Butter-Basted Ribeye

A thick ribeye seared hard, then basted with foaming butter. The steakhouse method at home in under 20 minutes.

Jump to recipe

Sliced medium-rare ribeye steak with melted butter and flaky salt on a dark plate

Basting means tilting the pan and spooning hot butter over the steak again and again. It browns the top while the bottom sears, so a thick steak cooks more evenly. A cast-iron or heavy steel pan works best.

Recipe

Butter-Basted Ribeye

Prep
5 min
Cook
12 min
Total
17 min
Meat
Beef

Strict carnivore: only meat, fish, eggs, butter or animal fat, salt and water. Our ingredient policy

Ingredients

Add to grocery list

Method

  1. Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Pat it dry and salt it well on both sides.
  2. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Lay in the steak and sear 3 minutes without moving it.
  3. Turn the steak and sear 2 minutes more. Lower the heat to medium and add the butter.
  4. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for 2 to 3 minutes, turning it once.
  5. Check the temperature: we pull ribeye at 125 to 130°F for medium-rare (USDA's safe minimum is 145°F with a 3-minute rest). Rest 5 minutes, then slice.

Tips

Use an instant-read thermometer; it is the only reliable way to hit the doneness you want.

Storage and reheating

Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge. Warm slices briefly in a hot pan so they don't overcook.

More recipes

  • Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

    Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

    A whole chuck roast cooked low for eight hours until it pulls apart. Four ingredients and ten minutes…

    8 hr 15 minBeef

  • Grilled Flank Steak

    Grilled Flank Steak

    A salted flank steak grilled fast over high heat and sliced thin across the grain. Feeds four for…

    17 minBeef

Free meal planner

Not sure what to cook this week?

Pick your meats and how long you want to cook. The planner fills seven days from our recipes and adds up the grocery list. Free, no account.

A sample week from the planner