Chili-Rubbed Ribeye Steak with Maple-Bourbon Butter Recipe
Chili-Rubbed Ribeye Steak with Maple-Bourbon Butter is a foolproof recipe featuring restaurant-quality steak, seasoned with a chili powder-brown sugar rub, pan-seared in a cast-iron skillet, and finished in the oven.
Combine chili powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
How to prep your steaks:
Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. Reserve one teaspoon of the rub, and sprinkle the remainder on both sides of the steaks. Rub in. Cover the steaks and let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you have more time, cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
How to make the maple bourbon butter:
Soften the butter by putting it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Add the reserved chili rub you saved, one teaspoon of finely chopped parsley, along with the bourbon and maple syrup. It will take a minute or so to get everything incorporated, but keep stirring until your butter is smooth and creamy.
Put the butter mixture on a square of wax paper and roll it up into a cylinder. Twist the ends and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
How to pan-sear the steaks:
Take the beef out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking so that it will be at room temperature. This helps them cook more evenly.
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and turn on your kitchen exhaust fan to high. If you don't have a good exhaust fan, you might want to open a window.
Put a large well-seasoned cast-iron skillet in the oven and let it heat up for five minutes. While your skillet heats brush both sides of your steaks with a light coat of olive oil.
Use a very heavy-duty cooking mitt or potholder, and carefully take your hot cast-iron skillet out of the oven. Place it on a stovetop burner over high heat. Heat the skillet for an additional five minutes.
Now, it's time to add your steaks! Sear them for 30 seconds on the first side, then flip them over and sear for another 30 seconds on the second side.
How to finish the steaks in the oven:
Using a heavy-duty oven mitt, very carefully put the pan and steaks in the oven. Cook the steaks for two minutes on one side. Then, carefully flip them over and let them cook for an additional two minutes.
For perfectly cooked steaks, use the times above as a guide and use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. Don't forget that the internal temperature of your beef will increase 3-5 degrees while resting.
Finally, remove your steaks from the pan and put on a cutting board or plate. Let them rest covered for about 10 minutes to reabsorb the juices. Add a few pats of the maple-bourbon butter and tent with foil to keep the heat in.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
For steaks that are one and one-half inches thick, this recipe will cook them to medium-rare. If your steaks are thinner, reduce the amount of time in the oven. You will want to increase the time if they are thicker. If you prefer your steak more well done, you can increase the time proportionally.
Rare: 3-4 minutes total, for an internal 120-130 degrees.
Medium rare: 5-6 minutes total, for an internal 130-140 degrees
Medium: 7-8 minutes total, for an internal 140-150 degrees
This recipe will produce smoke. Before preheating your oven to 500 degrees, make sure your oven is clean! If not, your smoke alarm will sound like a four-alarm fire! Don't ask me how I know this.When buying beef, purchase USDA grade Prime, if you can, or Choice. No matter the price, it is still much less expensive than if you ordered it in a restaurant. Because of the high temperatures called for in this recipe, I only recommend using a cast-iron skillet that can withstand the heat. This recipe calls for boneless ribeye steaks, you can substitute bone-in, but they will take a little longer to cook. If you would like an alternative to the maple bourbon butter, try my easy to make, homemade Garlic Herb Butter.