Cast Iron New York Strip Steak
A 1.5-inch NY strip seared 4 minutes per side in a smoking-hot cast iron, basted with rosemary butter, and pulled at 130°F for a rosy medium-rare edge-to-edge.
NY Strip Steak (1.5-inch thick)
1.5-inch thick 16-oz NY strip, dry-brined 40 minutes at room temperature, seared in 1 tsp neutral oil then basted the final 4 minutes with 3 tbsp butter + 4 crushed garlic + 2 rosemary sprigs
cast-iron Timer
Set for 8 mins @ Screaming Hot (500°F+ / 260°C+) (Flip at 4m)
Ingredients
Base recipe calibrated for 2 adults.
Get to the Point
Dry-brine 1.5 lb NY strip with 1.5 tsp salt at room temp 40 min.
Heat cast iron 5 min until smoking; sear steak 4 min without moving.
Flip, add 3 tbsp butter + 4 crushed garlic + 2 rosemary sprigs; baste 4 min.
Pull at 130°F, rest 8 min tented, slice against grain.
Step-by-Step Guided Instructions
Pat a 1.5 lb (1.5-inch thick) NY strip steak dry. Season all over with 1.5 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp coarse black pepper. Let sit on a wire rack over a plate at room temperature for 40 minutes.
40 minutes at room temp = warmer center = more even cook. A cold-from-the-fridge steak has a gray band 1/2-inch thick around a barely-warm center. Tempering fixes this.
Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on high heat and preheat for 5 full minutes until it just starts to smoke. Turn on the range hood. This is loud, smoky, essential.
The 500°F+ pan is the whole game. Steel or non-stick won't get hot enough for the crust. Cast iron is the only pan that retains this much heat when the cold steak hits.
Add 1 tbsp neutral oil to the pan. Immediately lay the steak down (away from you to avoid splatter). Do not move, poke, or peek for 4 full minutes.
Moving the steak breaks the sear. Set a 4-minute timer, wash your hands, look at your phone — anything to keep you from touching it.
Flip the steak with tongs. Immediately add 3 tbsp cold butter, 4 crushed garlic cloves (skin on), and 2 rosemary sprigs to the pan. The butter will foam instantly.
Butter added at the flip has just enough time to brown without burning. Add it at the start and it goes black before the steak is seared.
Tilt the pan slightly so the browned butter pools. Use a large spoon to continuously baste the top of the steak with the butter for 4 minutes. Insert an instant-read thermometer — pull at 130°F for medium-rare.
The baste is what carries the garlic and rosemary flavor into the top crust. Non-basted steak is fine; basted steak is a restaurant steak.
Transfer the steak to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and rest 8 minutes. Slice against the grain into 1/2-inch strips. Serve with the pan drippings drizzled over the top.
The pan drippings are liquid gold — pour them over the sliced steak or dip crusty bread in them. Do not wash the pan for 30 minutes — deglaze with 1/4 cup wine for a bonus 90-second pan sauce.
Sear on side, edge, edge with tongs held vertically after step 5 for 30 seconds each on the fat cap. The rendered fat cap is prime real estate — many home cooks skip it and lose the best bite on the plate.
Slice the well-done edge pieces (nearest the fat cap) into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with a small pat of butter and a drop of ketchup. Kids read cubes as familiar; the pink center reads as scary.
- Loaded baked potato with sour cream
- Simple wedge salad with blue cheese
- Grilled asparagus with lemon
Do not reheat NY strip — the pink turns gray in 60 seconds. Slice leftovers cold onto a salad, into a sandwich with horseradish mayo, or into a steak-and-egg breakfast the next morning.