How to Cook a Ribeye Steak Medium-Rare
Rib-eye steak has a well-deserved reputation for being a flavorful and tender cut of beef. Sometimes known as Delmonico, Spencer or Beauty steak, rib eye is a boneless steak cut from the rib area. Cook rib eye by broiling, grilling or panfrying it.
Rib-eye steak has a well-deserved reputation for being a flavorful and tender cut of beef. Sometimes known as Delmonico, Spencer or Beauty steak, rib eye is a boneless steak cut from the rib area. Cook rib eye by broiling, grilling or panfrying it. Because rib eye is a high-quality cut of beef, keep seasoning to a minimum. If you are using a rib eye that has been frozen, thaw the meat completely before you start to cook it.
Prepare the steaks. Pat them dry to make them brown better. Add seasoning to taste. For example, add a little salt and black pepper. Alternatively, marinate the meat first.
Place the steaks on a cooking surface set to medium heat. If you are broiling the rib eye, put steaks that are less than 1-inch thick on a rack 2 to 3 inches from the heat source. For thicker rib eyes up to 1 1/2 inches thick, place the steaks about 3 or 4 inches from the heat source. If you are using a skillet, cook the steaks at medium-high heat. When you use a grill, make sure the coals have a coating of ash before putting the steaks on.
Turn rib-eye steaks with tongs or a spatula. Poking them with a fork will allow juices to escape and you will end up with a drier steak that has lost some of its flavor. When you use a skillet, pour off excess drippings.
Cook the rib-eye steaks until they are done to taste. The medium-rare cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the steaks and the cooking method you use. A 3/4-inch-thick rib eye takes 11 to 14 minutes to grill and eight to 10 minutes to broil or panfry. Thicker steaks -- up to 1 1/2 inches thick -- take 17 to 22 minutes for grilling. For broiling, allow 21 to 27 minutes, and for skillet cooking, allow 12 to 15 minutes.
Verify that the rib-eye steaks are medium-rare. If you use a meat thermometer, insert it horizontally from the side to the center of the steak. The temperature for medium-rare is about 145 degrees Fahrenheit. To check visually, make a small cut in the center of the steak. The middle should be a pink shade that turns to light brown as you get closer to the outside of the meat.