Cast-iron ribeye with garlic butter
A steakhouse ribeye at home in 20 minutes: a hard cast-iron sear, a butter-garlic-thyme baste, and an eight-minute rest. One net carb, zero fuss.
Ingredients
- 2 ribeye steaks, about 1.25 in thick, 12 oz each
- 1 tbsp neutral high-smoke-point oil, avocado or refined
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Kosher salt, generously
- Black pepper, freshly ground
Method
- 01
Pat the steaks bone-dry with paper towels and salt both sides generously. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
- 02
Heat a cast-iron skillet over high until it just begins to smoke. Add the oil and swirl to coat.
- 03
Lay the steaks away from you and sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, until a deep brown crust forms.
- 04
Flip once. Add the butter, smashed garlic, and thyme to the pan.
- 05
Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks continuously for 1 to 2 minutes, until the internal temperature reads about 125°F for medium-rare.
- 06
Transfer to a board and rest for 8 minutes before slicing. Spoon the pan butter over the top and finish with pepper.
The ribeye earns its place because it asks almost nothing of you and pays back like a restaurant. Fat, protein, one net carb, and a crust you can’t get from a grill. This is the default keto dinner for when you want to feel like you’re not on a diet at all.
The whole game is a dry surface and a screaming-hot pan. Water is the enemy of a crust. It steams instead of sears. Pat the steak bone-dry, salt early so the surface dries further, and don’t touch it once it hits the iron. Flip only once. The butter goes in at the end, not the start, because dairy solids burn over a long high-heat sear.
Rest is not optional. Cut too early and the juices run onto the board instead of staying in the meat. Eight minutes is the difference between a good steak and a wasted one. Leftovers keep three days. Slice cold over greens rather than reheating, which overcooks the interior you worked to nail.
This is educational content, not medical advice. Big diet changes deserve a conversation with your doctor — especially if you take medication or manage a condition. Full disclaimer.