Butter-Basted Rib-Eye Steak - Make your own at home!

JD

October 03, 2019

0

tasty-beef-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

Steaks can be cooked every which way, but one of the most satisfying methods we’ve found is pan-searing and butter-basting a thick-cut rib eye. This cut is tender and juicy—it’s essentially a boneless piece of prime rib—so it works best with a simple preparation that lets its beefy flavor shine through. Butter basting involves continuously spooning hot fat over an item as it cooks. Adding aromatics to the butter infused the whole dish with subtle savory flavor. In addition to butter-basting, we also flipped the steak throughout the entire cooking process. This technique gave us a great crust on both sides of the steak and evenly cooked the meat all the way through. Salting the steak at least 45 minutes before cooking increases its tenderness and juiciness (see “Salt + Time = Better Meat”) though you can skip the wait if you don’t have time. While not very complicated, this recipe calls for your full attention in order to be successful, so don’t be distracted while cooking this one.

Serves: 2 to 3
Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 45 minutes for salting)

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) rib-eye steak, about 1½ inches thick, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, peeled and quartered lengthwise (root end attached)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme

Cooking Procedure

1. Sprinkle steak evenly on both sides with salt and place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Let sit for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 hours (if waiting more than 1 hour, transfer steak to refrigerator, uncovered, until you are ready to cook).
2. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Pat steak dry with paper towels and season liberally on both sides with pepper. Place steak in skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Flip steak using tongs and continue to cook for 30 seconds longer. Continue flipping steak every 30 seconds for 3 more minutes.
3. Slide steak to back of skillet, opposite handle, and add butter to front of skillet. Once butter has melted and begun to foam, add shallot, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Holding skillet handle, tilt skillet so butter pools near base of handle. Use metal spoon to continuously spoon butter and aromatics over steak, concentrating on areas where crust is less browned. Baste steak, flipping it every 30 seconds, until thermometer inserted into center registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Remove skillet from heat and transfer steak to cutting board; let steak rest for 10 minutes. Discard aromatics from pan and transfer butter mixture to small bowl. Slice steak crosswise ½ inch thick. Serve immediately with butter mixture.

SEASONING MEAT

No matter how well cooked the meat is, it won’t taste very good if it’s not properly seasoned. Season Early For the most well-rounded flavor, we encourage seasoning meat before cooking. This gives the salt time to migrate into the food and allows heat to tame the punch of pepper. Seasoning properly at the start is especially important with steaks, chops, and roasts since you won’t be able to season them to taste after cooking without cutting off a piece!

Salt + Time = Better Meat

You can certainly season with salt right before cooking for flavor, but you can also use salt (and time) in advance of cooking to improve the texture of many cuts of meat. When salt is applied to raw meat, juices

inside the meat are drawn to the surface. The salt then dissolves in the exuded liquid, forming a brine that is eventually reabsorbed by the meat, creating juicier and more flavorful results. But you do have to wait until the brine is reabsorbed; if you try to pan-sear the meat too soon, the liquid will inhibit browning in the skillet. We prefer to use kosher salt for salting meat because it’s easier to distribute the salt evenly. See this page for information about converting measurements if you want to use sea salt or table salt instead.

Seasoning with Flair (and a Purpose)

In recipes that call for seasoning meat with a specified amount of salt, it can be tempting to sprinkle very close to the meat so that none of the salt is lost to the cutting board. Unfortunately, this leads to an uneven distribution of salt. There’s a reason that chefs tend to season food by sprinkling the seasoning from a good foot above the counter, and it’s not just kitchen theatrics: The higher the starting point, the more evenly the seasoning will be distributed. The more evenly distributed the seasoning, the better the food tastes. So next time you have to season a steak, place the meat on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with the specified amount of salt from up high. Then simply pick up each piece of meat and roll it in any salt that has landed on the baking sheet.