Butter-Basted Grilled Steak

Most grilled steak recipes stop at sear, flip, pull. This one adds a stovetop finish: after the hard sear, the steak goes into a cast-iron skillet heating on the grill, and you spoon foaming butter, garlic and thyme over it. You get the char of the fire and a browned-butter crust on one steak, and because hot fat cooks the top while the pan cooks the bottom, the last few degrees creep up instead of jumping.

In a restaurant this usually happens in one pan on a range. We split it: the sear happens directly over the fire, and only the baste moves into cast iron, which sits on the grate so the butter never drips onto open flame. We also lean harder on a thermometer than the technique usually does; the touch test is here as a check alongside the probe.

• Charcoal or gas grill set up as a two-zone fire, one side as hot as it will go
• Cast-iron skillet big enough for both steaks, plus a heavy glove or towel for the handle
• Instant-read thermometer
• Long tongs and a large metal spoon
• Paper towels and a wire rack for resting

For the steaks

• 2 ribeye or strip steaks, about 1½ inches thick (roughly 1 lb each)
• 1 tbsp coarse kosher salt
• 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp neutral high-smoke-point oil, such as canola or avocado

For the baste

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, in pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat of a knife, skins on
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• Flaky salt for serving (optional)

1. Dry the surface

Pat every face dry with paper towels, edges included. Surface water has to boil off before browning starts, so a damp steak steams and turns grey.

2. Season heavily, just before cooking

Salt all sides and the fat edge generously; it will look like too much. Add the pepper, then rub a thin film of oil over the meat. Oiling the steak instead of the grate means fewer flare-ups.

3. Heat the grill and the skillet

Bank the coals to one side, or run one side of a gas grill on high and the other low. Set the empty skillet on the cooler side and close the lid so it heats through while the grill comes up.

4. Sear hard over direct heat

Lay the steaks on the hottest part of the grate. They should sizzle loudly the moment they land; if they don’t, give the grill longer. Leave them until they release cleanly with a deep brown crust, then flip. Stand each steak on its fat edge briefly to render it.

5. Move to the skillet and baste

Start probing during the second-side sear. While the centre is still well short of your pull temperature, slide the skillet over to the hot side, add the butter, garlic and thyme, and move the steaks in. When the butter foams and turns light brown, tilt the pan so it pools and spoon it over the steaks continuously, flipping once. If it darkens fast or smells acrid, slide the skillet to the cooler side and keep going.

6. Probe and pull early

Probe from the side into the centre of the thickest part, away from bone and fat. Take the steaks off 3–10°F below your target (see section 06), since the temperature keeps climbing as they rest. Thicker steaks carry over more.

7. Rest, then slice

Move the steaks to the rack, spoon some pan butter over them, and rest them roughly as long as they cooked; if you are cooking to 145°F, that rest must be at least 3 minutes. Slice across the grain and pour the remaining butter over the slices.

The doneness bands below are a cook’s convention for texture and colour, from the steak charts published by Certified Angus Beef and ThermoWorks. They are not a safety standard. The USDA row is.

Rare and medium-rare steak sit below the USDA safe minimum of 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and so does the medium band. Cooking a whole steak to those temperatures is the cook’s own choice. If you are feeding anyone who needs the safety margin, cook to 145°F and rest at least 3 minutes. Colour is not a reliable sign of doneness, so measure.

We are not giving minutes per side. Grill heat, thickness, how cold the meat is and how hot the skillet got all move the clock. Work in phases: the sear ends when both faces have a deep brown crust, the baste ends a few degrees under your target, and the rest runs about as long as everything before it. Start probing early.

The touch test described on the profile page compares the steak’s firmness with the flesh at the base of your thumb. Use it as a supplement to the thermometer, a cue to reach for the probe, and confirm with a reading every time; hands, cuts and fat content vary.

• Deep brown, dry-looking crust on both faces, no grey patches
• Fat edge rendered and golden at the corners
• Pressed in the centre, soft give for the rarer bands, firm push-back towards well done
• Butter in the skillet smells nutty and is light brown, with no black flecks
• The probe reads 3–10°F under your chosen target

• Rosemary for thyme: works the same way; use two or three sprigs, since it is stronger
• Salted butter: fine, but go lighter on the salt at the seasoning step
• Thinner steaks: skip the skillet and spoon melted butter over them while they rest; they will reach your target during the sear
• No cast iron: any heavy ovenproof skillet that can sit on a hot grate; avoid non-stick

Raw steaks keep 3 to 5 days in the fridge, or 4 to 12 months frozen for best quality; see how long steak lasts in the fridge. Refrigerate cooked leftovers in a shallow container within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). They keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or 2 to 6 months frozen for quality. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. If a raw steak smells off before you cook it, read how to tell if steak is bad. Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service and FoodSafety.gov.