Here’s how to cook steak like a chef – pan seared and basted with garlic thyme butter! It’s dramatic, simple cooking at its best, you’ll look like a total pro and feel like you’re dining at the best steakhouse in town…..
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
How to cook steak – the cheffy way!
Today’s recipe is more of a technique than a recipe – but it’s one that all steak lovers should know because it’s easy, worthy of using on high quality steaks and also a way to really elevate economical steaks.
It’s as simple as this: while the steak is searing in the pan, throw in butter, garlic and thyme and baste continuously as the steak finishes cooking. The garlic-thyme infused butter does all sorts of wonderful things to the steak, seeping into the cracks and crevices, and adhering to the crust of the steak.
It’s pan seared steak made Outrageous – and that’s Outrageous with a capital “O”!
What you need
Here’s all you need:
Thickish cut steak – no more than 2.5cm/1″ thick, because we want to cook this entirely on the stove (thicker cuts need to be finished in the oven). Ideal steaks: boneless rib eye / scotch fillet, porterhouse / New York, T-bone. Grade: takes high quality steak over the top amazing, really elevates economical steak.
Butter, garlic and fresh thyme
Steak cooking tips!
Bring to room temp! This makes an amazing difference to cooking through evenly rather than ending up with a thick overcooked band in order for the very centre to be cooked to your liking;
Pat dry and season the steak generously with salt and pepper – this helps form that amazing crust we all know and love about great steaks;
Get your skillet SMOKING HOT before putting the steak in – again, for the crust
WARNING: The butter will sputter when you add the thyme, so stand back!
Take the steak off the stove BEFORE your desired internal temperature (see chart below) because the internal temperature will continue to rise as it rests; and
REST your steak for 5 to 10 minutes so it sucks its own juices back in and the fibres relax. This is a must-do step for any protein you cook hard and fast!
I’ve just cooked one very large steak here because 2 was a squish in the medium size skillet I use for photography and video purposes. I use the same amount of butter whether making one or two steaks because you need a minimum amount to have enough to make it easy to spoon over the steak as it cooks.
What to serve with steak
If you’re after the full, luxury steakhouse experience, serve this steak with Béarnaise sauce, its mashed potato counterpart, Paris Mash, and a side of Garlic Sautéed Spinach.
For a low carb option, serve it with Creamy Mashed Cauliflower – you will be amazed how delicious this is with the help of some extra flavourings!! And a few more options:
Crispy Smashed Potatoes – pictured! I’m a little mad about these – they’re crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside;
Potato Dauphinoise – good make ahead option, and also if you’re serving a group of people;
Sweet Potato Stacks – something a little different!
Roasted Broccoli – this pairs really well with steak, plus you feel virtuous eating a load of broccoli with this rich buttery steak…
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots or Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic (make this while the steak is resting)
Cauliflower Cheese – A British comfort food classic!
Fresh garden salad or steamed greens with French Vinaigrette or Italian Dressing
And for a really simple option, just steam a load of veggies and baby potatoes, then douse in the garlic butter left in the skillet. Pretty darn amazing!! – Nagi x
More Steak Options
Beef Steak Marinade – this is an excellent option for good value steaks, adds juiciness and tenderises
Creamy Mushroom Sauce – excellent with steak!
Mushroom Gravy – Or another gravy option: Onion Gravy
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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How to cook steak – like a chef!
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 boneless ribeye or scotch fillet , 2.5 cm / 1″ thick, approx 300g/10 oz each (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- 75g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1.25cm / 1/2″ cubes (Note 2)
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 3 sprigs rosemary
- 5 garlic cloves , peeled and smashed to split (Note 3)
Instructions
- Bring to room temp: Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to bring to room temperature.
- Dry steaks: Pat dry with paper towels.
- Heat skillet: Heat oil in a heavy based skillet over high heat until it is very hot – you should see smoke!
- Season: Sprinkle each side of the steak generously with salt and pepper, then immediately place in the skillet.
- Sear Side 1: Cook for 2 – 2.5 minutes until you get a great crust, then turn.
- Garlic Butter: Leave for 1 minute, then push steaks to one side and toss in butter, garlic and thyme. BE CAREFUL – the thyme will sputter!
- Baste: As soon as the butter is melted, continuously spoon the butter over the steak until it’s cooked to your liking – 2 minutes in total for the 2nd side for medium rare (52C/125F, chart below for other doneness temps)
- Basting also renders fat on the side of the steak – use tongs to sear the edges at the end if you want it browned more.
- Rest: Transfer steak to a plate and cover loosely with foil, rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve steak with a bit of the butter from the skillet drizzled on top. Pictured in post with Crispy Smashed Potatoes.
Recipe Notes:
5. Nutrition is for 1 steak, assuming 2 tbsp of butter is adhered to/drizzled on the steak.Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
His current favourite toy….
My husband said this was the best steak he’s ever had!
Tried this for dinner tonight along with your crunchy smashed potatoes (the best spuds ever btw!)…..Most successful steak I have ever cooked. Our family loves steak but not when it’s like leather🤣 which has often been the case! This was really juicy and tender and very very tasty! I only used rump as the other cuts were so much $$$😥 but it was beautiful….thanks for another winner recipe Nagi😊…p.s I found it in your amazing book.
Love all the recipes more please.
Wow! The flavor this added to the steak was awesome. I will definitely use this method in the future! Your Dinner cookbook is on the way, I’m excited to see what you have been up to. Thank you 🙂
This was delicious! I only had a budget grass fed rump steak but followed the recipe. OMG it was delicious. Made a helluva mess of my cooktop but so worth it. SUPERB . I might have to buy your book! Nagi is my go to!
Yay. My hubby bought scotch fillet (we rarely have steak, it’s expensive and I can never seem to cook it right) so I found your instructions Nagi. Thanks to you, I’m not afraid to cook steak for fear of wrecking it anymore. It was juicy and tasty.
I made this it was soooo good.
Hi Nagi, I just bought your ‘Dinner’ cookbook. I thought I’d never buy another one again, but I just had to buy this one after watching you put so much effort into it and knowing how brilliant your recipes are. As I was cooking a Scotch fillet steak tonight, I gave this recipe a go using rosemary. I was wondering whether all the extra steps would be worth it, but OMG, this is THE best and juiciest steak I ever cooked! Just like I always wanted to cook steak. I’ll never go back to cooking it the old way which was very hit-and-miss and ordinary. I’ve never been game to cook steak for guests but now I can’t wait to try this with one of your sauces as a special dish. Thanks again for the level of detail, amazing photography, and testing, testing, testing you put into your recipes. You are the only food blogger I follow regularly. High five to you and ‘Dinner’!
My go-to steak recipe!! Love this recipe so much that I’m planning to make for Thanksgiving (we’re not huge fans of turkey 😉 ). I’d like to cook 6 steaks, but only have one cast iron skillet that I use for this recipe that can only fit 2 steaks at a time. Any tips for how to keep cooked steaks warm and juicy, without overcooking them, while I finish cooking the others? so I’m able to cook all and serve at same time? Thank you!
Hi Nagi,
If cooking more than one steak, do you need to clean pan between cooking
Thanks
This was delicious! It was just a pleasure to eat and super quick to make. Nagi, your recipes make me feel really good about myself. Your recipes empower me to show my love for others through cooking for them. Thank you❤️
Hi Nagi! I have a tomahawk steak I have just taken out of the freezer for tomorrow night. Can I modify this recipe to it? Im in a competition with my husband… he botched the last attempt at a tomahawk so the bar is still low but I really want to show him I can make a better steak 🙂
I have made steak only a few times before. Tried out this method for the first time and iv never made a better steak in my life! Perfect medium rare omg i’m in love. Will be using this method every single time and for the rest of my life now!
Good recipes!
I cooked scotch fillet last night from a grass fed steer that was killed on our farm (ie no abattoir stress) using your recipe. My partner said this was the best steak he’s ever eaten. So thank you!
It really does make a HUGE difference in flavour depending on how the animal was treated – I am glad you enjoyed it! N x
This was my first time cooking steak. I haven’t found myself so happy cooking something so delicious. It was my first try and it was pretty good. Thanks for the guide.
Thanks for the oil burns i got when i was startled by the fire alarm that went off despite me having the range hood on full blast while following your directions to a T
But how was the steak??
I don’t know if “you should see smoke!” was added in Step 3 after this review, but it’s a pretty big hint that things will get hot and smoky 🙂
Seriously, though, I hope your hand is okay.
Set my fire alarms of too
Can’t believe you are blaming someone else for something you did 🤦🏼♀️
Imagine following a beginner cooking recipe and getting hurt and telling people about it so they dont get hurt too just to read “how dare you blame others”. Cone on, for all you know thats a child. This recipe is pretty light on the safety details and apparently OP has an industrial grade range hood lol
I don’t usually cook steak because I don’t seem to be able to choose the right cuts and end up with pretty tough steaks. Is there a way to tenderise the meat somehow before cooking? Or is there another recipe you would recommend for a tougher slab of meat?
When my daughter was a toddler, she felt the sudden need one day to make a staunch comparison to her older brother: “Prince is a vegetarian. I’m a meatatarian”. She meant it. I later came to realize this for sure after watching her silently destroy a rack of ribs at a Ruby Tuesday. She and her ribs were in their own little world the entire time. As Mom led her away to the restroom to wash the carnage from her cautiously upheld hands and quiet, “sort of stunned” looking face, she seemed to me more like an impressive 300 plus pound meat machine than a 7-year-old, 42 pound pip-squeak.
Now she’s a 10-year-old pip-squeak and the other day she said “Daddy, I just wanna eat a steak. You know, a real steak”. With preparations in place, tonight was the night. Used to having saucy strips of pepper steak, this would be her first “real” steak and, believe it or not, my first time cooking one for real. My wife would otherwise have done it, and well too, but I was the one who had point tonight. Seriously, I was actually nervous about ruining this carnivorous little monster’s first rib eye.
I followed this recipe to the letter, including the resting period. I basted, basted, basted too. The only thing I did different was add a light coating of cayenne to each side. (Mom’s Jamaican and the scotch bonnet didn’t fall far from the plant). It was a smash hit! It was tender, juicy and full of flavor. It had a nice crusty sear to it with a spicy after bite. My daughter insisted everyone try it, including the chef. The only downside is now everyone wants me to cook them “their own” steak. I’m not afraid at all now.
Nagi, thank you so much for making me a hero tonight! I feel great!
Comment of the day!! The Scotch Bonnet didn’t fall far from the tree!!!!! 🌶🌶🌶 She sounds like my kind of woman!! You ARE a superstar hero dad for making sure she gets that good food! N x
Thanks so much for this cooking method and recipe. For years I have not bought steak except small pieces once in a blue moon that were discounted (“cook it tonight” kinda discounts) because I refused to spend serious money on something I consistently screwed up. I have never been more consistent at anything in my life than screwing up steaks.
THIS is what I have spent my life looking for. Tonight for the first time in our almost 20-year marriage (and probably less than 10 attempts), my wife hesitatingly took a bite of the steak (she always tries to keep a poker face, though I can read her mind) and much to her surprise let out a “Mmmmmm!! This is good!” She ate several more pieces (and so did I) and continued complimenting the dish.
You just don’t know big of a deal this was. Years and years of being an otherwise pretty good cook but a steak-cooking failure were erased tonight. This could have all kinds of implications (positive) for our marriage. Girl just might hang around for a few more years.
My steak was too thick so I put a round cookie sheet over the pan to hold in some more heat and help it cook through better. Nothing else was changed.
Easy. Delicious. Quick. You are my new best friend. 🙂 Thank you.
MESSAGE OF THE DAY!!! – N xx
Recipe/method of the decade! 🙂 I am so confident I just bought 2 more (cheap) steaks this morning to put to the test! Soon I might even be able to stop hanging my head in shame around my grill master brother – if I can just figure out grilled chicken breasts…thanks again!!