the cognac-and-cream sauce of steak au poivre, made in the same skillet once the steaks are out.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you cook a ribeye on each side?
In a hot cast-iron pan, a 2.5 cm / 1 in ribeye takes 6–8 minutes in total, about 3–4 per side; a 3.5–4 cm / 1¼–1½ in one takes 9–12 minutes. Turning every 30–60 seconds cooks it more evenly.
What temperature should ribeye be?
Medium-rare is 52–56 °C / 126–133 °F in the centre after resting, so the steak comes off at 49–51 °C / 120–124 °F depending on thickness. The USDA safe minimum for whole beef steaks is 63 °C / 145 °F with a 3-minute rest, which is medium.
Should I put butter on ribeye?
Butter goes in at the end, because it burns at searing heat. Basting with butter, garlic and thyme for the last 1–2 minutes adds browned-butter flavour; a well-marbled ribeye also browns in its own fat alone.
Is ribeye better pan-seared or grilled?
Both suit the cut. The pan gives an even crust and keeps the rendered fat for basting; a charcoal or wood grill adds smoke, but the dripping fat flares.
How long should a ribeye rest?
About 5 minutes on a rack or warm plate for steaks 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in thick; the centre rises a few degrees.
Sources
4
- McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.
- Myhrvold, Nathan; Young, Chris; Bilet, Maxime. Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. Bellevue: The Cooking Lab, 2011.
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart. 2023. www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart
- North American Meat Institute. The Meat Buyer's Guide, 8th ed. Washington, DC, 2014.
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