Description

A simple cast-iron skillet steak recipe with a deep crust and a tender, juicy center. Finished with garlic-herb compound butter for rich flavor, it tastes like a restaurant-quality steak made at home.

Ingredients

For steak:

Choose a naturally tender steak, approximately 10-16 oz (285-450 g), 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches (1.9-3.8 cm) thick, such as ribeye or strip steak. For best results, use a steak closer to 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) thick.
2 tablespoons (30 ml) high-smoke-point oil (I recommend refined avocado oil; see Notes for alternatives)
salt, 1% of the steak’s weight (see instructions for a 12 oz / 340 g example)
optional: about 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper

For garlic-herb compound butter (for serving)

1/2 stick (56g) of unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed
1/8 teaspoon salt (a generous pinch), plus more to taste
A generous pinch of finely ground black pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon), to taste
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Tools

Wire rack and baking sheet
Cast-iron skillet (Use a 10-inch / 25 cm skillet for one steak or a 12-inch / 30 cm skillet for two steaks)
Tongs
Meat thermometer (instant-read or leave-in probe thermometer)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare the Steak

Pat the steak completely dry on all sides with paper towels.
Season it evenly on all sides with salt equal to about 1% of the steak’s weight. For a 12 oz (340 g) steak, use 0.12 oz (3.4 g): about 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt, or 1/2 teaspoon table salt.
Place the steak uncovered on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

For the best flavor and crust: Refrigerate the steak uncovered for 4-6 hours.
If you’re short on time: Refrigerate it uncovered for about 1 hour.
If you have less than 1 hour: Season the steak immediately before it goes into the pan.
For a longer dry brine: See the notes.

Steak being patted dry and salted before cooking

Make the Compound Butter

While the steak dry-brines, cut the butter into small cubes and place them in a bowl. Let it soften at room temperature, or microwave it in 5-second intervals until soft but not melted.
Add the remaining compound butter ingredients and mix thoroughly with a fork.
Cover and refrigerate until needed. This recipe makes enough for up to three steaks; double it for four to six. For substitutions or a larger make-ahead batch, see the notes.

Garlic herb compound butter in a bowl

Preheat the Cast-Iron Skillet

If the steak was refrigerated, remove it about 15 minutes before cooking. Take the compound butter out at the same time so it can soften slightly.
Place a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and preheat it for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it until it just begins to smoke, about 1 minute.
While the oil heats, pat the steak dry again.
Optional: If using black pepper, season all sides with finely ground pepper.
Then immediately move on to the next step.

Cook the Steak in a Cast-Iron Skillet

Cooking over high heat in a cast-iron skillet creates a lot of smoke, so turn on the exhaust fan or open a window before you start.

Steak searing in a hot cast-iron skillet

If the steak has a thick fat cap, such as a strip steak or picanha, place it fat-side down in the hot skillet. Render the fat for 60-90 seconds, or until nicely browned. Lay the steak flat in the skillet.
If it doesn’t have a thick fat cap, place it flat in the skillet right away.
Cook over medium-high heat, flipping every 30 seconds, until a thermometer inserted into the center reads the pull temperature for the steak’s thickness and desired doneness in the chart below.

cast iron skillet steak temperature chart

Once the steak reaches its pull temperature, remove it from the skillet, top it with 1 tablespoon (14 g) of compound butter, and let it rest uncovered for 5 minutes.
As the steak rests, its internal temperature will rise from the pull temperature to approximately the final temperature shown in the chart.

Slice and Serve the Steak

After the steak has rested for 5 minutes, serve it whole or slice it just before serving.
For well-marbled, naturally tender cuts, slice the steak however you like. For cuts with longer, coarser muscle fibers, such as outside skirt, hanger, or flank steak, slice thinly against the grain for a more tender bite (see notes).
Serve with your favorite sides.

Cast iron skillet steak with garlic butter

Notes

Oil/Fat Alternatives: Instead of avocado oil, you can use refined high-oleic safflower, refined high-oleic canola, refined canola, refined olive, refined peanut oil, or ghee. Regular butter is unsuitable for searing because it burns at high heat.

Dry brining for 12-24 hours: You can dry-brine the steak for 12-24 hours, but expect a thicker gray band under the crust. The flavor and crust will be excellent, but not everyone likes the deeper, saltier flavor that develops after a long dry brine, especially when the steak sits closer to 24 hours. If you want to try a longer dry brine, I recommend starting with 12 hours first. Then, next time, you can go longer and see if you like the difference. Just keep in mind that the closer you get to 24 hours, the more noticeable the gray band under the crust becomes.

Compound butter: If you want to make a larger batch to keep on hand, roll it into a log and let it firm up in the freezer. It’s much easier to store this way, and you can slice off only what you need whenever you cook steak. If you’re looking for other flavor ideas, check out my compound butter recipes for steak, where I share different ingredient combinations with step-by-step instructions.

If you keep the compound butter in a bowl in the fridge, storage time depends on the ingredients. For garlic-herb compound butter, use it within 4 days. Follow the conservative rule recommended by the National Center for Home Food Preservation for homemade garlic-in-oil mixtures, because garlic stored in fat can be a botulism risk if handled incorrectly. Keep it refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or lower. For longer storage, freeze it. You can keep compound butter frozen for a few months, but for the best quality, use it within 2-3 months.

Slicing against the grain: This technique shortens the muscle fibers, making each bite easier to chew. It’s one of the simplest ways to make tougher, chewier cuts noticeably more tender because your teeth don’t have to work as hard to break through long muscle fibers. If you’re not sure how to find the grain direction or how to slice the steak properly, check out my guide to slicing steak against the grain.

Alternative to Compound Butter (Quick Garlic and Herb Butter): After cooking the steak, reduce the heat to medium. If the skillet is dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Lightly brown a few peeled garlic cloves over medium heat, then add a couple sprigs of rosemary or thyme and 2 tablespoons (30 g) of unsalted butter. Let the butter melt, turn off the heat, and pour the garlic-herb butter over the sliced steak before serving.