This Cast Iron Ribeye Steak is one of the juiciest you’ve ever tasted. Cooked with rosemary, thyme, and garlic butter, it is bursting with flavor and absolutely delicious.
If you need some sides to serve alongside this steak, it goes great with our garlic asparagus and air fryer brussels sprouts.
The BEST Cast Iron Steak
Cast iron cooking makes the best steak. The steak cooks with a nice brown crust on the outside and the meat stays juicy and flavorful on the inside. Cooking with butter, garlic, rosemary, and thyme packs the steak with so much delicious flavor. For this recipe, we chose ribeye because it has great marbling and as the fat melts during cooking, it just adds to the texture and taste that you won’t be able to get enough of.
What you need to make a juicy steak
- Boneless ribeye steak- This fattier cut of meat means a juicier, tastier steak.
- Kosher salt- Kosher salt is larger than table salt and helps with the flavor and crusting.
- Rosemary and thyme sprigs- These flavors go great with steak.
- Garlic cloves- Garlic adds a strong pungent flavor that complements the savoriness of the steak.
- Butter- Butter adds a nice flavor to the steak and also makes it juicier.
- Avocado oil- This is used for frying the steak in the cast iron pan.
How to make a perfect cast iron ribeye steak
- Season the steak. Let the ribeye steak sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Pat it dry with a paper towel and then season it generously on the top, bottom, and sides with salt.
- Heat the cast iron pan. Over high heat, place the pan and allow it to get hot enough to smoke. Then add the avocado oil and the steak, being careful to lay it away from you to avoid hot oil splatter in your direction.
- Add the seasonings. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of your knife and place them with the butter, thyme, and rosemary in the pan.
- Baste. When the butter has melted, use a spoon to baste the ribeye steak with the herb and garlic butter.
- Flip. Once the steak has cooked for a few minutes and has a nice brown crust on it, flip it and continue basting.
- Cook until done. Cook the steak until it has reached the level of doneness that you prefer. Use a meat thermometer to help you find the internal temperature.
- Let the steak rest. Before you cut and serve the ribeye, allow it to rest for 10 minutes so that the juices don’t run out when you slice into it.
Basting
Basting is a really important step in making this cast iron ribeye steak. It provides a lot of flavor dispersed around the entire steak. Every inch will be covered with the flavors of the butter, thyme, rosemary, and garlic.
Should I add butter or not?
Steaks just soak up butter and it adds so much flavor to both the outside and inside of the meat. So, butter is a must.
What oil is best for searing steak
The best oils to use are those with higher smoke points. This is because searing a steak on a cast iron pan and getting that delicious crust on the outside will result in a lot of smoke. Also, make sure that you have good ventilation or a range hood when making this cast iron steak.
How to know when your ribeye is done
Your ribeye will be done when it reaches the internal temperature that you like. The best way to find out is to use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the steak. Different temperatures correspond to levels of doneness, such as: Medium rare – 140 degrees Fahrenheit, Medium – 145 degrees Fahrenheit, and Medium well – 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
What to serve with this cast iron ribeye
- Potatoes- These are a natural favorite with steak. Try scalloped, roasted, mashed, or baked.
- Vegetables or Salad- Some vegetables are a nice side with a rich ribeye. Try asparagus, broccoli salad, air fryer brussels sprouts or spinach salad.
- Rice- As an alternative to potatoes, try brown rice or quinoa fried rice.
Full Recipe Instructions
Cast Iron Ribeye Steak
Ingredients
- 1 boneless ribeye steak 1 1/4- 1 1/2 inch thick
- Kosher salt
- 2 sprigs Rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp Avocado oil for frying
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Season and sear the steak
- Let the steak sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to preparing it. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel, then generously season with kosher salt. You want to make sure to season the top, bottom, and sides of the steak.
- Now heat your cast iron pan over high heat. Once the pan is smoking pour in the avocado oil and gently place the seasoned steak into the pan. Always make sure to place it away from you so the hot oil doesn’t splash back at you.
Add butter, herbs, and garlic
- Now smash the garlic with the back of your knife and place it into the pan along with the thyme, rosemary, and butter.
- As the butter melts begin basting the steak with the garlic and herb-infused butter using a spoon.
Baste until done
- Once the steak has seared for a few minutes and formed a brown crust, flip it over, and continue basting with the melted herb butter on top. The best way to tell when your steak is done is by using an instant-read
meat thermometer . For a medium steak, you want the meat to be about 145 degrees Fahrenheit. For a medium-well steak, cook it to 150 degrees Fahrenheit
Notes
- Potatoes- These are a natural favorite with steak. Try scalloped, roasted, mashed, or baked.
- Vegetables- Some vegetables are a nice side with a rich ribeye. Try asparagus or air fryer brussels sprouts
Nutrition
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SCV says
How come you don’t give the temperature for rare and medium rare?
Dina says
Hi 🙂 For rare steak, you want the internal temperature at about 120-125 and for medium rare you want the internal temperature to be about 130-135. Hope that helps 🙂
Gerry Doyle says
I tried the recipe twice. The first time following the recipe exactly. I found that the garlic masked the flavor of the meat; so I tried again without the garlic, and it was excellent. I’m aware garlic is popular, but in my opinion, it doesn’t belong when cooking a prime bone in rib-eye.
Dina says
Hi Gerry 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed this ribeye steak with your adjustment. Yes, garlic is a personal preference and can be removed or added to each person. Every recipe can be adjusted to fit everyone’s personal preference. 🙂
Sandra Livy says
This was the first time I ever cooked a steak in an iron skillet. My husband would always cook them on an outside grill.
My husband was so impressed by the flavor and tenderness of the steaks. He actually gave me a two thumbs up👍👍
I will definitely me making this again!
Dina says
Wow that is amazing Sandra! I used to think that grilling steak was the best way to cook steak until I tried the cast iron method. The butter, garlic, and herbs are just a flavor explosion!
Catherine Schweid says
I love learning different ways to cook meat the right way. Especially in cast iron. We have a collection of Wagner and that’s all we cook with. It was amazing! The only thing is that the rosemary and garlic burned so I pulled them out before the steak was done. Did anyone else do this?
Dina says
I love cooking in my cast iron too Catherine! 🙂 Depending on how high the temperature is, you may want to pull out the herbs and garlic sooner.
Dan Parisi says
This was delicious but I have a slight alternative that works great and requires much less clean up. Like you said, I heat the cast iron pan to get it scorching hot. But I omit the oil. There is enough fat in a well marbled ribeye that no additional oil is needed. Doing it this way eliminates the mess from the spattering oil. I leave the steak undisturbed for 2 1/2 minutes, then flip and leave alone for another 2 1/2 minutes. Flip again and do so every 2 minutes until desired temperature reached which for medium rare is about 125°F. Once the steak reaches temp remove to a plate and allow to rest.
Turn heat to low, add butter. When melted add garlic, thyme, rosemary, etc.
When butter begins to brown pour over steak.
Much less mess to clean.
Dina says
Wow Dan, that is such an awesome cooking tip! I will have to give that a try next time I cook ribeye steak in the cast iron!
char says
This looks delicious ! Do you think I could do this with a cast iron fry pan on my out side gas grill. That would be easier than making a mess on the stove . Thanks !
simplyhomecooked says
Hi 🙂 Yes, you can definitely cook this ribeye steak outside on your gas grill! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know how it goes 🙂
Donna says
I made my steak like this today and when I tasted it it was soooo salty I could feel my blood pressure rise. Are we supposed to wipe the salt off before placing it in the pan?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Donna, in the recipe, I season the steak with salt “to taste”. Meaning season it to your tasting. I think you may have oversalted it. If salted properly, there is no need to wipe off any salt. You actually need the coarse kosher salt to create that delicious crust on the outside of the steak. I hope you give this recipe another try.
Monica says
Hi Dina,
Just FYI — step 1 says to “generously season with kosher salt” instead of “season to taste” as you mentioned above.
However, I am prepping my ribeye and excited to try out the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Monica, yes you want to season to taste as per any recipe. However, steaks require a generous amount of salt that some might not put if it isn’t mentioned. In some recipes, a small amount of salt adds a lot of flavor while others require more salt to get its flavor. I hope you love this recipe 🙂
Paula Rohm says
Wow ! I made this tonight. I am a new cast iron skillet user. I found two nice steaks on Clearance due to needed to be cooked or frozen in the next two days. I recently planted fresh herbs so I had the thyme and Rosemary.
I was shocked at how fast these cook so next time I will check internal temperature sooner.
Great flavor. My husband has complimented me several times. Thanks for this easy recipe !
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! That is so awesome to hear Paula 🙂 Glad you and your husband loved this cast iron steak recipe! My husband also loves steak in the cast iron. I love using a meat thermometer to get my steaks done perfectly every time, it makes it so much easier and accurate! Thank you so much for your feedback 🙂
Carly says
This is the best way to cook steaks in the winter when the grill is covered in snow. I have also heated the pan in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes before starting on high on the stovetop. After browning you can also finish it in the hot oven for a few minutes also. WONDERFUL.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Carly, yes I agree! Cast iron steak is a perfect meal in the winter when grilling is a little harder. I like to have my cast iron heated up as well, so I usually let it preheat on the stovetop until it starts to lightly smoke up. Finishing off in the oven is another great way to finish steak! Totally agree with you! Thank you for your feedback 🙂