I love making steak in a cast iron skillet. Below I will show exactly how to make the perfect steak in your cast iron skillet
Why You Should Try This Rib Eye Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet
- The cast iron skillet creates such an incredible crust – Because the steak is added to the cast iron skillet when it is “smoking hot,” a deep, rich sear is created, leaving an interior of juicy, beefy deliciousness.
- The rib eye steak cooks very quickly – As we cook the rib eye steak at a very high temperature in the cast iron skillet, the cooking time is greatly reduced, allowing you to sink your teeth into all that meaty flavor all the sooner.
- Cooking with a cast iron skillet the right way is fun! – OK, as mentioned, there is a little learning curve to mastering cooking with a cast iron skillet. But once you do (follow the directions below, and you will have it mastered in no time!), your cooking skills will vastly improve, allowing you to feel like a million bucks because of your new and tasty accomplishment. Believe me, you will get the hang of this wonderfully fun method of cooking steak with just a few practice sessions.
- Optional finishing mustard cream sauce – We have provided a bonus recipe here! The rib eye steak is perfectly cooked and ready to eat at the conclusion of this recipe. But, we have included the recipe for a delicious finishing mustard cream sauce, also cooked in the cast iron skillet. Give it a try, as it adds a deep creamy mustard yumminess to your rib eye steak.
Ingredients For Rib Eye Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet
- One rib eye steak roughly 1 ½ to 2 pounds and 1 ½ inches thick
- Salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon each
- 1/4 cup of olive oil for the cast iron skillet and drizzling
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons room temperature butter
Ingredients For Mustard Cream Sauce In A Cast Iron Skillet
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions For Rib Eye Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet
1. Bring the rib eye steak to room temperature – Let the rib eye steak rest on a plate for 15 minutes. Then, wipe off the moisture and liberally apply the salt and pepper to both sides.
2. Rinse and oil the cast iron skillet – Rinse the skillet with warm water and wipe out with paper towels. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into the skillet, and with a paper towel, thoroughly coat the entire inside surface of the skillet with the olive oil.
3. Slowly heat up the cast iron skillet – Place your skillet on a stovetop burner set to low for 15 minutes. When the handle is hot to the touch, the skillet is ready to cook with.
4. Turn the burner up to medium-high – Turn the burner up to medium-high for 2 minutes until the olive oil starts to shimmer and smoke slightly.
5. Place the rib eye steak in the cast iron skillet – Drizzle a little more olive oil onto the cast iron skillet, place the rib eye steak in the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes. Lift the rib eye steak up and add another drizzle of olive oil, then flip and cook for another two minutes. Very important: do not move the steak around after it hits the pan! This is what creates a nice sear.
6. Add the butter and thyme to the pan and rib eye steak – With a butter knife, add the butter to the top of the steak and the cast iron skillet. As the butter melts, using a tablespoon, baste the steak with the butter 4 or 5 times. Flip the steak over, and baste with the butter again. A meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the rib eye steak should read roughly 130 degrees for a medium rare steak.
Directions For Making Mustard Cream Sauce In A Cast Iron Skillet
1. Clean out your cast iron skillet – Remove the now cooked rib eye steak, place it on a plate, and let it rest. At the kitchen sink,pour off the grease left in the cast iron skillet and run hot water into the cast iron skillet. Wipe out the cast iron skillet with paper towels.
2. Return the cast iron skillet to the stove top – Place the cast iron skillet back on the stovetop and let it cool down for 3 minutes. Turn the burner on low and add the heavy cream, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together and cook until the sauce is thick and creamy. Pour on top of your fabulous cast iron skillet rib eye and enjoy!
Variations And Substitutions For Rib Eye Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet
Try other cuts of steak – Of course, we are singing the praises of the rib eye here, but any large cut of steak like a porterhouse, tomahawk chop, thick New York strip, or London broil will cook very well within the cast iron skillet.
Use other fresh herbs – The fresh thyme and butter are an excellent combination of flavors that enhances the beefy goodness of the rib eye steak. But you can also substitute the thyme with other fresh herbs like dill, rosemary, sage, basil, oregano, and parsley.
Work with another finishing sauce – The mustard cream sauce is very easy to prepare and adds a delightful finish to your cast iron rib eye steak. But be sure to try other, easy, and delicious finishing sauces that you can cook right in your cast iron skillet, like a blue cheese sauce, green peppercorn sauce, garlic herb butter, steak Diane sauce, butter whisky sauce, or mushroom sauce. All the sauces go exceptionally well with your cast iron skillet rib eye; you can cook them as your steak rests.
Tips And Tricks For Rib Eye Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet
Monitor the temperature of the cast iron skillet – Your cast iron skillet takes a while to heat up and a while to cool down. Being aware of this makes it easier to time the cooking of your perfect rib eye steak. If you follow the timing directions in this recipe, you will achieve a medium-rare steak. Be sure to adjust the timing for a rare or well-done rib eye steak accordingly.
Cook the edge of the rib eye steak if it’s thick – If your rib eye steak is very thick (and congratulations to you if it is!), you will want to hold the edge of the steak onto the hot cast iron skillet with a pair of tongs for about a 30 seconds on each edge. This will ensure that the thick edge of the rib eye steak gets cooked and juicy, too.
What’s the best way to tell when your rib eye steak is done? – Check the temperature with a meat thermometer. The thermometer should slide into the meat very easily. Use a meat temperature chart to gauge the doneness. Alternatively, with a bit of practice, you can become a very good judge of doneness using the American Heart Association “steak doneness test” and learn to “push” on your steak.
Cast Iron Skillet Rib Eye
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet pre-seasoned
- 1 Tongs for flipping
- 1 Tablespoon for basting
Ingredients
Ingredients For Rib Eye Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet
- 1 ½-2 lbs one rib eye steak roughly, 1 ½ inches thick
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon each
- 1/4 cup olive oil for the cast iron skillet and drizzling
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons room temperature butter
Ingredients For Mustard Cream Sauce In A Cast Iron Skillet
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
Directions For Rib Eye Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet
- Bring the rib eye steak to room temperature – Let the rib eye steak rest on a plate for 15 minutes. Then, wipe off the moisture and liberally apply the salt and pepper to both sides.
- Rinse and oil the cast iron skillet – Rinse the skillet with warm water and wipe out with paper towels. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into the skillet, and with a paper towel, thoroughly coat the entire inside surface of the skillet with the olive oil.
- Slowly heat up the cast iron skillet – Place your skillet on a stovetop burner set to low for 15 minutes. When the handle is hot to the touch, the skillet is ready to cook with.
- Turn the burner up to medium-high – Turn the burner up to medium-high for 2 minutes until the olive oil starts to shimmer and smoke slightly.
- Place the rib eye steak in the cast iron skillet – Drizzle a little more olive oil onto the cast iron skillet, place the rib eye steak in the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes. Lift the rib eye steak up and add another drizzle of olive oil, then flip and cook for another two minutes. Very important: do not move the steak around after it hits the pan! This is what creates a nice sear.
- Add the butter and thyme to the pan and rib eye steak – With a butter knife, add the butter to the top of the steak and the cast iron skillet. As the butter melts, using a tablespoon, baste the steak with the butter 4 or 5 times. Flip the steak over, and baste with the butter again.
- A meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the rib eye steak should read roughly 130 degrees for a medium rare steak.
- Directions For Making Mustard Cream Sauce In A Cast Iron Skillet
- Clean out your cast iron skillet – Remove the now cooked rib eye steak, place it on a plate, and let it rest. At the kitchen sink, pour off the grease left in the cast iron skillet and run hot water into the cast iron skillet. Wipe out the cast iron skillet with paper towels.
- Return the cast iron skillet to the stove top – Place the cast iron skillet back on the stovetop and let it cool down for 3 minutes. Turn the burner on low and add the heavy cream, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together and cook until the sauce is thick and creamy. Pour on top of your fabulous cast iron skillet rib eye and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
