Reverse-Sear Ribeye with Garlic-Herb Compound Butter and Charred Broccolini

Ingredients

1. 800 g grass-fed ribeye or strip steak, 4–5 cm thick (bone-in or boneless)
2. 6 g fine sea salt, for dry-brining
3. 1 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
4. 15 ml ghee or avocado oil, for searing
5. 14 g organic butter for basting (optional)
6. 2 piece sprigs thyme and 2 crushed garlic cloves for basting (optional)
7. 80 g organic butter, softened, for the garlic-herb butter
8. 1 piece small organic garlic clove, grated
9. 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
10. 1 tsp organic chives, chopped
11. 1 tsp organic lemon zest, plus a squeeze of juice
12. 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt
13. 250 g organic broccolini or tenderstem broccoli
14. 1 tbsp organic olive oil
15. 1 pinch salt, chilli flakes and a lemon wedge

Step-by-step method

1. Dry-brine (1–24 hours ahead). Pat the steak very dry with paper towels. Salt all sides, including the edges and fat cap. Place on a rack set over a tray, uncovered, in the fridge. The surface will look dry and slightly darker: this is exactly what you want.
2. Make the compound butter. Mix all butter ingredients with a fork until smooth. Spoon onto baking paper, roll into a log, twist the ends, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Warm the oven. Heat to 110 °C / 225 °F (fan 100 °C). Remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Season with pepper.
4. Slow-roast. Place the rack with the steak on a tray into the oven. Insert a thermometer into the centre. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 46–48 °C (115–118 °F) for medium-rare, about 40–55 minutes depending on thickness. (For medium: 52 °C.)
5. Rest briefly. Remove the steak and rest it for 5 minutes while you heat the pan. The surface will look dry and matt; this dry surface is what sears.
6. Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat for a full 3–4 minutes until it just begins to smoke. Add the ghee.
7. Sear. Lay in the steak, pressing it flat. Sear 45–60 seconds without moving it. Flip and repeat. Use tongs to hold the fat edge against the pan for 20 seconds to render it.
8. Baste (optional). Reduce the heat, add butter, thyme and garlic, tilt the pan, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for 30 seconds. Final temperature should read 52–54 °C (125–130 °F) in the centre; it will coast to 54–56 °C.
9. Char the broccolini while the steak rests: toss it with oil, salt and chilli, and roast on a tray at 230 °C / 450 °F for 8–10 minutes until the tips are crisp and blackened in spots, or sear in a second hot pan for 4–5 minutes. Finish with lemon.
10. Rest 5 more minutes, then slice against the grain into 1 cm slices. Fan on a warm plate with the broccolini, top with 2–3 coins of compound butter, and finish with flaky salt.

Variations

• Weigh substitutions and recalculate nutrition before serving.

Storage

Best served fresh. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container and use within two days.

Questions and answers