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…..
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:
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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.
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Butter, garlic and fresh thyme
QUICK STEAK COOKING TIPS!
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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;
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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;
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Get your skillet SMOKING HOT before putting the steak in – again, for the crust
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WARNING: The butter will sputter when you add the thyme, so stand back!
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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
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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:
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Crispy Smashed Potatoes – pictured! I’m a little mad about these – they’re crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside;
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Potato Dauphinoise – good make ahead option, and also if you’re serving a group of people;
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Sweet Potato Stacks – something a little different!
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Roasted Broccoli – this pairs really well with steak, plus you feel virtuous eating a load of broccoli with this rich buttery steak…
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Cauliflower Cheese – A British comfort food classic!
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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
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Beef Steak Marinade – this is an excellent option for good value steaks, adds juiciness and tenderises
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Creamy Mushroom Sauce – excellent with steak!
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Mushroom Gravy – Or another gravy option: Onion Gravy
Watch how to make it
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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….
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
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
Set my fire alarms of too
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.
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!!
Best recipe loved it amazing❤️
Best recipe loved it ❤️
I am usually scared of cooking expensive cuts of steak as a lot of people are, I never do it right & end up with dry steak, I cooked Eye Fillet from Aldi last night using this recipe, Omg! It was the most tender delicious steak I have ever eaten, so as velvet & a flavour bomb, my son said it was the best steak he has ever had & that I have to do it this way from now on. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I used the eye fillet from Aldi too. Really soft and tender…
Enjoyed the recipe too 🙂
Wow. I had to wake myself up halfway through the first bite! I will never order steak out again knowing how to cook it my preferred way with this recipe. I do feel bad that my Husband isn’t here to have some. Oh well, another excuse to have this recipe again. BTW I’m usually the type not to attempt steak because of all the ‘steak snobs’ out there but fear no more! Thank you again. 💐
We don’t like rosemary or thyme. What can I use instead. Would bay leaves work.
Unless you can get a super hot pan, adda little time to reach side cooking. Fry some asparagus in the steak pan while the steak rests, super tasty.
Love your side explains everything the most simplistic ways and from the looks of your recipes damn they Rock I would recommend you to anyone thank you
Just got done making it for Father’s Day, My dad absolutely loved it an the only thing I did differently was add mushrooms. I’m so glad it went well it was my first time cooking steak. 😛 it was delish definitely deserves 5 stars.
Terrific! I’m no good at cooking beef, but I’d bought a pair of pricy steaks for my husband’s birthday as he was pretty gloomy about turning 40 during the lockdown over here in Canada. I thought, if I’m going to trust any online chef with these, it’s gotta be Nagi! With very little effort, they came out brilliantly, and we had a lovely birthday dinner (I served it with your mashed cauliflower, which almost stole the show!). Thanks for helping folks like me create extraordinary meals for the people we love. Fine Tree Service Fort Collins
Terrific! I’m no good at cooking beef, but I’d bought a pair of pricy steaks for my husband’s birthday as he was pretty gloomy about turning 40 during the lockdown over here in Canada. I thought, if I’m going to trust any online chef with these, it’s gotta be Nagi! With very little effort, they came out brilliantly, and we had a lovely birthday dinner (I served it with your mashed cauliflower, which almost stole the show!). Thanks for helping folks like me create extraordinary meals for the people we love.
Love your recipes! Just wondering if you have any tips for cooking 4 x steaks at the same time?
Hi Tia, you’d use the same method but cook the 4 at the same time 🙂 N x
Great recipe and side dish idess
This was as good as any steak house I’ve visited. Amazing. I’ve tried lots of your recipes because they’re always fantastic. Thank you!
Might be a silly question but when I rest the steak can I put it on an oven warmer or will this keep cooking it. BTW delicious
Hi Debbie, meat continues to cook even when it’s off the heat – so putting it into a heat source will definitely keep cooking it. N x