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Brown Butter–Basted Steak

Rib eye steak on a plate with spent garlic and rosemary. The steak has been sliced away from the bone and cut into...
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski

How to make steakhouse-quality steak at home. Step 1: Buy a great steak from a great butcher. Step 2: Salt it liberally. Step 3: Gradually build up a crusty sear. Step 4: Butter. Butter?! Yep—butter. Browned, nutty butter will deliver toasty flavor to every bite. It’s the secret to pretty much all the great steakhouse dinners you’ve ever had.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    2 servings

Ingredients

1 1¾"-thick bone-in rib eye (about 1½ lb.)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 sprigs rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Flaky sea salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season steak generously with kosher salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature 1 hour.

    Step 2

    Heat a dry large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high, then add oil. As soon as oil is smoking, cook steak, turning every 2 minutes or so, until a deep brown crust forms and the internal temperature is a few degrees below your favored doneness (120°–125° for medium-rare), 8–10 minutes.

    Step 3

    Add butter, rosemary, and garlic to skillet, tilt pan toward you so that butter pools on one side, and use a large spoon to continually baste steak with butter. Continue until butter is no longer bubbling and it smells nutty and is beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. (For medium-rare, your steak should reach an internal temperature of 125°–130°.)

    Step 4

    Cut meat from bone and slice against the grain 1" thick. Spoon some infused brown butter over steak and sprinkle with sea salt.

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