Food

Cast Iron Ribeye Steaks

Ribeye Steak recipe
RIBEYE: Mouth watering, tender, well-marbled beef. Make it right, and you’ll never long for anything again. Ribeye steaks are the king of beef, if you ask me, and if you are preparing this marvelous meat, you’d better be doing it properly. Grilling season is upon us and in the past couple of weeks, we had ample time to get out the grill and warm it up for the summer.

Then… there was WIND! Of course, one would find me with fresh ribeyes in the fridge. Cue the cast iron skillet folks, for they seal in the glorious savory juices from your steak, creating a delicious crust on the beef that is out of this world. I didn’t miss the grill at all with these beauties. My super-secret trick? Searing in oil and finishing the steak with a pat of butter on top to melt all over. Flavor explosion, without the burn-factor that you get when using butter for searing. (*butter burns when at the high searing temperature you’ll need to sear the steaks.)

The steps here are simple for this recipe.  SEASON. SEAR. FINISH. Oh, and don’t forget the butter. Please, don’t forget the butter. You can also add herbs like finely minced rosemary or chives and a clove of sautéed garlic to the butter to create an even more delicious finish for your steak.
cast iron ribeye steak cows
Grain Finished or Grass Fed? Well, it is funny you ask. I don’t begrudge anyone the choice of steak they’d like to indulge in. Choices are among us, and you can choose what you’d like. The marbling, texture and flavor of grain finished beef is the only beef I’m interested in. This is the beef I grew up eating, the beef I buy at the grocery store.  Did you know that grain finished beef cattle spend the majority of their life on grass anyway? Only a portion of their life is spent with a diet that includes grains and other forages as well.

twin cows prepping to become ribeye steaks

Twins in the lot with their Mama.

If you ever have questions about beef, whether it is in recipe preparation, or how it is raised, just ask. I love connecting people to the experts I know, the farmers who raise the meat on your plate, whether it be grass fed or grain fed.

cast iron ribeye steak eater

Back to the BEEF!

 

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Cast Iron Ribeye Steaks

These succulent steaks are prepared easily, and indoors, on days you cannot grill.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings: 4 steaks
Author: Cristen

Ingredients

  • 4 thick cut ribeye steaks at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt or other seasoned salt of choice
  • 1 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil or other high burning temperature oil like peanut, soybean or canola
  • 4 tbsp Butter salted

Instructions

  • Season ribeyes evenly on both sides with seasoned salt and pepper. Make sure steaks are at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat until oil shimmers and is very hot to hold your hand 3 inches above. The key is to get a great sear (hot) on your steak to caramelize the outside and lock in the juices.
  • Gently put 2 of the steaks in the skillet, sear on each side for 3-4 minutes until well crusted. Remove to a plate and cover with foil. Repeat with other 2 steaks. Place steaks in skillet, into the oven. If your skillet is not large enough to hold all of the steaks, simply use a glass baking dish. Place 1 TBSP of butter on each steak. Bake steaks to finish, about 10 minutes at 350 degrees for medium doneness. Use an instant read thermometer to detect perfect temperature. Let steaks rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
  • Rare: 120-125 degrees F Medium Rare: 130-135 degrees F Medium: 140-145 degrees F Medium Well: 150-155 degrees F Well Done: Don't do it to a Ribeye!
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12 Comments

  • Reply Emily Grace April 17, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    Hi Cristen!

    Yum, beef!! Thanks for sharing your indoor steak perfection secrets!

    I haven’t stopped by in a few weeks, so I want to say – I like your new look! The other was lovely, too. It’s like switching out your closet for the next season, I think. So many blog choices available. Nice new look!!

    Best,
    eg

    • Reply Sandy Miller February 15, 2016 at 12:01 am

      Tried the ribeye tonight on a cold snowy winter Valentine night. So Good! Will do this again. Thanks,Sandy

  • Reply Sincerely Jenni (@SincerelyJenni) April 18, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    You had me at “butter.” We just bought cast iron cookware to keep in our camper, but I’m going to give this one a try at home! Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply Cristen April 22, 2015 at 1:50 am

      So many delicious things to make near the campfire! I hope you enjoy your cast iron as much as we do!

  • Reply Will Carpenter April 18, 2015 at 5:52 pm

    Wow Crissy, I guess I fed those cattle all the time, but forgot, yeah,…they ate grass every other hour of the day! I think that cast iron really is the most realistic way to get thst crust, when you arent cooking on restaurant equipment, you cant beat thst heat retention to finish it either. Since I’m only doing one, or one at a time, I can basically flip the steak once and put in in the oven to finish at the same time. Your procedure, really IS worth it…..when you start with the meat closer to room temp and flip it early, ….boy that thing continues to cook for quite a while after heating up in the oven. Let it rest right and you’ll be cutting into a giant steak perfectly pink all the way through. But you knew all that, I just love talking about ribeyes!

  • Reply Kellie Blair April 24, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    I have had issues with getting that nice ‘crust’ on my steaks! Maybe I’m just impatient? I’m more of a corn-fed finished beef gal. We grew up eating it, and we still get a half-beef from my dad!

  • Reply Tony Conrad ✞ (@FaithFamilyTech) October 27, 2015 at 3:17 am

    I’m a ribeye fan too but I’ve only grilled them. You’ve given me the inspiration to try them in my cast iron skillet this winter. Thanks!

    • Reply Cristen October 29, 2015 at 2:47 am

      Do it Tony! And make a compound butter with fresh herbs smashed with salt and garlic, and mixed with butter. I hope it pleases you, ribeye on the grill is still up there with my favorite things of all time… but this is a great alternative for when the weather gets shoddy like today! Thanks for checking in!

  • Reply Sheila October 6, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    I’m glad to of found your recipe , even though I have cooked rib-eyes for 40 years I wanted to cook it a lil special. It was just perfect ..so moist and tender and just the right crust. Never tried cooking rib-eyes with cooking oil… Thank You!!!

  • Reply Sheila October 6, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    One more thing is that I cook everything in cast iron….

  • Reply ed September 12, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    best recipe for a rib-eye cooked in my well seasoned cast iron I have found.
    Thanks

    • Reply Cristen October 5, 2020 at 9:16 am

      Thanks so much Ed, ya made my day!

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