Pan-Seared Rib Eye Steak With Smoked Paprika Rub

By Addie

"I picked up a kosher ribeye steak at Trader Joe's last week and pan-seared it using the technique that's become my hands-down favorite: Alton Brown's pan searing method. It turned out so perfectly-- tender and pink on the inside with a brown, spice-laden crust on the outside. The simple smoked paprika spice rub gave it a sweet, barbecued flavor. This is such an easy way to cook up a smoky, juicy ribeye steak without firing up the grill."

Ingredients

• 1 boneless rib-eye steaks ( 1 1/2-inch thick)
• 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (if using kosher meat) or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt ( if you're using non-kosher meat)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

Bring the steak to room temperature.

Mix all spices and oil into a thick paste. Rub spice rub mixture onto both sides of the steak.

Optional: If you have the time, wrap the steak with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 15 minutes or longer at room temperature.

Put a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven, and heat oven to 500 degrees. When the oven thermometer indicates that it has reached 500 degrees, remove the pan from the oven (do not turn oven off). Transfer quickly to a stovetop burner on high heat.

Immediately place the steak in the middle of the pan. Cook for 30 seconds without moving. Flip with tongs and cook for 30 seconds on the second side. Quickly remove the pan from the heat and place into the oven. Cook for two minutes on each side for a medium rare steak, or three minutes on each side for a medium steak.

Transfer steak to a wooden cutting board and make a loose tent of aluminum foil over it. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.
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REVIEWS:

I have cooked rib eyes this way several times. THE TASTIEST STEAK YOU MAY EVER EAT!!!!! It cooks fast, even, and your makes your taste buds explode as you are smelling it cook. Never had a problem with smoke. The only problem I ever had was waiting for it to finish. I am actually going to cook two of them tonight. YUM YUM!! Enjoy.

We loved this - even my "I hate steak" children wanted more. I was looking for a quick and easy rub and saw this - we love smoked paprika. We ended up modifying the technique as we grilled the steaks (New York Strips) - the cook times weren't too far off and hubby said this could be made often. Thanks!

Technique is perfect - would have been better if I didn't forget to turn the oven off with the dirty pan still in it. Got a bit smokey in the kitchen after that. Steak was amazing - will be how I cook steak indoors from now on.

Didn't have the smoked paprika, so I used my own rub, but the cooking technique was great. DH liked the tenderness of the meat, I liked the ease of preparation and the fact that it truly came out the doneness that I wanted it to. Thanks chef for posting!!

This was good but I think I'll stick with my regular spices I use. I would recommend everyone to give it a try though.

Fantabulous method of cooking. Got all of my Cast Iron skillets out and had a ball. 1lb of Brussel Sprouts halved, tbls oil, salt pepper, tossed then in small skillet. Placed in first for about 10 mins before the steak. One Potato into fry slices, tossed with one tbls oil, in flat pan, in 10 mins before steak. Stirred Sprouts and fries upon occaision,,,, everyting out the same time. Sgood!

Wow...this was terrific! I will never cook a rib-eye any other way! I had already seasoned the steaks, to I need to get the smoked paprika, but the cooking method was outstanding! We found 3 mins each side in the oven was closer to medium-rare.

WOW!! The steaks were so moist! I used Tbones and my own variety of spices, but the cooking method was the key! Thanks!!!

Fantastic method!!! I used my stainless steel because I don't have any cast iron (yet) and it worked beautifully. Steaks came out tender and perfect. I added an extra minute to the oven time because we like ours just a tad more done.

Thanks sooooo much for posting this! I never would have thought to go looking for a how-to of his method of pan-searing (even after seeing it on t.v.). We had this for dinner tonight, replacing the salt with soy sauce, adding minced garlic and some dried herbs. I also deglazed the pan with about a tablespoon of butter and some white wine to make a reduction sauce. Served the steaks with sauteed zucchini w/ caramelized onions and baked sweet potato. YUM!

I have to tell you how empowered I felt making this steak! Usually, I leave grilling and steak preparation up to DH, but last night he got home very late from work. I made this recipe, which was very easy and low stress for me, and the result was a delicious, tender and juicy steak. In fact, usually we have to open quite a few windows when DH pan sears steak, but I had no problems with this recipe. I already copied this down for my keeper file and will make it again when I'm in charge of the steak. Thanks so much for posting!

Just perfect.Steaks on the grill sometimes taste tough(at least ours!)and these were perfect

Loved it the first time!! Added a 1/4 tsp of ground fennel...superb and so easy. P.S. might want to open a window or two but well worth it!

Wow!! I don't think I will ever go out to eat for a steak dinner again!!! Really good!!! I used a fillet of sirloin instead of rib eye. Had a really good flavor, juicy, and tender!! And cooking it was so easy!

I rate this 5 stars for the cooking method. I wasn't real excited about the smoked sweet paprika flavor so next time I will try a different steak rub. I added butter to the pan juices and make a little sauce to go with it.

Alton Brown's process for pan-searing steak is the only way I cook steak indoors now. Once I tried this method, I was absolutely hooked--my steaks ALWAYS come out perfect. I do vary the seasonings, but always use Kosher salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper. It is truly the method that makes this recipe. Bravo, Alton, and thanks for sharing "What's cooking"

Yes, the searing instructions are an Alton Brown recipe, just the rub is slightly different. and it's written for a 1.5 inch thick steak just for reference. This is delicious, I love smoked paprika. Only suggestion is that I might use canola instead of olive oil, for one because 500 degrees is far above the smoke point of olive oil, and also because it's a strong taste

This recipe is unbelievably simple, and the steak came out fantastic! I opted for a little different spice set-up: fresh ground pepper, kosher salt (a MUST with steak), coriander, ground garlic, cumin, but regardless of what you like, the searing will create that excellent crust of flavor. :) Very good instructions on how to pan sear it like a pro. I found this much easier and more flavorful than grilling. Also, as of yet, I do not have a good cast iron skillet, but my regular old no-stick skillet did just fine. Bravo!

This was my first time ever cooking a steak. I bought an 18 oz ribeye steak for my boyfriend as a surprise. I ended up doubling all ingredients in the rub recipe, then let it marinade in for a full day. He said it was honestly the best steak he has ever had, hands down, and he still brags about how I made it for him!

Wow! the rub made this steak fantastic. I added some granulated garlic, about half a teaspoon because i tripled this recipe. It was a little smokey in the kitchen but not too bad, heck the smoke alarms didn't even go off! Always a bonus! I needed to cook the staeks a little longer to get to medium rare, but mine were very thick. an excellent recipe, will be making steak this way again and again.

I, too, loved the method for cooking these steaks!! I tried both your seasoning and Smokey Steak Rub #93439~~and we really liked that one!! Thanks so much for a new method and for sharing!! :O)

Five big stars for the cooking method! So quick and easy and the steaks came out perfectly tender and juicy. I made two at a time, so added about a minute to the searing time. The seasoning was good, but we prefer our old standby Montreal Steak Seasoning. I plan to use that next time with this method. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.

This is an excellent technique. I didn't have time to let my 5 ribeye steaks (purchased in a "family pack" with five, 3/4 inch steaks) get to room temperature, but just set out for about 15 minutes before applying the rub (which I doubled-- probably next time would triple for 5 individually sized steaks) -- let sit for however many minutes it took for the oven to reach 500 degrees, and the steaks still turned out great. I also crowded all 5 into my 16 inch cast iron skillet -- and although the meat was medium (and I prefer medium rare) the steaks were very tender and succulent. With a fresh spinach salad and some au gratin cheese potatoes, this was a fabulous and (most importanly) quick and easy meal!

Excellent. I wanted medium, so I went with 3 minutes per side in the oven. Of course, all ovens run differently. In my case, next time I would go with 3 minutes on the 1st side and 2 on the other. The spice rub was great!

This was exactly what I was looking for. The rub, which is really more of a paste than what you would think of as a rub; provided a great outer crust once it hit that cast iron pan. Cooking it at such high temperatures really activated that marbling which is why the ribeye is such a great cut of meat. One of my favorite things about this recipe though is that it is mostly about the technique (going from stovetop to oven in same pan, use of cast iron etc). The actual ingredients of the rub could easily be adapted to whatever one likes or has in the kitchen. Great work! I served with whole sweet potatoes and some onion rings.

I really liked the flavor and the steak was very tender. I will continue to prepare steaks with this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

I love grilling my steaks (charcoal only), so much so that it is just about the only way I will fix one. but I tried this recipe for my wife and I on valentine's day, due to adverse weather, and we were both blown away. The steaks were juicy and delicious even though I had to cook hers to well done (she's pregnant with our first). We will surely be using this recipe again, and would recommend it to anyone who loves a perfectly cooked steak. and it is a bit faster than waiting on coals to heat up. Enjoy!

Fabulous! We loved this so much, this will be frequently enjoyed in our home. I had to go to a cooking specialty shop to get the sweet paprika & it was a little pricey, but well worth it having eaten this steak. I will see the end of that little tin of spice for sure with this recipe! My husband grills his steaks and LOVES them...he LOVED this too, so that is a true compliment. I made one 1 lb. steak and I even messed up and bought a sirloin instead of a ribeye, even so it was tender, juicy and delicious! I rubbed the steak and wrapped it in saran wrap for about 1 1/2 hours before cooking it. I have pan seared steak before in my iron skillet, but have never enjoyed it so much. The method here really does something special. Thanks so much What's Cooking. **UPDATE**2/10- we had this again...except we seared it in the iron skillet as directed and then we grilled it and it was still fabulous!

When you can't grill this is not too bad of a deal. Better than just the stove top. I used cast iron skillet just as indicated. A sirloin steak and a couple of cheaper cuts.

This was so easy and delicious. I served it with a baked sweet potato and a spinach salad. I used 1 1/2 inch thick tenderloin and I didn't have the right kind of Paprika, so I used Chipotle Chili pepper. As I said, this was outstanding and I so quick and easy.