Julie Clark
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Garlic Butter Steak
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You’ve never had a steak like this! A savory herbed butter marinade makes this Garlic Butter Steak melt in your mouth. Find tips for making the best NY Strip steak.
I am so, so thrilled to be sharing this garlic butter steak recipe with you today. A few years ago I set out to successfully cook a delicious steak. I wanted it to have a melt-in-your-mouth herbed garlic butter and be either pan seared or grilled. Today I bring you a steak recipe that I am 100% proud of. It’s beautiful and irresistible.
When my husband tasted the garlic butter steak he said, “Now if restaurants would serve steak like this, I’d want order it every time!”. That, my friends, is a huge accomplishment for my little self.
Is New York Strip a good cut of steak?
The NY strip steak, cut from the short loin section of the cow, is loved for its bold, beefy flavor and tender yet slightly chewy texture. It has a moderate amount of marbling, which provides richness without being too fatty. It is a popular cut of steak for steak lovers.
Strip steak has a strip of fat along one edge that can be trimmed if desired. Its natural flavor can be enhanced with an herbed butter marinate.
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Steak
- Although I tried several different cuts that ranged in price, my family’s favorite for this steak was a steak tenderloin. You can also choose sirloin steak, flank steak, ribeye, tenderloin or flat iron steaks.
- Use fresh rosemary and thyme to make the perfectly flavored butter with herbs.
✨ See the recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions. ✨
Can butter be used as a marinade?
Butter isn’t a traditional marinade, but you can use it along with herbs, onions and garlic to infuse flavor into the steak before cooking, during cooking and after.
The steak is going to rest in the herbed garlic butter for an hour. The butter will harden slightly, coating the steak. Then you’ll pop it right onto the hot skillet to sear the steak in the butter.
You’ll also use the herb garlic butter sauce for basting during cooking. It adds richness and helps create a golden, caramelized crust.
For a double butter effect, make a finishing garlic butter (½ cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon each fresh snipped thyme and rosemary).
Spread it over the steak after cooking. As it melts, it creates a flavorful finish.
How to Make Garlic Butter Steak
- Place steaks into a small baking dish, just large enough to fit the steaks. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes over each steak. Set aside.
- Add butter to a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add garlic, shallot, thyme, rosemary, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Pour butter over the steaks and rest for one hour so the butter starts to solidify.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or other large skillet over medium heat. Searing will give the steaks a nice crust.
- Remove the steaks from the butter. There should be clumps of butter covering all sides of the steaks when this is done.
- Add to the hot pan and sear 2 minutes. Flip the steaks over and sear for 1 minute then move to the top half of the pan and tilt the pan so the butter pools on the opposite side of the steaks.
- Use a spoon to continuously baste the steaks with the butter for 2-3 minutes. See the doneness chart in the notes below. Remove from the pan 5º before they hit your target temperature. The temperature will continue to rise as they rest.
- Place garlic butter steaks on a plate. Add a fresh sprig of rosemary and thyme on top and pour remaining melted butter from the pan over the steaks.
How to Cut Garlic Butter Steak
The last tip for tender steak comes when slicing your steak. Use a sharp knife to slice against the grain of the meat.
Beef is made up of long muscle fibers that are bundled together in a parallel fashion. You want to slice your steak across those parallel grain lines. This is less important with tenderloin and New York strip steaks, since the grain is very fine and tender to start. But in general, cutting across the grain will shorten those muscle fibers and give you a tender steak bite that is easy to eat.
Make it a meal.
Wondering what to serve with garlic butter steak? Try this pan-seared steak with one of the these side dishes:
- restaurant style baked potatoes
- garlic parmesan green beans
- other veggies like cauliflower or broccoli.
- dinner rolls
Try serving with our delicious butter rice!
Recipe Variations
- Use other steak variations: T-bone, porterhouse, ribeye steak or even filet mignon.
- Make garlic butter steak bites! Cut a steak (top sirloin works well) in bite-sized pieces. Then cook the steak as the recipe suggests.
- Grill the steak! If you grill the steak, do not put the baste the steak with the butter as you grill. Don’t spread the cooled butter that the steak has marinated in on the steak without cooking it.
- Use leftovers on a steak and potato salad or in a steak and rice wrap or bowl.
Other Steak Recipes
Garlic Butter Steak
You've never had a steak like this! A savory herbed butter marinade makes this Garlic Butter Steak melt in your mouth. Find tips for making the best NY Strip steak.
Servings 4
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 NY Strip Steaks 1” thick, 1 pound each
- ½ cup unsalted butter 4 ounces
- 8 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 shallot chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 teaspoons sea salt flakes divided
- 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
Instructions
- Place steaks into a small baking dish, just large enough to fit the steaks. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes over each steak. Set aside. 2 NY Strip Steaks, 4 teaspoons sea salt flakes
- Add butter to a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add garlic, shallot, thyme, rosemary, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes. ½ cup unsalted butter, 8 garlic cloves, 1 shallot, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
- Pour butter over the steaks and rest for one hour so the butter starts to solidify.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or other large skillet over high heat. Searing over high heat will give the steaks a nice crust.
- Remove the steaks from the butter. There should be clumps of butter covering all sides of the steaks when this is done.
- Add to the hot pan and sear 2 minutes. Flip the steaks over and sear for 1 minute then move to the top half of the pan and tilt the pan so the butter pools on the opposite side of the steaks.
- Use a spoon to continuously baste the steaks with the butter for 2-3 minutes. See the doneness chart in the notes below. Remove from the pan 5º before they hit your target temperature. The temperature will continue to rise as they rest.
- Place steaks on a plate. Add a fresh sprig of rosemary and thyme on top and pour remaining melted butter from the pan over the steaks.
- Let rest for 10 minutes. Then slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- Use an internal probe meat thermometer to test the cooked steaks.
- Medium-Rare Warm, red center; slightly firmer 130°F–135°F
- Medium Warm, pink center; firm yet still juicy 135°F–145°F
- Medium-Well Slightly pink center; firm with minimal juices 145°F–155°F
Nutrition
Calories: 540kcal | Protein: 50g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 206mg | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 813mg | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3.8mg
wow garlic butter steak yum yum
yum
If if you don’t have meat thermometer? Looking to try it tonight
Thanks!
Can it be cooked on the stove?
This is the best steak grilling tutorial I’ve every read. Thank you for taking the time to go through ALL the procedure! I can’t wait to get started.
This is a absolutely fantastic recipe!!!! Great success for my fathersday lunch!!!! Everyone loved it. So much so I got requests for the recipes from their friends!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
What type of grill is that in the video for the garlic steak?
This looks like the perfect dish! Yum!