Learn how to cook the perfect steak, every time! Which cut and grade of meat to choose, what temperature, and how long to cook it. Plus, there are all the TIPS and TRICKS you need to know are included so you can make the BEST steak at home to rival a fancy steakhouse every single time!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Additional Time5 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Beef
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best way to cook steak on the stove, cooking steak in cast iron, cooking steak on stove, cooking the perfect steak, easy steak marinade, fancy steak dinner, homemade steak marinade, how long to cook steak on stove, how to cook steak in a cast iron pan, how to cook steak on the stove with butter, how to cook the perfect steak, how to make the perfect steak, soy sauce steak marinade, steak in cast iron pan, stovetop steak
1teaspoonfresh rosemarychopped (dry may be substituted)
2sprigs fresh thymechopped (dry may be substituted)
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
Juice from 1 medium lime
Steak
2steaksyour choice of cut and weight
Olive oilto taste; optional
3tablespoonsbutternot margarine, salted or unsalted; divided
1teaspoongarlicfinely minced; divied
Saltto taste
Freshly ground black pepperto taste
Instructions
Steak Marinade, optional:
Combine all the ingredients, stir, and pour over the meat. Marinate for 1 to 24 hours.
Discard the marinade after using. However, extra unused (never touched the meet) marinade can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Steak:
Preheat the oven to 450°F and heat a a cast iron skillet to sizzling, either in the hot oven or on the stovetop.*
Pat the steaks dry and if you prefer, you can rub a small amount of olive oil over the steaks.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Place the steaks in the sizzling hot skillet, making sure that they're not touching or crowded.
Let the steaks cook for about 2 minutes before testing to see if they move easily in the pan. If they are stuck, do not try and unstick them. They are not ready yet. Do not press on the steaks while cooking. This will press the natural juices out. Just let them be.
When the steak comes loose from the pan, flip it over, and cook the other side until it comes loose.
Use tongs and hold so the sides of the steak get charred all the way around.
If you like a rare steak, you can stop here. However first, just add some butter to the top of each steak (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each; a generous pat of butter) and let it melt, add some minced garlic (about 1/2 teaspoon each) and let it sit and “cook” a bit on top of the meat.
Remove the meat from the skillet and let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes before cutting so the juices will stay in the meat keeping it moist and delicious.
If you like a steak more medium to well done, place the skillet in the oven for 3 to 10 minutes.
Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. The meat should be 5°F less than the temperature you ultimately want because it will continue to cook (carryover cooking) even when it is removed from the oven.
Remove the skillet from the oven, put butter and garlic on top of each steak divided evenly, and allow the butter to melt, adding to the caramelization and the flavor. As the butter melts, you can spoon some back on top for a bit to keep it marinating in the butter.
After the butter has melted, take the steak out of the skillet, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes on a cutting board or plate, and it will be perfect when you slice it.
Serve with your favorite side dish such as The Best Mashed Potatoes. Leftover steak may be stored airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months however steak is always best freshly cooked.
Notes
*Note that if you like rare steak, you won't need to finish the steak in the oven so don't bother preheating your oven. **For example, if you want a steak that is well done, thermometer should read 145-159° because if will come up to the 150-164° range.***Note that the nutrition info provided below is not highly accurate because it's a computer generated program and doesn't take into account what kind of steak you're making, the weight and size of it, etc. Plus, all the marinade is included and perhaps you aren't marinating your steak. Take this info with a grain of salt and if you're concerned about the stats, look them up elsewhere as I am limited by the program I use to generate these courtesy values.