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August 20, 2020

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Maybe you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to cook up those ribeye steaks sitting in your freezer? The meat has been calling your name, but you simply don’t know how to cook the delicious hunks. Don’t worry; you’re not alone.

It’s not enough to put the steaks in a pan and fry them, or throw them on the grill. You have to think about how you want to enhance the flavors of the meat, the optimal cooking technique, and perfect pairings.

Here, you’ll find a guide written by steak-lovers dedicated to making sure your ribeye steaks taste delicious.

Ingredients for the Perfect Ribeye Steak

The first and most crucial ingredient is grass-fed, farm-raised, and free-roaming ribeye steak. But, the meat is only part of the equation.

When cooking the ideal ribeye steak, you’ll need:

Butter: You’ll want to have a beautiful slab of grass-fed and unsalted butter to slather the meat and add to the flavor. The butter will help bring out the texture and richness of the steak while simultaneously helping you get fat into your diet.
Oil: Along with butter, use an oil of your choice for cooking the meat and making it crispy. Whether you decide on olive, avocado, among others, depends on what taste you’re craving.
Garlic: Almost every recipe becomes better once you add garlic. If you have cloves available, cut those up and add them to the pan where you’re cooking the meat. Otherwise, add garlic powder into the marinade for grilling.
Thyme: The herb will help contrast the rich flavors of the butter and meat. Plus, it’ll add a lighter note to the flavor palette.
Rosemary: Hand-in-hand with thyme comes rosemary. This herb will add layers of taste and texture to your meat.
Kosher salt: The salt works to bring out further and balances the natural meat taste with the other spices.
Fresh ground black pepper: Every ribeye steak deserves a decent sprinkling of pepper to add an extra kick of taste.

How To Cook Rib Eye Steak: Step by Step

Cooking any piece of steak is a science, and it requires specific time frames, heat settings, and appliances.

With a ribeye, you want to make sure that you’re careful. You can easily over- or under-cook the meat if you don’t pay attention.

Also, the methodology behind the preparation and the cooking time will vary depending on how you want to cook the ribeye steak. Whether you decide to cook on an outdoor grill or an indoor stovetop is up to you. We offer a step-by-step guide for both methods below. You’ll also want to note the specific power and energy levels of your appliances.

On the Grill

Do you dream of barbecue adventures with all your closest friends? Or are you the household grillmaster? If you want to invite people over to enjoy a nice, home-cooked meal in your backyard, you’ve come to the right section of the recipe guide. Here’s where you’ll learn how to cook the perfect ribeye steak on the grill.

Make sure you have all the supplies that you need to grill before you start cooking. You’ll want to have:

Plates
Seasonings (either the ones listed above or ones that you prefer)
Grill tongs
Apron
Toothpick (to check the tenderness of the meat)

Step 1: Remove the Steak from the Fridge

At least 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook the steak, make sure that you take it out of the fridge/freezer. You want to give the ribeye steak time to defrost to room temperature so that the spices can soak into the meat, and you get the full flavor profile.

Step 2: Season the Steaks

When grilling, you want to soak the steak in the marinade before putting it on the grill.

Melt the butter in a pan and sprinkle the salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary into the fat. From there, soak each side of the meat in the mixture for 15 seconds. You can add the garlic into the mixture to help the meat soak up the flavor.

Step 3: Clean Your Grill Grates

While your meat is soaking in the mixture, it’s time to clean your grill grates. Make sure that you’re using high-quality grill brushes. If you need to leave your steak soaking in the marinade for a bit longer, then so be it.

Step 4: Preheat Your Grill

After cleaning the grill, it’s time to set the heat. Create a two-fire zone, one on medium heat and the other on high heat.

You’ll want to give the grill anywhere between 2 minutes and 5 minutes to heat up so that you don’t leave the meat sitting on the grill.

Step 5: Place the Ribeye Steak on the Grill

Here’s the part where you ask yourself, how do you want to cook your steak? Does medium-rare, medium-well, or well-done sound the most appealing to you?

The temperature recommended by chefs is medium-rare. This temperature delivers the perfect balance of juicy red meat inside and a pan-seared crispiness with the outer layer. If you don’t like the bloodiness, then we recommend a medium-well temp.

To cook a medium-rare steak, turn up the grill to high heat and cook it for 2 minutes on each side. For medium-well, keep the heat high and cook it for 5 minutes each side. Well done will take a bit longer.

Step 6: Remove the Steaks from the Grill

As much as you’d like to, you can’t eat steak as soon as it comes off the grill. It needs time for the flavors and juices to settle.

The flavors will seep into the steak if you wait at least 2 minutes but up to 5 minutes. Monitor the steak to keep it from returning to room temperature, but don’t eat it right away.

On the Stove

If you don’t have access to a grill or you’re cooking for an indoor dinner, a stovetop works just as well to make your ribeye steak.

Check your stove before getting started and make adjustments as needed. You’ll want to have:

A cast-iron skillet
A spatula or tongs for flipping
All ingredients listed aboveStep

Step 1: Defrost the Meat

Give the ribeye at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature from the fridge or the freezer. When it gets to the right temperature, pat the steak with paper towels to get off the excess moisture.

Step 2: Season the Steak

Allow the meat to soak in the mixture of spices and butter that you’ve created for at least 15 seconds on each side. When cooking the steaks, you can pour the remainder of the seasoning into the pan with the meat for additional flavor.

Step 3: Preheat the Stovetop

Turn the stove up to high heat to get the cast-iron skillet hot; it should take about 5 minutes or less.

You can test the pan by flicking some water into it. If the water sizzles, turn down the heat to medium-high and start cooking your steak on a hot skillet.

Step 4: Place the Ribeye Steak in the Cast-Iron Skillet

Make sure to place the steak down away from you, so that the oil doesn’t sizzle and burn you. Leave the meat alone and let it sit for 2 minutes to 5 minutes, depending on whether you want to eat a medium-rare steak or meat that’s medium to well-done.

Flip and repeat the waiting game of 5 minutes on the other side of the medium-rare steak to get that perfect pan-seared effect.

Step 5: Remove Steaks from the Stove

Give the steaks enough time to cool down, but don’t let them get cooled off completely. Set your hot skillet aside to cool as well.

After it has sat for a couple of minutes, it’s time to enjoy your ribeye steak.

What to Serve with Ribeye Steak

You can serve various sides with your ribeye steak, depending on the season and your preferences. Some of our favorites include:

Garlic butter mashed potatoes
Rosemary and olive oil fingerling potatoes
Crispy French fries with truffle oil
Corn on the cob
Asparagus
Steamed Green beans
Garden salad
Caesar salad

Conclusion

With the ultimate guide in hand, hopefully, you feel prepared to cook the perfect ribeye steak. With these grill and stovetop cooking techniques in your back pocket, you are ready to craft the ideal meal for a party of your good friends, or a quiet night with yourself and loved ones.

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Footnotes1. https://practicalfarmers.org/research/fatty-acid-comparisons-of-grain-and-forage-fed-pork/

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