Grilled Ribeyes Basted in Herbed Garlic Butter

Name: Grilled Ribeyes Basted in Herbed Garlic Butter
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 737 min
Ingredients: 2 ribeye steaks ((16 to 20 ounces each)); salt; freshly ground pepper; ½ cup unsalted butter ((room temperature)); 4 cloves garlic ((pressed)); 1 tsp dried rosemary; 1 tsp dried thyme

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Stay home and serve these sexy Herbed Garlic Grilled Ribeyes with Easy Scalloped Potatoes for a romantic dinner for two. These ribeye steaks start out on the grill and finish in a cast-iron skillet while being basted with herbed garlic butter. The steaks take 5 to 10 minutes to prepare, depending on how well you like them cooked and the steak's thickness.

A ribeye steak is one of the tastiest cuts of meat due to the fat that is weaved throughout the meat, known as marbling. This extra fat makes a ribeye steak juicy and oh so flavorful!

For this special recipe, I'm going to ask you to splurge and get the thickest ribeyes that you can find. I suggest right around 2" in thickness. Yes, they'll be pricey, but still a lot less than you would spend at a steakhouse. The ribeyes should be fresh, and not previously frozen, if at all possible.

Why This Recipe Works

This grilled ribeyes recipe is not mine. It was created by my son, Scott. It took him a while to perfect the recipe. Scott wanted to end the debate as to whether a steak should be cooked on the grill, or in a cast-iron skillet.

Scott concluded that you don't need to choose between the two methods. Instead, you can use both methods to your advantage. When cooked to medium-rare, the ribeye steaks are juicy, tender, and absolutely mouth-watering!

I love seeing my kids embracing the art of cooking. My daughter, Nena, even made Cabbage Dolma for the first time yesterday! Maybe one day, I'll let them take over this blog, that is when I'm old and feeble. Until then, hands off my blog!

What Goes Into This Recipe

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Ribeye Steak — Choose steaks that are 1-¾" in thickness, preferably 2". The last thing you want to do is serve your sweetie an overcooked steak. This is coming from someone who used to like her steak well-done...ok, burned. 😬
Salt and Pepper — Use plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season the steaks. The steaks should be coated on both sides and along the edges too.
Butter — Use unsalted butter since the steaks will already be salted.
Herbs — Instead of using fresh herbs, this recipe calls for dried thyme and rosemary.

How to Make This Grilled Ribeyes Recipe

1. Generously salt and pepper both steaks and place on a rack in the fridge overnight, uncovered.

2. Remove steaks a few hours prior to cooking to bring to room temperature.

3. Mix room temperature butter with pressed garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Set aside two tablespoons of the herbed butter which will be added on top of the steaks just before serving.

If your steaks are less than 1¾ to 2" in thickness, see adjusted cooking times in the recipe expert tips.

4. Turn all of the burners on the grill to max heat and allow the grill to heat up for 20 minutes. We're shooting for 500 degrees F. or higher. A few minutes before adding the steaks, turn the burners on one side down to medium heat and place a 12" cast-iron skillet on that side of the grill.

5. Add the ribeyes to the grill and set a timer for 1 minute. Close the lid after each time you flip the steaks to keep the heat from escaping. After 1 minute, flip the steaks and cook for an additional minute. Flip the steaks 2 more times 1-minute per side, for a total grill time of 4 minutes.

6. During the last 30 seconds of cooking, melt 6 tablespoons of herbed butter in the heated cast-iron skillet. Transfer steaks to the skillet and cook for 90 seconds per side. Use a spoon to baste the steaks with the melted butter in the pan.

8. Plate the steaks and top with the remaining herbed butter and tent with foil. Allow the steaks to rest for approximately 5 minutes before serving them.

**This ribeye was somewhere between 1-¼" to 1-½" in thickness. It was cooked for a total of 5 minutes.**

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

For ribeyes 1-¼" to 1-½" thick:
Grill 1 minute, flip, 1 minute, flip, 30 seconds, flip, 30 seconds, flip. Add steaks to hot skillet and cook for 1 minute on each side. The cook time will be 5 minutes total (3 minutes on the grill and 2 minutes in the pan).

How long do you grill a 1 inch thick ribeye steak?

The general consensus is that a ribeye should be cooked for 4 to 6 minutes per side or approximately 10 minutes total for a medium-rare (135 degrees F). Add a couple of minutes more per side for medium (140 degrees F), and an additional minute per side for medium-well (150 degrees F).

However, cooking ribeyes in the method described in this post allows you to bbq the ribeye for a much shorter time because we're using a high heat setting and finishing the steaks in a hot cast-iron skillet.

What temperature should ribeye be grilled at?

Set your grill to a minimum of 500-degrees F. This allows you to grill the ribeyes for a shorter time, locking in the flavor and juices of the steak. Keep in mind, every time you lift the lid of the grill to flip the steaks, some of the heat will escape so work fast.

These cook times are medium-rare steaks. Add an additional 30 seconds to a few minutes if you prefer your steaks less rare.
If possible the ribeyes should be USDA prime cut ribeyes.
If you can't rest the steaks in the fridge overnight, start them off in the morning and cook them later in the day.
Make sure you don't skip the resting time after the steak is ready. During this time, the juices will redistribute throughout the steak resulting in a juicier steak.
Make sure you have everything you need handy before you start. This includes the steaks, herbed butter, tongs, pan, oven mitts to remove the hot pan from the grill, and your phone to time the cooking.

grilled ribeye steaks in a cast iron pan

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