Published November 1, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Cooking steak on the stove is one of the easiest ways to make perfectly seared, juicy, buttery-rich steak with a delicious crust. Infused with butter, aromatics, and fresh herbs, each bite tastes like it came from a steakhouse.
I’m not one to eat steak for dinner every night, so when I do cook steak, I want a restaurant-quality meal. Luckily, this is easy to achieve with a tried-and-true method, like pan-searing. If you’re ready for more fail-proof ways to cook steak on the stove, check out my How to Sear a Steak, Reverse Sear Steak, and Cold Sear Steak tutorials.
Cooking Steak on the Stove
Once you discover how easy it is to cook steak on the stove, you’ll never feel like you have to rely only on grilling again. This quick, easy, and reliable cooking method gives you total control over the temperature and flavors, leading to a restaurant-worthy meal every time. It doesn’t matter if you like it rare, well-done, or anywhere in between—pan-searing will give you exactly what you want!
This method begins by searing the steak in a smoking hot skillet to create a caramelized crust and lock in the beefy juices, giving each bite irresistible flavors. The steak is then finished with a lower, more controlled heat and basted in butter. This process ensures the steak stays tender and juicy through the center while the exterior boasts a beautiful, browned Maillard crust.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Steak – Well-marbled ribeyes or New York strips are two of my favorite cuts for stove-cooked steak. They have a good amount of intramuscular fat that melts when cooked, yielding juicy and flavorful results. Filet mignon, sirloin, flank, skirt, and hanger steaks also work well.
- Oil – Searing the steaks in a hot pan with a high-heat oil, such as olive oil, avocado oil, or clarified butter, will encourage a golden crust to form around the outside.
- Butter — I used melted unsalted butter to baste the steaks. Over time, it penetrates the meat, leading to deep nutty flavors, tender beef, and a golden crust.
- Aromatics — Crushed garlic cloves and shallots are key to building complex layers of flavor. Other aromatics you can use are chopped yellow or red onions.
- Herbs – Fresh thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and sage leaves add an earthy, aromatic element. Fresh oregano also works well here.
- Seasonings — Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper coat and season the steaks. You can use table salt in a pinch, but coarse kosher or sea salt yields a more distinct crust.
How to Cook Steak on the Stove
Pat the steaks dry with paper towels, then season them generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
Next, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer and smoke lightly.
If you are cooking a steak with a fat cap on one side. Place the steaks fat cap side down and cook for 30 seconds.
Place the steaks in the hot pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook undisturbed for 1 minute and 30 seconds (for medium-rare).
Use tongs to gently move the steaks in a circular motion for another 1 minute and 30 seconds. This will give them an evenly browned crust on the surface.
Flip the steaks, then add the butter, aromatics, and herbs to the pan.
Once the butter has melted, tilt the pan slightly and spoon the butter and aromatics over the steaks. Repeat this process for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the steaks from the pan and set them aside to rest on a wire rack for 4 to 5 minutes before serving with classic steakhouse sides. We love ours with garlic parmesan potatoes, glazed carrots, and roasted asparagus.
How Long Do You Cook Steak On The Stove?
The exact time it takes to cook steak on the stove depends on the cut of the steak, its thickness, and your ideal doneness. A thick yet tender steak, like filet mignon, will almost always cook faster than a less tender steak, like a NY strip. No matter what, I always recommend using a quick-read thermometer (affiliate link) when cooking proteins because it’s the easiest way to tell if the meat is cooked to temperature.
Use your thermometer and this temperature guide to decipher between the different degrees of doneness:
- Rare – 120°F to 125°F internally
- Medium-Rare – 125°F to 130°F internally
- Medium – 135°F to 140°F internally
- Medium-Well – 145°F to 150°F internally
- Well-Done – 155ºF internally
Remember to remove the steaks from the pan when they’re about 5 degrees below your desired final temperature. After they’re removed from the heat, they’ll continue to cook and rise in temperature for a few minutes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Eat the pan-seared steak as soon as it’s done resting. If it’s made too far in advance, it will dry out.
How to Store: Transfer the leftover steak to an airtight container or wrap it in aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing steaks once cooked.
How to Reheat: Heat a small amount of butter or oil in a pan over medium heat and reheat the steak on the stove for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until heated through.
Chef Notes + Tips
- You can dry brine the steaks to enhance their taste and tenderness. Season the steaks generously with salt and let them rest, uncovered, on a rack in the fridge for 4 to 24 hours before cooking them on the stove.
- Cast iron or carbon steel pans are best for cooking steak because they retain and distribute heat evenly, giving them perfect sear.
- Carefully rotate the steaks in the pan with tongs. Don’t squeeze too hard, or you’ll release those delicious meaty juices.
- A sizzling hot pan is key to achieving an impressive golden crust. You’ll know the pan is hot enough when the oil shimmers and starts to smoke lightly.
- Butter basting infuses the meat with rich flavors, keeps the meat juicy on the inside, and helps the crust stay golden and crispy.
- Set the steaks aside for at least 5 minutes after cooking. As they cool, their natural juices will soak back into the meat fibers, resulting in perfectly tender steaks.
- Overcooked steaks can be avoided by positioning them upright while resting. This allows the heat to escape faster, preventing the steak from overcooking or exceeding your desired doneness.
More steak recipes
- Tomahawk Steak Recipe
- Sous Vide Steak
- Steak Frites Recipe
- Picanha Steak Recipe
- Coulotte Steak Recipe
How to Cook Steak on the Stove
Ingredients
- 2 12-14 ounce New York Strip Steaks or RIbeyes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 garlic cloves
- 4 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 to 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 6 to 8 leaves of fresh sage
- 1 peeled shallot sliced in half
- Coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat the steaks dry on all sides with a paper towel.
- Season them on all sides with salt and pepper. You can also dry brine the steak for 4 to 24 hours.
- Add the olive oil to a large cast iron or carbon steel pan and heat over high heat until the oil smokes lightly.
- For a medium-rare internal steak, place the steak in the pan, turn the heat down to medium, and let the steak cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
- Next, using tongs, move the steaks around in a circular motion for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Doing this will help completely brown the top of the steak.
- Flip the steak over, turn the heat down to medium, and immediately add in the butter, thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic, and shallots.
- Baste the steak for 2 to 3 minutes to help brown and flavor the steak more.
- Remove the steaks and place them on a rack to rest for 4 to 5 minutes before serving.
How to Cook Steak on the Stove