Cast Iron Skillet Steak

A hot cast-iron skillet, a well-seasoned steak, and garlic herb butter are all you need for a restaurant-style steak at home: juicy inside, with a deep, crispy crust outside.

Cooking steak in a cast-iron skillet is one of my favorite methods. It’s quick, reliable, works year-round, and delivers a deep, crispy crust hard to beat.

Over the past few years, I’ve cooked hundreds of steaks in a cast-iron skillet, testing different cuts, thicknesses, temperatures, and finishing methods. In this guide, I’ll show you the most reliable method I use to cook a great cast-iron skillet steak at home.

To make this recipe easier to follow and more consistent, I skip the butter basting and focus on searing the steak properly first. Then I finish it with garlic herb compound butter. You still get that rich, buttery flavor, but with much less risk of overcooking the steak.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Steak: Choose a naturally tender, flavorful cut, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches (1.9–3.8 cm) thick, such as ribeye, strip steak, or tenderloin (filet mignon). For best results, aim for a cut closer to 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm). See the FAQ section for more recommended cuts.
• Oil: Use high-smoke-point oil for searing. I like refined avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point of about 500°F (260°C), which works well for hot pan searing. Don’t sear the steak in butter; it burns quickly over high heat.
• Salt: Use a coarse or flaky salt, such as kosher salt or Maldon sea salt. Avoid fine table salt because it’s much easier to overseason the steak with it. Use about 1% of the steak’s weight in salt, or up to 1.5% if you prefer a stronger, more seasoned flavor.
• Black pepper (optional): Use finely ground black pepper. It stays close to the surface, helping the steak make better contact with the pan. Coarsely cracked pepper can create small gaps between the meat and the pan, making it harder to get an even sear.
• Garlic-herb compound butter: A simple mix of softened butter, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. It gives you almost the same garlic-herb butter flavor as butter basting, but with less effort and better control over the steak’s doneness. You can also use a different type of compound butter if you prefer.

Tools You’ll Need

• Wire rack with baking sheet (optional): Helpful if you plan to dry-brine the steak. It keeps the steak raised rather than sitting flat on the tray, allowing air to circulate around it and drying the surface more evenly on all sides.
• Cast iron skillet: Use a skillet large enough to fit the steak comfortably. The steak should sit flat against the pan, with full contact across the surface, so it can brown evenly and develop a proper crust.
• Tongs: Use whatever type you prefer, as long as they’re long enough to flip the steak comfortably and keep your hands away from the intense heat and oil splatter.
• Meat thermometer: You can use either an instant-read thermometer or a leave-in probe thermometer. Both work well, but a leave-in probe gives you more control because it lets you track the steak’s internal temperature from start to finish.

How to Cook Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet

Here’s a bird’s-eye view of the process, but to ensure success, I highly recommend following the step-by-step instructions, with photos and ingredient quantities, in the recipe card below. Also, be sure to read the “Recipe Success Tips” and FAQs section below.

1. Prep the steak: Pat the steak dry with paper towels, then season all sides with kosher salt. Place it uncovered on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or ideally 4–6 hours, for the best balance of flavor, crust, and a minimal gray band. Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking.

2. Optional: Make the compound butter. While the steak is dry-brining, mix softened butter with salt, black pepper, garlic, and herbs. Cover it and refrigerate until needed.

3. Heat the pan: Place a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and let it preheat for 3–4 minutes. Add a high-smoke-point oil and let it heat for about 1 more minute. While the oil heats, pat the steak dry one more time and season it with black pepper, if using.
4. Sear the steak: If you’re cooking a steak with a thick fat cap, such as a strip steak or picanha, start by rendering the fat cap for 60–90 seconds or until it’s nicely browned. Then lay the steak flat in the pan and sear it, flipping every 30 seconds, until the internal temperature is about 15-20°F (8-11°C) below your target doneness (see the temperature chart below). Remove it from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes.

5. Finish the steak: While the steak is resting, you can leave it as is, top it with compound butter, or make a quick garlic-herb butter in the same pan.
   • Optional: Make the garlic-herb butter. Reduce the heat to medium and lightly brown the garlic in the same skillet. Add the herbs and butter, let the butter melt, then turn off the heat. Once the steak is ready to slice, spoon the garlic-herb butter over the top.

Cast Iron Skillet Steak Temperature Chart

These guidelines apply only to steaks seared in a cast-iron skillet from start to finish as described in this recipe. Use the charts below as a pull-temperature guide, not a final-temperature chart.

For steaks 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.8 cm) thick

With this recipe, I expect about 20°F (11°C) of carryover cooking during a 5-minute rest for steaks 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5–3.8 cm) thick. That’s why I pull the steak from the pan before it reaches the final target temperature.

Desired doneness	Pull at internal temp	Final temp after resting
Rare	105°F (41°C)	125°F (52°C)
Medium-Rare	115°F (46°C)	135°F (57°C)
Medium	125°F (52°C)	145°F (63°C)
Medium-Well	135°F (57°C)	155°F (68°C)
Well-Done	145°F (63°C)	165°F (74°C)

For Steaks Thinner Than 1 Inch (2.5 cm)

For steaks thinner than 1 inch (2.5 cm), expect less carryover cooking during the same 5-minute rest. Pull them from the skillet about 15°F (8°C) below your target final temperature.

Desired doneness	Pull at internal temp	Final temp after resting
Rare	110°F (43°C)	125°F (52°C)
Medium-Rare	120°F (49°C)	135°F (57°C)
Medium	130°F (54°C)	145°F (63°C)
Medium-Well	140°F (60°C)	155°F (68°C)
Well-Done	150°F (66°C)	165°F (74°C)

Tips for the Best Cast Iron Skillet Steak

Always Pat the Steak Dry Before Cooking

Moisture is the biggest enemy of a good sear.

The goal of this recipe is to brown the outside quickly while keeping the inside juicy and cooked to your preferred doneness. To do that, the steak needs to be as dry as possible before it hits the pan.

If the steak goes into the pan wet, the surface moisture has to evaporate first before the steak can start browning properly. This hurts the sear on any steak, but the problem is especially noticeable with thinner cuts, around 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick or less. They cook so fast that by the time the surface starts to brown properly, the inside may already be close to your target doneness. That’s one of the main reasons people struggle to get a really good crust.

Pat the steak dry thoroughly with paper towels on all sides before seasoning, then pat it dry one more time right before searing.

It’s a simple step, but it makes one of the biggest differences in building a better crust on steak, assuming the cast iron skillet is properly preheated before the steak goes in.

Salt the Steak The Right Way

The best way to salt a steak is to season it on all sides and place it on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

• If you’re short on time, let it rest for at least 1 hour.
• For a much better balance of flavor and crust, refrigerate it uncovered for 4–6 hours.

For most 1–1.5 inch (2.5-3.8 cm) steaks, 4–6 hours is my preferred window.

Let me explain why this works so well.

After you salt a steak, the salt draws moisture to the surface, then dissolves in that moisture, creating a salty liquid on the steak’s surface. Within 2–3 minutes after salting, the steak starts to look wet, and this usually peaks around 15–20 minutes. Over the next 20–30 minutes, most of that salty liquid gets reabsorbed into the meat, and the surface starts to dry again. In total, this process takes about 45–60 minutes. Once it’s done, the steak will have a noticeably drier surface.

If you leave the steak uncovered in the refrigerator for a few more hours, the surface will dry even more due to air exposure. At the same time, the salt has more time to penetrate the meat, giving it a deeper, better-seasoned flavor that pairs perfectly with the natural beefy taste.

That’s why I recommend waiting at least 1 hour after salting before cooking, although this is really just the bare minimum. After that time, the steak will brown much better and taste noticeably better.

The difference between a dry-brined steak and a steak salted right before cooking is huge.

That said, don’t dry-brine the steak too long unless you know what to expect. A very long dry brine, especially around 24 hours, gives the steak a deeper flavor and an even drier surface, but it also creates a thicker gray band under the crust. Not everyone likes that stronger, saltier flavor either. For the best overall result, stick to 4–6 hours.

If you don’t have at least 1 hour to let the steak rest after salting, don’t salt it in advance. Either season the steak right before placing it in the pan, or salt it after searing.

I tested this side-by-side and published a case study on how to salt a steak, with photos, timing notes, and an explanation of exactly why I recommend salting the steak ahead of time rather than right before cooking.

Preheat the Cast-Iron Skillet Well

A cast-iron skillet is great for searing steak because it can reach very high temperatures and holds heat well. But you need to remember one thing: for searing, heat is everything. If the pan isn’t hot enough, you won’t get a good crust, no matter how well you prepared the steak before cooking.

The Maillard reaction, responsible for browning, starts around 285–340°F (140–170°C). The problem is that the pan cools down the moment the steak touches it. That’s why you need to preheat it hotter than that, ideally to about 450–500°F (232–260°C). This helps the pan stay hot enough to sear the steak properly, even after the initial temperature drop.

In my experience, a cast-iron skillet usually needs about 4–5 minutes over medium-high heat to reach that range. You can use an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of your pan. It’s a cheap tool that shows exactly how hot your skillet gets on your stove.

Use the Right Oil

Another key factor is the oil. For pan-searing, always start with a neutral oil with a high smoke point. The pan needs to reach at least 400°F (204°C), and ideally closer to 500°F (260°C), so you can’t use just any oil.

Many common cooking oils start to burn at those temperatures, which can leave the steak with a bitter flavor. That’s why I recommend using an oil with a smoke point around 500°F (260°C). My go-to is refined avocado oil because it has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor, but there are several other good options too. See the table below.

Type of Fat	Smoke Point ºF	Smoke Point ºC
Refined Avocado Oil	520ºF	270ºC
Refined Safflower Oil	510ºF	266ºC
Beef Tallow	480ºF	250ºC
Pecan Oil	470ºF	243ºC
Refined Peanut Oil	450ºF	232°C

Do not sear the steak in butter. Butter burns quickly over the kind of heat you need for a proper sear. If you want that butter flavor, add it later, once the steak is already seared. You can melt it in the pan and pour it over the sliced steak, or simply place a slice of compound butter on top while the steak rests.

Render the Side Fat

If your steak has a side fat cap, like a strip steak or picanha, I highly recommend rendering it first before searing the meat side, just as I do in this recipe.

Properly rendered fat should be nicely browned and slightly crispy, not pale and chewy. Over high heat, it doesn’t take long, usually about 1–2 minutes, depending on how thick the fat cap is and how hot your pan is.

You can also render the fat cap near the end of cooking, but I prefer doing it at the beginning. As the fat renders, some of it melts into the pan, adding extra flavor. It also makes the whole cooking process easier to control. Once the steak gets close to your target temperature, you don’t have to keep it in the hot pan to finish rendering the fat cap. That extra time in the pan can lead to more carryover and a higher risk of overshooting your target doneness.

Flip the Steak More Often

The advice to flip a steak only once doesn’t make much sense in most cases. Based on my tests, it’s much better to flip the steak every 30 seconds.

Letting the steak sit too long on one side can make it cook less evenly, especially with thicker cuts around 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) thick.

Flipping every 30 seconds helps the steak cook more evenly from both sides and gives you better control over the crust. It also helps reduce the gray band under the crust. Each side gets a short break from direct pan contact between flips, so the outer layers don’t stay extremely hot for too long. The result is a more even doneness inside.

Skip the Butter Basting

Yeah, I know, this is a bit controversial. But unless you’re very comfortable cooking steak in a pan, or you’re okay with a little less control over the final doneness, I recommend skipping the butter basting.

I’m skipping it in this recipe because it makes the cooking process harder, especially with thinner steaks. It looks simple, but in practice, you have to add butter, lower the heat, tilt the pan, spoon hot butter over the steak, and keep an eye on the internal temperature. That’s a lot to control when the steak is already cooking fast. One small error is enough to overshoot your target doneness.

Butter basting also changes how the steak cooks. When you flip the steak every 30 seconds, the side facing up gets a short break from direct contact with the pan and cools slightly. But when you keep spooning hot butter over it, that cooling effect is much smaller. The steak cooks faster, the outer layers get hotter, and the carryover increase is usually stronger after you remove it from the pan.

That’s why, for this recipe, I don’t think butter basting is worth the extra effort or the extra risk. You can get almost the same rich garlic-herb butter flavor in a much simpler way. Place a slice of compound butter on top of the steak as it rests, or melt butter with garlic and herbs in the pan after searing, then pour it over the sliced steak.

You also save a lot of butter, because classic butter basting usually requires a lot of it, and much of that butter stays in the pan anyway. It’s also not very practical when cooking more than one steak. With compound butter, things are much easier: place a slice on top of each steak while it rests, and you’re done.

Use a Meat Thermometer, Don’t Cook by Time

Please note that I don’t provide strict timing in this recipe. Why? There are too many variables: steak thickness, cut, pan temperature, stove power, starting temperature, and your target doneness. Relying on time alone is one of the easiest ways to overcook a steak.

That’s why I strongly recommend using a meat thermometer. Track the steak’s internal temperature and remove it from the pan early enough to account for carryover cooking. Even a basic instant-read thermometer or probe-style thermometer will do the job. They’re not expensive, but they make a huge difference.

Tip: When using a meat thermometer, insert the probe into the center of the thickest part of the steak for the most accurate reading.

Also, don’t rely on the touch test to check doneness. Some chefs still recommend pressing the steak and comparing its firmness to the fleshy part of your hand, but this method is unreliable unless you cook dozens of steaks every day. Different cuts feel different: filet mignon is much softer than strip steak, and a well-marbled ribeye won’t feel the same as a leaner cut. On top of that, everyone’s hand feels different, so using it as a reference point makes no sense if you want accurate results.

A thermometer removes the guesswork. It’s one of the most useful tools in my kitchen, and I use it every time I cook steak, especially with high-quality, more expensive cuts.

Remove the Steak Early and Let It Rest

The steak doesn’t stop cooking the moment you take it out of the pan. As it rests, heat from the outer layers continues to move toward the center, so the internal temperature continues to rise. This is called carryover cooking, and with fast, high-heat methods like pan-searing, the increase can be much bigger than most people expect.

With this recipe, the steak’s internal temperature can rise by about 15–20°F (8–11°C) within 5 minutes after you remove it from the pan, depending on the steak’s thickness and how hot the skillet was. That’s why you need to remove the steak before it reaches your target temperature. If you wait until it hits your final doneness in the pan, it will keep cooking as it rests and overshoot your target doneness.

Here’s an example. The graph below shows what happened after I removed a 1 1/4-inch (3.2 cm) thick steak from the pan: how much the internal temperature increased, how long it continued to rise, and what final temperature it reached after a few minutes.

Here is a description of what the image above shows:

1. This is the moment I inserted the probe into the steak and placed it in the pan. The probe first showed room temperature, and the sharp drop marks the moment it went into the steak and started reading the steak’s internal temperature.
2. The blue line marks 110°F (43°C), the temperature at which I removed the steak from the pan and let it rest.
3. After that, you can see how the internal temperature continues to rise over the next few minutes due to carryover cooking, until it finally stabilizes.

For resting, 5 minutes is enough for this recipe. Don’t cover the steak with foil. Just place it on a wire rack, cutting board, or even a plate, and leave it untouched.

For more details on resting time and carryover cooking, check out my guide: Resting Steak After Cooking: Why You Should and for How Long.

FAQs

Why is a cast-iron skillet so good for cooking steak?

There are two main reasons. First, cast iron can handle very high heat, which is exactly what you need for a strong sear. Second, it holds heat really well. It takes longer to preheat than most pans, but once it’s hot, it stays hot.

That matters because the pan cools down the moment you place a cold steak in it. A properly preheated cast-iron skillet retains heat better, so the steak starts searing right away instead of sitting in a pan that’s too cool. That’s exactly what you need if you want a deep, crisp crust on the outside while keeping the center juicy and medium-rare to medium.

What are the best steak cuts for cooking in a cast-iron skillet?

You can cook almost any steak in a cast iron skillet, but for the best results, choose cuts that are naturally tender, well-marbled, and about 1–1 1/2 inches (2.5–3.8 cm) thick. That thickness gives you enough time to build a beautiful golden-brown crust while keeping the inside medium-rare to medium.

Some of the best cuts for cast iron include ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon, picanha, hanger steak, flat iron steak, porterhouse, T-bone, Denver steak, chuck eye steak, and teres major.

Thinner steaks, under 1 inch (2.5 cm), can be cooked in a cast-iron skillet too, but they cook much faster. Because of that, it’s harder to build a deep crust while keeping the inside medium-rare to medium. This is especially true for naturally thin cuts like outside skirt steak, ribeye cap, flank steak, flap steak (bavette), spider steak, or tri-tip. They can still turn out great in a skillet, but the pan needs to be very hot, and the searing time needs to be short to avoid overcooking the steak.

Can I sear a thicker steak in a skillet, for example, 2 inches (5 cm) thick?

Technically, yes. The problem is that once you go thicker than about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm), the steak starts to cook unevenly when seared from start to finish in a skillet.

With a steak that thick, the outside cooks much faster than the center. Depending on the thickness, you can end up with a very dark crust, a thicker gray band under the surface, and a center that is still undercooked. With steaks thicker than 2 inches (5 cm), the crust can even start to burn before the inside reaches your target doneness.

When you slice into a thick steak cooked this way, the doneness gradient is usually uneven. It goes from gray near the surface, through some pink, to a red or undercooked center. See the example below.

For thicker steaks, it’s better to combine hot-and-fast searing with a slower cooking method. Use reverse sear, forward sear, or sous vide instead. These methods give you better control over the inside while still letting you build a great crust.

Is it a good idea to preheat a cast-iron skillet in the oven before cooking?

Technically, yes. Preheating a cast-iron skillet in the oven heats the whole pan more evenly. That means fewer hot and cold spots once you move it to the stove and start searing.

You can see the difference clearly with an infrared thermometer. On a gas stove, the flame heats the spots where it hits the bottom of the skillet, so the pan develops hotter and cooler zones. In the oven, the heat surrounds the skillet from all sides, so the surface heats more evenly.

That said, I personally don’t see a big enough difference to make oven preheating worth the extra time for this recipe. When I preheat the cast-iron skillet on the stove for 4–5 minutes over medium-high heat, the steak still turns out great every time. So I stick to the easier and quicker option: preheating the skillet directly on the stove.

To what doneness should steak be cooked?

That’s very personal, and it also depends on the type of steak. Personally, for most steaks, I like the final internal temperature to land around 135–145°F (57–63°C), which is the upper side of medium-rare or the lower side of medium.

As a general rule, leaner cuts like filet mignon are best cooked to rare or medium-rare, definitely no higher than 140°F (60°C). Since they don’t have much intramuscular fat, they don’t benefit much from higher doneness. Once you push them past medium-rare, they quickly lose moisture and become noticeably less juicy and tender. For example, for filet mignon, many people prefer a temperature closer to 130-135°F (54-57°C),

Well-marbled cuts, such as a USDA Prime ribeye, are a little different. For those, in my opinion, the best doneness is the upper side of medium-rare or the lower side of medium, around 140°F (60°C). At that temperature, the intramuscular fat, or marbling, melts more noticeably, making the steak juicier and more flavorful. If you cook a well-marbled steak too rare, the fat doesn’t have enough time to melt properly and can feel firm, cold, or waxy.

If you’re not sure which doneness you prefer, check out my steak doneness and temperatures guide. I show the temperature range for each doneness level, explain the texture differences, and include real photos so you can see exactly how steak looks at each stage.

One important food safety note: according to the USDA, whole cuts of beef should reach at least 145°F (63°C) and rest for at least 3 minutes to be considered safe to eat.

I also have an article on eating raw steak, explaining whether it’s safe and what risks you should know about.

What should I do if the steak reaches my target temperature in the skillet?

If the steak reaches your target temperature while it’s still in the skillet, remove it immediately and slice it right away. Don’t let it rest.

At that point, the steak is already at your desired doneness. If you let it rest, carryover cooking will push the temperature even higher, and the steak will overshoot your target doneness. Slicing it right away releases heat faster and helps prevent the steak from overcooking further.

Why does steak seared in a cast-iron skillet have a thicker gray band?

A thicker gray band is normal with cast-iron searing because the steak cooks over very high direct heat. The meat near the surface gets much hotter than the center, so that outer layer cooks more before the inside reaches your target doneness.

You can’t avoid it completely with hot-and-fast pan searing, but you can minimize it. And this recipe already does that in two important ways: dry-brining for 4–6 hours instead of overnight, and flipping the steak every 30 seconds while searing. This helps you build a good crust while keeping the gray band as thin as possible.

Print

More Steak Recipes To Try

• Sous Vide Steak Recipe
• Oven Baked Steak Recipe (Forward Sear Method)
• Reverse Sear Steak Recipe
• Dry-Aged Steak Recipe