Spoiler alert: you don’t need to spend $100 at a fancy restaurant to eat a really delicious steak. In fact, making your own steak at home using a cast iron skillet will not only cost you a fraction of the price, but if you do it the right way, we promise it will taste substantially better than anything you can order off a menu.

cast iron skillet steak on plate

Cast Iron Skillet Steak Ingredients

To make a really good cast iron skillet steak, you only need a few simple ingredients and a cast iron skillet.

  • Steak: You’ll want to use a New York Steak or a ribeye for this recipe. Although New York steak doesn’t have as much fat or marbling as a ribeye, both cuts of meat work fantastically and will yield excellent results.
  • Kosher Salt: skip the iodized salt and use a good quality kosher salt to liberally season your steaks. Diamond Chrystal Kosher or Morton Coarse Kosher (the two leading brands of salt) will work great for this recipe.
  • Fresh Cracked Pepper: cracking your own pepper by hand ensures that it’s fresh and doesn’t overpower the flavor of your steak.
  • Canola or Vegetable Oil: the best steaks are cooked over high heat, and using a neutral oil with a high smoke point will allow you to make that irresistible crust on the outside surface of your steak without burning it.
  • Butter: basting your steak with butter enhances the flavor and texture of your steak. We prefer using unsalted but in a pinch salted butter works great too.
  • Fresh Herbs: this ingredient can be passed if necessary, but we love how fresh herbs enhance the flavor of steak so easily by simply adding them to the butter just before they’re basted and then removed from the skillet. You can use any combination of herbs but rosemary and thyme are our favorites.
two cast iron skillet steaks on plate with steak knife

How To Cook A Steak In A Cast Iron Skillet

Making steak in a cast iron skillet is surprisingly super simple and can be done in X easy steps. Follow each of them with exactness for guaranteed success.

  1. Prep your steaks: 30 minutes before you’re ready to begin cooking the steaks, remove them from the refrigerator, pat them dry with a paper towel, and liberally season both sides with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Set them aside and let them sit for 30 minutes—this important resting time will allow the salt to tenderize and flavor the steaks while they come to room temperature, which will allow the steaks to cook more evenly.
  2. Cook the steaks. When you’re ready to cook the steak, preheat your cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the neutral oil to the pan and once it’s shimmering (this should only take a few seconds), add the steak to the pan with tongs, gently pressing the surface of the steak to the pan without disturbing it or moving it around. For a beautiful medium-rare steak, cook both sides for 3-4 minutes, adding 2 tablespoons of butter and the fresh herbs after the steak has been flipped, and basting the top, cooked surface of the steak with butter for 1-2 minutes as it’s cooking.
  3. Let your steaks rest. An absolutely crucial step to making the best cast iron skillet steak is to let it rest. Once your steak has reached its ideal internal temperature (see cooking temperatures below), remove the steaks from the cast iron skillet, set on a plate, and let them rest for a minimum of 5 minutes. Letting your steaks rest allows the juices from the steak to redistribute as the muscle fibers relax.
  4. Devour your steak. Enjoy your delicious, restaurant-quality steaks immediately after they’ve had a few minutes to rest. You can eat them as is or top them with an extra pat of butter.
cast iron skillet steaks

Frequently Asked Questions

What cut of meat should I buy and what should I look for at the store?

The quality of your steak matters and we highly recommend purchasing the highest quality steak you have access to. Costco sells great high-quality steaks for a very reasonable price (including prime cuts). Even if your steak costs $20/lb, you’ll still be spending a small fraction of what you’d pay in a restaurant. For this recipe, we recommend cooking with a New York Steak or ribeye.

How do I keep my smoke alarm from going off when I cook steak inside?

Smoke altogether is unavoidable, but turning on a range hood and cooking with an oil that has a high smoke point (canola oil, vegetable oil, or even grapeseed oil) will help tremendously as well.

How do I make sure my steak doesn’t get overcooked?

The best way to ensure your steak isn’t overcooked is to cook it according to temperature. Investing in an instant-read thermometer will not only set you up for success with this recipe but is a great way to make sure so many foods are cooked properly including meats like chicken, salmon, and even baked goods.

How do you get the crispy crust on the outside of the steak?

The crispy, delicious exterior of a steak is achieved by cooking it on super high heat (which is why the cast iron skillet is such an ideal choice for cooking steak—it retains heat exceptionally well!) with oil and leaving it undisturbed for a few minutes before moving or flipping the steak.

What’s the best way to reheat leftover steak?

Pull your steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan on eating it, and preheat your oven to 250°F with the rack positioned in the middle. Place the steak on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Just before the steak comes out of the oven, heat your cast iron skillet over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove the steak from the oven and sear for no more than 1 minute per side. Let it rest for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Steak Cooking Temperatures (For Doneness)

If you ask us what the perfect temperature for a steak is, we’ll tell you medium-rare all day, every day, but cooking by temperature is the best way to cook a steak based on your personal preference! We recommend pulling the steak at the lower end of each interval to avoid overcooking (the steak will continue to cook after it’s removed from the skillet). Remember, you can always cook a steak more, but you can’t “uncook” a steak.

  • Rare: 110-120°F
  • Medium Rare: 120-130°F
  • Medium: 130-140°F
  • Medium Well: 140-150°F

More Delicious Steak Recipes

Cast Iron Skillet Steak

Brooke Eliason
Print
Servings: 2 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Rest Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 43 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
With just salt, pepper, and a good quality cut of meat, you can make amazing cast iron skillet steak that rivals anything you'll find at a restaurant.

Ingredients 

  • 2 New York or Ribeye steaks (boneless), approximately 1 lb. each, about 1-1.5 inches thick
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , plus more for garnish
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, etc., plus more for garnish

Instructions

  • 30 minutes before cooking, remove the steaks from the refrigerator, pat dry with a paper towel, and liberally season both sides with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper (you may not need all of the salt). Set steaks aside for a minimum of 30 minutes.
  • Preheat your cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the neutral oil to the pan and once hot and shimmering, add the steaks to the skillet with tongs, gently pressing the surface of the steak into the cast iron skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip the steak, and add 2 tablespoons of butter and the fresh herbs to the skillet. Once the butter is melted, use a spoon to baste the tops of the steaks with the melted butter as they cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Once the steaks reach your desired internal temperature (120-130°F for Medium Rare), remove from the skillet.
  • Top the hot steaks with a pat of butter each and let them rest for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with additional herbs if desired and serve immediately.

Equipment

  • 1 12-inch cast iron skillet

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