Cast Iron Pan-Seared Steak with Herb Butter Baste
My husband once told me this was better than any steakhouse steak he'd had, which I took as both a compliment and a challenge to never let the standard slip.
You need a screaming hot pan and butter you're not afraid to burn, and the rest follows from there.
Cast Iron Pan-Seared Steak with Herb Butter Baste
A hard sear, a foamy butter baste, and 5 minutes of rest that make the whole thing worth it.
Ingredients
Steak
- 2 ribeye steaks, 1 to 1.5 inches thick , about 12 oz each, brought to room temperature for 30 minutes
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
Herb Butter Baste
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into pieces
- 4 cloves garlic , smashed, skin on
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp neutral oil , such as avocado or vegetable oil
Instructions
Tips & Notes
- Bring steaks to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Cold meat hitting a hot pan drops the surface temperature and delays the crust.
- Dry brine is worth it. If you have time, salt the steaks uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours before cooking. The surface dries out even more and the crust is noticeably better.
- Do not crowd the pan. Two steaks in a 10 to 12 inch cast iron is the limit. A third steak steams instead of sears.
- Baste constantly and do not walk away. The butter goes from golden and nutty to dark and bitter in under a minute at that heat.
Nutrition per serving · estimated
Why the rest time actually matters here
Five minutes feels like a long time when a steak is sitting right in front of you. But the muscle fibers are still contracting from the heat when it comes off the pan, and cutting into it at that point pushes the juices out onto the board instead of letting them redistribute through the meat.
Tent it loosely, not tightly. Tight foil traps steam and softens the crust you just worked for.
Choosing the right cut for this method
Ribeye is the most forgiving cut for this technique because the fat content keeps it from drying out during the baste. New York strip works well too and gives a slightly firmer bite.
Avoid lean cuts like sirloin or flank for this method. Without enough intramuscular fat, the butter baste does not penetrate the same way and the margin for overcooking shrinks significantly.
