A Man and His Grill: Cast Iron Seared Ribeye on the Grill

The butcher case didn’t have a steak with the qualities I desired. So I asked the butcher to cut this bone-in rib steak from a standing rib roast. It weighed 26 ounces and was about 2.5 inches thick.



Sea salt was liberally added. The steak was then placed in the refrigerator, uncovered for 8 hours. This allows the moisture to evaporate from the steak surface. I don't want the steak to steam during cooking.



I own a Wagner cast iron skillet. The seasoning isn't presentation quality but I use it often.



I placed my cast iron skillet on my Weber propane grill and the grill was turned on high. It’s essentially outdoor pan-searing using the grill as the heat source. This method allows a very high temperature without smoking fat being an issue. I know the reverse sear is currently quite popular. I like simple, high heat.

It took nearly 20 minutes to heat to a temperature of 600 F.



Safflower oil is a neutral oil with a high smoke point. The steak was brushed with oil and black pepper was added.



The steak was placed in the hot skillet.



I only flipped the steak once. The hot surface and oil facilitates the development of a nice crust.



The steak was removed from the heat and rested for 5 minutes.





The steak turned out very well.

I thought the high heat might burn off the cast iron seasoning. However, it wasn't an issue. The cast iron surface actually looked better afterwards from the oil and rendered fat.