Have you seen the prices for steak at your favorite steak places lately? You can save money by doing it yourself. But before you object that you don’t know how to cook a steak on the stove with butter, it is seriously one of the easiest things you can make at home.
And once you know how to cook a steak on the stove with butter, you will never want to pay $35, $55, or even $75 (yes, really!) for a steak in a restaurant again. You’ll get it just right, perfectly tender and juicy with that steakhouse taste you crave!
First, Choose Good Steaks
Steak is cooked with quality cuts of meat. That said, even if you go to the butcher, you can get top-quality cuts and cook them yourself for much less than you’re charged at restaurants. New York strip is one of the best though a top sirloin steak or ribeye will also work well.
Another plus about going to the butcher is having the steaks cut to the perfect thickness for cooking on the stove. A good rule of thumb is to have them at 16 ounces and one and ¼” thick.
Next, Use the Right Pan
A large and heavy pan is what you need if you want to know how to cook a steak on the stove with butter. Cast iron is one of the best, but if you don’t have one, something heavy made from stainless steel will also do the trick.
Start with Room Temperature Steaks
One of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking steak on the stove or even on the grill at home is throwing the steaks onto the heat right from the fridge. Your steaks should sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking them. This ensures they’ll cook more evenly.
Preheat Your Pan Before You Begin
Another common steak mistake (or shall we say mis-steak? Sorry…couldn’t hep myself!) is that most people don’t let the pan heat up first. If you want that steakhouse sear, gorgeous color, and flavor, you must be patient and get the pan hot.
Know How to Prep Your Steaks
Good meat doesn’t need to be coated in tons of flavors. In fact, keeping it simple is how you can taste the flavors of the meat. Plus, if you add too many seasonings when you cook steak on the stovetop, they will stick to the pan and burn. It’s best to pat them dry on both sides and then season both sides of your steaks with salt and pepper.
Use Vegetable Oil
You don’t need gobs and gobs of it, but if you want to know how to cook a steak on the stove with butter, you can’t just dump the butter in first. Butter has a low smoke point and will burn when you put it in too early. Oil will help you cook those steaks right. Only a ½ tablespoon should do it!
Push Them Down
Once your steaks are ready to go into the pan, don’t just toss them in there. Gently press them down with your cooking tongs to ensure the entire surface is in contact with the pan.
The Time to Sear Is Here
Now that you have your steaks in the pan, you will want to cook them so they sear on each side. This will be about 3 to 4 minutes per side. You’ll want the steaks to form a brown crust.
You’ll also want to grab your tongs and use them to turn each steak onto those sides to sear the edges. Just a minute per edge is all you need.
Bring on the Butter
Since you want to know how to cook a steak on the stove with butter, the time to add the butter is at the end, after you have flipped your steaks. You should spoon the melted butter over the steaks, basting them with this deliciousness.
Add Another Layer of Flavor
While steaks cooked with butter will be delicious, you can elevate them further by adding garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary or thyme.
Know Your Desired Doneness for Steak
Steaks will continue to cook internally as they rest. This is why you will want to check the internal temperature and yank them off the heat when they are about 5 to 10 degrees away from your desired level of doneness. An instant-read meat thermometer can help you with this.
For a medium rare steak that is soft with a dark pink interior, the internal temperature should be 145F. Medium will be soft with some pink and measure 160F. And if you prefer well-done steaks, they should be firm with no pink inside and clock in at 170F.
When checking the temperature, insert the thermometer along the side of the meat horizontally. If you prefer a medium steak, you will want to get it out of the pan when it measures 145F. When it rests (we’ll get to that in a minute), you will see the temperature will rise to 150-155F.
Let Your Steaks Rest
Steak should never be served immediately from the pan. You need to let it rest first. This allows it to finish cooking properly without overcooking. Ideally, give them 10 minutes to do this, covered loosely with foil on your cutting board.
After letting them rest, your steaks will be ready to slice and serve. But there’s just one more thing…
How to Cut Your Steak Like a Steakhouse
If you want to have that steakhouse presentation, you should slice the steak against the grain and at an angle. This will make everyone ooh and ahh when you bring it to the table.
Now that you know how to cook a steak on the stove with butter don’t forget about serving it with all those steakhouse sides. Creamed spinach, loaded baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, Caesar salad, freshly baked bread, and sauteed asparagus spears are just a few that will complement your perfectly home-cooked steaks!
