Often times the simplest things are the most difficult to do right, and such is the case with steak. It is so easy to ruin a perfect piece of meat, and for the longest time I had given up on cooking steak at home…Until I discovered pan-frying steak.
serves: 4 difficulty: medium prep time: 20 – 30 min
Ingredients
- 2 large ribeye steaks, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick, each about 1 lbs. I usually get Snake River Farm American Wagyu ribeye from the Golden Gate Meat Co.
- 2-3 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2-3 sprigs of rosemary or thyme
- 1 tbs canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tbs butter
Preparation
It is important to take the meat out of the fridge 3-4 hrs before you cook it so that it is room temperature by the time you cook it. If you take the steak out of the fridge and start cooking it immediately, it won’t cook properly because the middle of the steak will be still cold. 
Season each steak with 1/2 tbs of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. That may seem excessive, but as Tom Colicchio on Top Chef would say, the biggest cooking sin is under-seasoning.
Heat the oil in a frying pan until its smoking. Keep the heat high, add the steaks, and place the garlic cloves, rosemary or thyme on top of the steaks. Cover with a lid.
The proper cooking time will depend on how you like your steak, the thickness of the steak, how fatty the meat is, how powerful your burners are etc, but here are some guidelines:
- for bleu to rare, fry the steak on one side for 2 min, then turn and fry for another 1 1/2 min.
- for medium rare, fry on one side for 2 1/2 to 3 min, then turn and fry for another 2 min.
- and for well done… you simply should not have your steak well done!
Once you turn the steak, divide the butter in two, place each half on top of each steak and cover again. Once done frying, remove the steaks from the pan, and place them on a piece of aluminum foil and cover with another sheet of foil. Rest them for 3-5 min. Either discard the garlic and herbs, or use them as garnish
Cut each steak in half, and serve each person half of the steak.
Serve with a side dish of potatoes or green vegetables. 
I personally never use sauces for steak because I find the beef is luxurious and flavorful enough on its own.
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