A properly cooked ribeye needs almost nothing — just salt, time, and a very hot pan. The fat cap does most of the work. Learn this once and you will never order a steak at a restaurant again.
What You Need
- 1 ribeye steak, 1–1.5 inches thick
- Coarse salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp beef tallow
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- Fresh rosemary sprig
Method
- Salt steak heavily on both sides 45 minutes to 1 hour before cooking. Let it sit at room temperature.
- Pat the steak completely dry just before cooking — moisture is the enemy of a crust.
- Heat a cast iron skillet until smoking hot. Add tallow.
- Place steak in the pan and press flat — it will try to curl. Sear 3–4 minutes without moving until a deep brown crust forms.
- Flip. Add butter, garlic, and rosemary. Tilt the pan and baste the steak constantly with the hot fat for 2–3 more minutes.
- For medium-rare: pull at 130°F internal. Rest on a wire rack 5–10 minutes before slicing.
Tips & Notes
- Rest it. Cutting too soon floods the board with juice that belongs inside the steak.
- Tallow for the initial sear, butter for the baste — tallow handles the heat, butter adds flavor.
#steak#ribeye#beef#carnivore#cast iron#mains
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