How to Pan Sear Steak
This post was sponsored by Butcher Box. All opinions expressed here are my own as I only promote brands that I truly love.
Skip the expensive steakhouse prices! Learn How to Pan Sear Steak with this easy, step-by-step guide on the stove in about 10 minutes!
Valentine’s Day is only days away! Do you have special plans??? It will be just another day over here as we don’t really celebrate it. We used to, but my husband and I have gotten more practical about things the longer we’ve been married.
We prefer to spend the evening in with our boys and eat a nice dinner together. My husband and boys are meat and potatoes people, so a steak dinner with a side of yukon gold mashed potatoes is typically on the menu. 🙂
I’m sharing my tips on How to Pan Sear Steak with you in the event that you’d like to avoid insane steakhouse prices and make your own amazing steak dinner at home.
You won’t believe how easy it is!
A great steak dinner starts with quality beef, and I love Butcher Box grass-fed beef.
Butcher Box is a brand that I support because of their commitment to providing premium meat, which includes 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, organic free-range chicken and heritage-breed pork.
All Butcher Box products are sourced from farms using sustainable practices and all animals are humanely raised and free of added hormones and antibiotics.
The best part? The products you choose are perfectly packed and portioned for your needs and delivered right to your door!
I loved that my order included a handy booklet that contained a multitude of recipes and how to prepare different varieties of meat.
I’m sold and I can’t wait to receive my next order.
Recipe ingredients
Preparing your own pan seared steak with butter at home is so simple that you may never want to order it out again.
A few simple ingredients like olive oil, butter, fresh garlic and herbs, will result in a perfect, restaurant-quality steak that allows the flavors of the meat to shine through.
The last thing that I want to do when I have quality, grass-fed beef is mask the flavors with heavy seasonings or sauces, so simplicity is key.
How to pan sear a steak
I recommend pan-searing your steak in a cast iron skillet because once the skillet is hot, it stays hot. The hot pan helps to create the perfect char, or crust, on your steak, which locks those juices in.
Pro tip: I use a 12″ cast iron skillet, which is large enough for (2) steaks. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use any non-reactive pan. Non-stick pans are not recommended.
- Heat the olive oil or high temperature oil in the skillet over medium. When the pan is hot, add the steaks and sear until a golden brown crust forms, 1-2 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side.
- Flip the steaks again and add the butter, garlic and herbs to the pan. When the butter has melted, tilt the pan and allow the butter to pool on one side of the pan.
- Keep the pan tilted and baste the steak with butter, flipping every 30 seconds or so until done, about 4-6 minutes longer, or until the desired amount of doneness.
- Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to determine doneness — 125 degrees for medium rare, 135 degrees is medium, and 145 degrees is medium well. Remove the steak from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
FAQs
I used New York strip steak in this recipe, but rib eye, sirloin and filet mignon are also great options for pan searing.
Start by preheating a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and sear the steak on both sides until a golden brown crust is formed. Reduce the heat to medium and add butter, thyme and garlic, and continue cooking the steak until it reaches the desired doneness, basting with the butter as it cooks.
A steak that’s about 1″ thick will take about 10 minutes to cook in a cast iron skillet on the stove top. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your steak as well as the desired doneness.
Insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to determine doneness — 125 degrees for medium rare, 135 degrees is medium, and 145 degrees is medium well. I don’t recommend cooking above 145 degrees as the steak will become dry when it’s cooked well done.
Serving suggestions
This cast iron steak is a special dinner no matter how it’s served up!
- Change things up with a variety of herbs and seasonings such as rosemary, peppercorns, blackened seasoning or even jerk seasoning.
- Top with fresh, healthy chimichurri sauce or pico de gallo.
- It’s great as a date night or Sunday dinner served with roasted asparagus and air fryer baked potatoes.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: For best results, use a 12″ cast iron skillet, which is large enough for (2) steaks. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use any non-reactive pan. Non-stick pans are not recommended.
- Prep the cast iron steaks by seasoning them well with salt up to 24 hours in advance. Allow the steaks to come to room temperature for 1 hour to 30 minutes prior to cooking which will help them cook more evenly.
- Cooking times will vary based on the cut of meat you’re cooking and its thickness.
- If you prefer not to cook your steak in butter, simply pan sear the steaks in olive oil, herbs and garlic without basting.
More beef recipes you’ll love!
- Air fryer hamburgers
- Beef Bourguignon
- Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto
- Beef Tips and Gravy by Spend with Pennies
- Grilled Burgers
- Grilled Tomahawk Steak
- Honey Soy Steak Kebabs
- Irish Beef Stew
- Skillet Lasagna
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
How to Cook Pan-Seared Steak
Ingredients
- 2 New York strip or rib-eye steaks, about 1" thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter*
- 2 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Season the steaks generously on both sides with sea salt up to 24 hours in advance.
- 30 minutes prior to cooking, let the steaks come to room temperature. Season with freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Just before the pan starts smoking, add the steaks and cook until a golden brown crust has formed, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more or until a crust has formed.
- Flip the steaks once more and add the butter, garlic and herbs to the pan. When the butter has melted, tilt the pan and allow the butter to pool on one side of the pan. Keep the pan tilted and baste the steak with butter, flipping every 30 seconds or so until done, about 4-6 minutes longer or until the desired amount of doneness. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to determine doneness — 125 degrees for medium rare, 135 degrees is medium, and 145 degrees is medium well. Remove the steak from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Notes
- Season steaks with kosher salt up to 24 hours in advance. Allow the steaks to come to room temperature for 1 hour to 30 minutes prior to cooking which will help them cook more evenly.
- Cooking times will vary based on the cut of meat you’re cooking and its thickness.
- If you prefer not to use butter in this dish, simply pan fry the steaks in olive oil, herbs and garlic without basting.
- The thumb and finger test is a great way to check for doneness as well. Place the tip of your thumb against the tip of your index finger and feel the flesh under your thumb — that’s what rare steak feels like when pressed. Your thumb and middle finger together reflect medium rare, and your thumb and ring finger reflect medium well. I love using this method!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
4 Comments on “How to Pan Sear Steak”
I’ve heard a lot about Butcher Box and I think it’s great that they’re supporting sustainable and humane farmers. The more we can get away from factory farming, the better!
I totally agree with you Sarah!
This post is so helpful Marcie! We usually BBQ steaks but I’ve never pan seared them. I actually picked up some striploin a few days ago for Valentine’s Day (because we like to keep it low key too), so I may have to give this a try!
Thank you Leanne! Normally we grill steaks so it was fun to prepare them a different way. I hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day!