Grass fed rib eye steaks cost beaucoup bucks so the last thing you want to do is waste your hard-earned cash by overcooking them. This dish is super-fast and tasty provided you follow these simple rules:
- Salt your meat ahead of time. A day or two ahead if you remember but a minimum of 30 minutes if you don’t. Per acclaimed SF chef Judy Rodgers, salting early seasons the beef all the way through and it’ll be more moist and tender.
- Always bring your grass fed steaks up to cool room temperature before cooking. That means taking them out of the fridge 45 minutes to an hour before you cook them.
- If the steaks are thicker than 1-inch, your best bet is to cook them sous vide and then sear them. Serious Eats has a primer on this method here. No SousVide Supreme? Hack a sous vide contraption yourself!
- If your steaks are thin (less than 1 inch thick) sear them on a hot greased grill or grill pan for about 2-3 minutes on each side undisturbed. You can snip the edge with a pair or scissors to keep them from curling up. Grass fed steaks are very lean so you gotta eat them rare or medium rare or they’ll taste like leather. You should aim for an internal temperature of 125F (medium rare).
- If you cook the steaks in a pan or on a grill, you must let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes before serving it. This resting time will ensure the steak stays juicy and moist. Don’t believe me? The geeks at Serious Eats proved it in their Food Lab and you can read about it here.
- Last but not least, don’t expect grass fed rib eye to taste like a well-marbled corn fed rib eye steak. It’ll be tougher but it’s also beefier and delicious (as long as you follow the above rules).
