The two most common mistakes people make cooking ribeye at home are starting with a pan that is not hot enough and flipping too early. Both produce the same result: a pale, steamed exterior and uneven internal temperature. Here is how to avoid both.
What You Need
- One bone-in or boneless ribeye, 16 oz, thawed and patted completely dry
- Coarse kosher salt and black pepper
- A cast iron skillet
- A probe thermometer
- Two tablespoons of beef tallow or neutral high-smoke-point fat
The Method
Season early. Salt the steak heavily on both sides at least 40 minutes before cooking, or the night before. Salt draws moisture out initially, then that moisture re-absorbs carrying the salt with it. If you salt and cook immediately, you fry the steak in its own moisture. Patting dry before the pan solves this if you cannot season far ahead.
Get the pan genuinely hot. Place the cast iron over high heat and leave it for 3 to 4 minutes — longer than you think you need. A drop of water should flash to steam immediately on contact. Add the tallow and let it come to a light smoke before laying in the steak.
Do not move it. Lay the steak away from you into the pan and do not touch it for 2 full minutes. The crust builds through direct contact with the hot metal. Lifting early breaks the crust formation. At 2 minutes, the steak should release naturally from the pan surface. If it sticks, it is not ready to flip.
Flip once. Two minutes on the second side for a 1-inch thick steak. For thicker cuts, transfer to a 400°F oven after searing both sides and cook to your target internal temperature.
Internal temperature targets:
- Rare: 120–125°F
- Medium rare: 130–135°F (the correct answer for ribeye)
- Medium: 135–145°F
- Past medium: not recommended for a ribeye — the fat begins to taste heavy and the texture suffers
Rest the steak. Pull it from the heat and let it sit on a wire rack or cutting board for at least 5 minutes. The internal temperature will rise another 3–5 degrees during rest (carryover cooking). Cut it immediately after the pan and you lose half the juices on the board.
The Bone-In Difference
Bone-in ribeye holds heat around the bone longer, which means the meat nearest the bone stays slightly more rare than the outer portions. If you like a range of doneness in one steak, bone-in delivers that. If you want uniform doneness edge-to-edge, go boneless.
Both versions are available in our Steaks collection. Order one of each and cook them the same way — the difference will make sense on the plate.