Perfect, Easy Ribeye Steak

2 Servings
Prep Time 14 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Perfect, Easy Ribeye Steak butter basted in a cast iron skillet with rosemary. An error-proof medium rare in 20 minutes including rest time.

When it comes to Beef Recipes, a hearty perfectly cooked steak will impress every time. This is an easy and classic steak preparation, just like popular favorites Cube Steak with Gravy, Steak Au Poivre, and Easy Salisbury Steak.

Ribeye Steak sliced on serving platter

The Perfect Ribeye Steak without a grill is made in a cast iron skillet and basted with herbs and butter. Yep, in a pan! Plus if you don’t want to use herbs you can even just add salt and pepper and use this A1 Steak Sauce (Copycat) recipe.

Cast Iron Skillet Ribeye Steak only takes five minutes to actually cook. It will actually take you longer to get the oven preheated than to cook your meal. The key to this recipe is getting a beautiful sear on each side of the steak before finishing in a super hot oven. The combination of searing the outside and letting the oven finish the cooking will give you a delicious char on the outside, with perfectly medium rare tender meat inside.

Serve Ribeye Steak with your favorite steakhouse sides like Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Bacon, and Dinner Rolls.

Ribeye Steak Collage of cooking steps

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of cooking in a cast iron skillet?

The searing in butter is, let’s face it, pure flavor. Getting a good sear on the steak is essential to the flavor, then the oven finishes the cooking process on an even heat.

Why not cook the steak completely in the skillet?

If you were to cook the steak through in your skillet the direct heat would overcook the outside of the steak to the point of toughness. This would result in a less tender crust on the steak as well as it being much drier. The red center runs through most of the steak because of the even cooking of the indirect oven heat finishing off the cooking.

Why use a cast iron skillet for Ribeye Steak?

Cast Iron Skillets are great conductors of high, even heat. If using a thin skillet you could scorch the pan or the steak. They also are nonstick when heated properly so the steak won’t stick to the pan. Finally, they’re perfect for finishing a dish in the oven.

Ribeye Steak in cast iron pan

How to Select the Perfect Ribeye Steak

  • Ask your butcher for a cut from the center of the rack if possible. The bigger the deckle, the more flavorful.
  • The deckle is the chef’s cut of the whole cow. It is the rib cap that wraps around the top of the steak, over the center eye of the steak.
  • Ask for a thick, 1 ½ inch cut of steak. You want a good thick cut to give you time to sear your steak and finish in the oven without overcooking.
  • Season with a Kosher salt or sea salt and coarse ground black pepper. Using table salt and black pepper is just not going to give you the same flavor and will actually taste too salty.
  • Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.
  • Cut the meat against the grain as you can see in the picture below.
Ribeye Steak sliced on serving platter close up

More Easy, Error Proof Beef Recipes

Tools used in the Making of this Ribeye Steak

Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Pig Tail Flipper: I use this to flip the steak without damaging the meat and it’s super easy. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping, it is amazing.

How to Store Ribeye Steak

  • Serve: Do not leave cooked Ribeye Steak at room temperature longer than 2 hours before refrigerating.
  • Store: Once cooled, store Ribeye Steak in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a pan to avoid overcooking, or use cold leftovers for a steak salad.
  • Freeze: Once cooled, wrap tightly in a layer of plastic wrap then foil to avoid freezer burn. Ribeye Steak will freeze for 2-3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Ribeye Steak sliced on serving platter

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Perfect, Easy Ribeye Steak

Perfect, Easy Ribeye Steak butter basted in a cast iron skillet with rosemary. An error-proof medium rare in 20 minutes including rest time.
Yield 2 Servings
Prep Time 14 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 2 16- ounce ribeye steaks , 1 ½ inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 3 rosemary sprigs

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
  • Add the butter to a cast iron skillet on high heat.
  • Add the Kosher salt and black pepper to the steaks and add to the pan.
  • Sear the steaks on high heat for 3 minutes on each side.
  • Add the rosemary sprigs to the top of the steaks and spoon over the butter onto the steaks.
  • Put the pan with the steaks into the oven for 4-5 minutes (if you'd like you can flip them halfway through – I don't and you can see how mine have cooked through).
  • Rest for five minutes before serving.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 631kcal | Protein: 51g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 715mg | Potassium: 683mg | Vitamin A: 390IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 4.4mg
Keyword: Perfect Easy Ribeye Steak
Ribeye Steak Collage

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

Perfect Ribeye Steak

Perfect medium rare Ribeye Steak
Perfect Thick Cut Ribeye Steak with a large deckle on top of the eye of the steak, cooked in a cast iron skillet.
The most tender and EASY ribeye steak you'll ever eat. Butter basted in a cast iron skillet.
Perfect, Easy Ribeye Steak that's butter basted in a cast iron skillet with Rosemary. An error-proof medium rare in 20 minutes including rest time.
The most tender and EASY ribeye steak you'll ever eat. Butter basted in a cast iron skillet.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I used this recipe for cooking 1 ribeye and 2 filets. Best steak I’ve ever made!!! I paired it with air fryer broccoli. Definitely a keeper!

  2. When the weather is just too cold to go outside to grill, this is exactly how I cook my ribeyes! The only thing I add is minced garlic to my butter. That really takes the steaks to the next level. I also put a little butter on the top of my steaks after they come out of the oven while they are resting. It just adds a little extra buttery yumminess!

    I absolutely LOVE all of your recipes, and your cookbook is AMAZING!!!!!

  3. Years ago, my next-door neighbor taught me the art of pan-searing the perfect steak. I’ve received rave reviews from family and friends as well as special requests for them on particular occasions. The method is fail-safe and does even a mediocre steak a great favor.
    Nothing is perfect and in this instance, the imperfection is the knowledge of the huge mess created by pan-searing a steak. I’ve tried everything to mitigate the dreaded clean-up…so far, no good.
    I would love to know if anyone has come up with a way to avoid or at least, lessen the tedious clean-up task.

  4. Was still a bit too rare for me after 5 min but still an excellent and easy recepie. will try to cook 1 min it longer next time. Rosemary from our yard gave it a an amazing flavor. Thank you!

  5. I think this is delishes, but 2 16 ounce rib eye steaks seems a lot for 2 people ?. What is the oven time if my steaks are about 200 gram each? Love to hear from you.

  6. I have never been able to make a steak at home to my liking, and unless it’s a high-end restaurant, I don’t even enjoy them much when dining out. THIS!?!?! It was a game changer!!!! I loved it!!

    To top it off, when finished in the oven, I took the steaks out of the skillet, added some soy sauce, honey, and minced garlic to the skillet (had browned, seasoned butter from the steaks). Let that simmer on medium heat for about a minute or two… BAM!!!! My own zip sauce!!!

    THANK YOU for this recipe!

  7. Absolutely the best tasting steak I’ve made or ever had at a steak house! Highly recommend this recipe. Thank You