Sunday Dinner: Grilled Ribeye Steak, Herb Garlic Butter

Grilled Ribeye Steak with Herbed Garlic Butter. Hardly anything says “Happy Father’s Day” better than a perfectly grilled steak set on a large plate in front of him. Thoughtfully seasoned. Medium-rare. Juicy with a nice crust. Big enough to slice and serve family-style. That is, if he’s sharing.

Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated. Everything delicious!

Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years.

Cuts of Meat: When it comes to selecting your steak, the primary cuts of steak are: 

• Filet: The most tender cut of them all. 
• Porterhouse or T-Bone: Definitely Porterhouse if you can find it, for it will have a larger tenderloin section than will a T-Bone.
• Ribeye: This is the granddaddy of steaks, especially if you are lucky enough to get one with the bone in. Marbling is key, as this is where all of the flavor lies.

Temperature:
Most steakhouses recommend a medium-rare steak for optimal flavor. However you like it cooked, here’s a handy guide for internal temperature and cooking time:

• Rare: 6 to 8 minutes (for 125 degrees)
• Medium Rare: 7 to 10 minutes (for 135 degrees)
• Medium: 10 to 12 minutes (for 145 degrees)
• Well Done: 12 to 15 minutes

Use a meat thermometer to check doneness. Insert through the side of the steak, rather than straight up and down.

Tips for Grilling the Perfect Steak:

• Choice vs Prime: Prime is the highest quality steak you can get. If it isn’t ridiculously expensive, go for it.
• Room Temperature: Remove the steak from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to grilling, though an hour is even better. Let it sit until it comes to room temperature.
• Seasoning: Using sea salt with some pepper is best, in my opinion. For this steak, I put some unsalted butter on the outside, which helps add an additional layer of flavor. It’s okay to over-season a steak a bit; it’ll pay you dividends when cooking.
• Before Placing on Grill: Make certain your steak is dry from moisture. This will ensure a great crust to the steak.
• Clean Grates: Just as you would with a clean skillet on the stove, start your steak grilling with clean grates.
• To Flip or Not to Flip: I recommend flipping one time for each side, especially if you are cooking for rare or medium rare.
• Let. It. Rest.: Cook the steak 5-10 degrees below your desired temperature, take it off the grill and place on a board or platter, tent with foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes. 

The other essential element to this recipe—in addition to the steak, of course—is compound butter. This stick of butter is chock full of herbs and garlic, which makes the perfect topping to your perfectly grilled steak. Keep it in the freezer and use whenever you need some flavored butter, i.e., asparagus, veggies, fish, or mashed potatoes.

I also roasted a couple of whole heads of garlic. You can do a few things with this lovely nugget. One is to take the garlic confit post-roasting and add it to the compound butter instead of raw chopped garlic; this will give a more subtle garlic taste to the butter. The other is to use the roasted cloves as a additional garnish with the steak. After roasting, the garlic is quite mild, yet with silky smooth flavor that adds just that little bit of edge to the flavor of each delectable bite of steak.

The following recipe for “Grilled Ribeye Steak with Herb Garlic Butter” is super simple, yet ultra delicious. On perfectly seasoned meat, the herb garlic butter adds a whole new dimension to the steak flavor. You may never try it any other way.

Happy Father’s Day to all of you wonderful men out there! Enjoy your time with family!

RIB EYE STEAK, HERB GARLIC BUTTER
Serves 2-4
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Menu Suggestion: Wedge Salad with Point Reyes Blue Cheese Dressing, Smashed Potatoes, Skillet Brownies & Vanilla Ice Cream

Wine Selection: 2015 Heitz Cellar Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; Cost: $50. Ninety-five points from Wine Enthusiast, beautiful nose of black cherry, plum, raspberry, anise, clove. Easy to drink and well-balanced. An excellent choice to pair with a rich steak.

1. Remove steak from refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before seasoning and cooking.
2. Heat grill to high. Brush the steak or steaks on both sides with oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Place steaks on grill and cook until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the steaks over and continue to grill for 3 to 5 minutes until desired doneness.
3. Transfer steaks to a cutting board or platter.  Add slice of herb garlic butter over steak. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

HERB GARLIC BUTTER

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon minced shallots (or garlic clove)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
1 tablespoon minced parsley or chives
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mash together butter, shallots, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
2. Spoon butter onto a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Form into a log and wrap well. Chill for at least 3 hours before using.

DESSERT ~ SKILLET BROWNIES, HOMEMADE VANILLA GELATO
Amazing! Stay tuned for details in a future blog post!