Main, Steakhouse
Pan-Seared Ribeye with Red Wine Pan Sauce
A steakhouse crust, butter-basted finish and a glossy two-minute pan sauce.
- Total
- 40 min
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Skill
- Medium
- Serves
- 2
- Cost for two
- about $32
This is the dinner that turns a home kitchen into a steakhouse for the night. A properly dry, properly salted ribeye hits a ripping-hot pan, gets basted with butter, garlic and thyme, then rests while the pan gives you a glossy red wine sauce from the browned bits left behind. Nothing here is difficult. It rewards attention, not skill.
Video by Gordon Ramsay, embedded from YouTube. Their method may differ slightly from ours.
Ingredients
Method
Season the steaks on all sides with the kosher salt at least 45 minutes before cooking (or up to 24 hours ahead, uncovered on a rack in the fridge). Leave them at room temperature for the last 30–45 minutes and pat completely dry with paper towels.
Heat a heavy 30 cm (12 in) cast-iron or stainless skillet over high heat for 3–4 minutes, until a drop of water skitters and evaporates instantly. Add the oil and swirl.
Lay the steaks in the pan, away from you. Sear without moving for 3 minutes until a deep brown crust forms, flip and sear 2 minutes more. Hold each steak on its edge with tongs for 30 seconds to render the fat cap.
Turn the heat to medium-low. Add 2 tbsp butter, the garlic and thyme. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks continuously for 1–2 minutes. Pull them at 52°C (125°F) on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare.
Move the steaks to a board or rack, grind over pepper and rest for 8 minutes. The temperature will climb about 3°C (5°F) while they rest.
Make the sauce: pour off all but 1 tbsp fat. Over medium heat, cook the shallot for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits; reduce by half, 2–3 minutes. Add the stock and reduce until syrupy and about 80 ml (⅓ cup) remains, 3–4 minutes.
Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, the cold 1 tbsp butter and any juices from the resting steaks. Taste and adjust the salt.
Slice the steak against the grain into 1 cm strips, fan onto warm plates, spoon the sauce beside it and finish with flaky salt.
Cook mode keeps your screen awake. Tap a step to mark your place.
Tips
- A dry surface is the whole secret to a crust. If the steak is wet, it steams before it browns.
- If your pan is smaller than 30 cm, cook one steak at a time and keep the first warm on a rack in a 95°C (200°F) oven.
- Open a window or switch on the hood before the oil goes in. Smoke alarms are not romantic.
Make ahead
Salt the steaks the night before and mince the shallot in the afternoon. Everything else happens in the last 20 minutes.
Plating
Warm the plates in a low oven. Fan the slices in a slight curve, pool the sauce next to the meat rather than over the crust, and add a small tangle of watercress for color.
What to drink
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon or Argentine Malbec: the tannin cuts through the marbling.
Zero-proof: Sparkling tart-cherry juice with a bruised rosemary sprig.
Questions
Can I use a different cut?
Yes. New York strip and sirloin work with the same method. Lean cuts like filet cook faster, so start checking the temperature a minute earlier.
Do I need a thermometer?
It is the single best $15 you can spend for cooking to impress. Touch tests are unreliable, especially when you are nervous.