# Best way to cook a rib eye? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757 "2012-02-13T23:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/21 "2012-02-14T19:30:08Z")
I don’t do it but Ruth Chris melts big glob of butter on top of their ribeye… that why the smell so good. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/22 "2012-02-14T19:49:50Z")
Yeah, get that grill all fired up with some nice hickory wood and make sure it is up to temperature. Take the steak outside and show it to the fire. Just a quick peek to show it that you mean business. Take it back inside and eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/23 "2012-02-14T19:52:28Z")
I don’t remember who said it (Bobby Flay?), but somthing along the lines of ‘if you marinate rib eye, the grill gods take away your tongs’. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/24 "2012-02-14T19:58:03Z")
Here’s how I do it: 1. Let the ribeye thaw to room temperature (personally I think freezing the meat beforehand substantially hurts the flavor, but what’s done is done) 2. Put a cast-iron pan on the stove on medium heat (medium-high heat if its a thinner steak) 3. Cover the steak with generous amounts of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper (obviously, you don’t like pepper and your hubby doesn’t like salt, so you might have to work around here but this is how I roll). Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on both sides. 4. Place the ribeye on the pan for 3-4 minutes depending on thickness. Rotate occasionally with tongs (never pierce the steak) to avoid sticking. 5. Flip the steak, and cook for 2-3 minutes. 6. Remove from pan, let sit for 5 minutes with a dab of butter melting on top. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/25 "2012-02-14T20:13:57Z")
OK, OK, I am NOT marinating the steak! But the weather looks very nice, and we still have a nice big pile of mesquite from the last time Bill cleared out some brush on his farm. I don’t know if we have any hickory, though. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/26 "2012-02-14T20:27:38Z")
You know how else cleared brush on his farm in Texas? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/27 "2012-02-14T20:45:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You know how else cleared brush on his farm in Texas? I give up. How? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/28 "2012-02-14T20:51:56Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I give up. How? Hbus! I bet you thought I was going to say Rhitle. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/29 "2012-02-14T21:11:58Z")
Salt and pepper the steak. put it on a rack in a low 275F oven for 16 minutes. Then flip it and leave in the oven for another 16 minutes. Meanwhile get the cast iron skillet hot. After the 16 minutes are up cook the steak in the pan for one minute on each side. Let the steak rest for a few minutes then eat. This method leave the steak a beautiful medium rare. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/30 "2012-02-15T15:44:17Z")
Marinate a ribeye? Heresy, I tell you. Glad you have seen the light! This won’t work for Lynn (pepper) but here’s how I cook ribeyes: Pre-heat the grill to medium high. Sprinkle meat with Montreal Seasoning (which is mainly pepper). Toss meat on lower rack. Don’t close the grill cover. Put something in your hand (a glass of beer or a glass of wine), whatever it takes to prevent yourself from harrassing the meat. That’s right, Mr. Grillmaster. No need to poke at it, or slice it open to see if it looks right. Just leave it alone and drink your wine. After 7 minutes, flip it. Once. Again, resist the temptation to harrass it. 4 minutes later, remove from the grill. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Voila! Perfect steak! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/31 "2012-02-15T15:56:08Z")
The problem with giving times is that those offering recipes do not know how thick and how heavy are the steaks **Lynn** will be cooking. 11 minutes on a grill for a 1/2 to 3/4" steak will result in a hockey puck. However, it may work for a 1 1/2" bone-in steak. If grilling, I would superheat a section of the grill by putting a disposable pan over the section you will be grilling the steaks. To get the beautiful crosshatch, cook two minutes, turn 90º, cook two more minutes. This will be your presentation side. Flip. With a thin steak, you won’t have time to get a cross-hatch on the other side. If thin, start temping the meat after 60 seconds. If you have a thick steak, you can repeat what you did on the presentation side, but cut the time down to 90 seconds. If, after 7 minutes of direct heat, you steak has still not reached your desired temperature, finish with indirect heat. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/32 "2012-02-15T17:17:02Z")
Man, no salt and no pepper? It’s going to be tough to be snobby about a steak when you have those restrictions. Pepper is somewhat tolerable to leave off since it can be replaced with garlic or rosemary or another herb, but black pepper and steak are fast friends. The salt however presents a nearly insurmountable problem. [This post](http://steamykitchen.com/163-how-to-turn-cheap-choice-steaks-into-gucci-prime-steaks.html) pretty nicely sums up the issue. Personally, I’d follow that method and then rinse off the salt. It should provide the benefits of salt for the Maillard reaction without a heavy salt flavor. Steak without salt is like non-alcoholic Beer. A couple of points. The marinade issue has been addressed. I sometimes like a teriyaki marinade on a steak or burger, but only when it’s a substandard cut of supermarket beef. Most importantly, never, never, never use pineapple juice in a marinade. Papain is an enzyme in pineapple and papaya that essentially digests meat. Adding it to a marinade is a terrible idea, it ruins the texture and if the meat is marinated in it for long it will literally turn into soup. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/33 "2012-02-15T17:26:35Z")
If you are gonna do a marinade, or even a rub, mix in a little beer or Coke, maybe 3-4 oz. It works to tenderize the meat a bit and get the flavor to go through the meat more. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/34 "2012-02-15T17:32:59Z")
Well, Mr. Shoe and I had a ribeye last night and the marinade was our usual soy sauce/wine/pineapple juice mix. We’ve never EVER had any issues with “mushiness” but then, the steak sits in the marinade for an hour, maybe two at the most. It’s not like I’m leaving it overnight or anything. And it was dee-fucking-licious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/35 "2012-02-15T17:59:21Z")
Nothing to add other than less is more with rib-eye. As a side note, I use rib-eye as the touchstone as to how good a steakhouse really is. It’s hard to mess up a filet or porterhouse if you have any clue what you’re doing but it’s surprising how many places cannot do a great rib-eye. If you have to do a marinade, try [this one](http://www.grilling-recipes.com/beef/r1616.htm) then grill… ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/36 "2012-02-16T00:44:18Z")
I’d like to raise my hand and put in a vote for Sous Vide cooking, then searing in a cast iron skillet. Turns out perfect for us. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/37 "2012-02-16T01:06:15Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > I’d like to raise my hand and put in a vote for Sous Vide cooking, then searing in a cast iron skillet. Turns out perfect for us. I have a Sous Vide machine and I find that my low oven method in post 29 works better. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/38 "2012-02-16T02:26:03Z")
The rib eye was grilled over mesquite, with some garlic and onion. And it was quite tender and tasty. I do regret that Bill doesn’t like salt, because it does limit my cooking even more than my intolerance of pepper. However, he puts up with a lot of stuff for me, so I am willing to salt most of my food at the table, if I think it needs it. However, I still make an occasional New England boiled dinner and tell him to go eat shrimp and oysters. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/39 "2012-02-16T04:27:02Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > The rib eye was grilled over mesquite, with some garlic and onion. And it was quite tender and tasty. > > I do regret that Bill doesn’t like salt, because it does limit my cooking even more than my intolerance of pepper. However, he puts up with a lot of stuff for me, so I am willing to salt most of my food at the table, if I think it needs it. > > However, I still make an occasional New England boiled dinner and tell him to go eat shrimp and oysters. Wait… did you have one Rib Eye between the two of you? Having your own steak each solves the whole seasoning/doneness controversy (posed from experience with a wife who thinks properly done is burned to a crisp). Salt on yours… pepper on his… problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757/40 "2012-02-16T04:36:37Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > … let it sit for 10 minutes off the heat. With a smear of hotel butter. Glad to hear it turned out well, Lynn … did you manage to find the crucial ingredient: hotel butter? I used **MO** tel butter once. Better than nothing, but just not quite as classy. (Nothing to really add, but wanted to butt in to say congrats, and to thank the board for educating me on the Maillard reaction-- now I know why toast \> bread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-cook-a-rib-eye/612757.md?page=3)