These succulent Grilled Ribeye Cap Steaks are a classic and simple recipe that is arguably the tastiest cut of beef out there! Best of all, it is seared in a cast iron skillet which makes it one of the easier cuts to cook!
When grilling, we often say “this is the juiciest, most tender cut of meat I’ve ever had!” Hands down Wild Fork’s Ribeye Caps will hold the honor of this statement for us.
** We are not affiliated with this company nor have ever been paid to say anything. Their meat is simply scrumptious and you will see us sing their praises more and more as we are placing another order as we speak.
🍽️ Why This Works
Delicious – This is the best part of a rib roast and is naturally packed with flavor thanks to the higher fat content. You won’t want to add much more seasoning that salt and pepper, as you’ll savor every single melt-in-your-mouth bite.
Simple – There is a little bit of prep work to get the steak ready, but once it is, it is a very simple fast sear in a preheated cast iron skillet.
Wicked Tender – This is almost flat out fork tender (by the way, the beef tenderloin we received from them was fork tender!) but just shy of it. You can freeze it, defrost it and microwave it (yikes, right?) and it still turned out perfect. Yes, we did test the freeze/thaw/microwave method.
🥩 Ingredients
Ribeye Cap Steak – This is a premium cut of beef that you may need to special order. My local butcher wasn’t willing to cut it for me, so I ordered some form Wild Fork. You may hear this cut called a Calotte or even “Butcher’s Butter.” It is almost as tender as the tenderloin, but has every bit the flavor of a ribeye. Although we used prime version as shown in the photo, you may find a lower grade one when shopping. Read up on choosing prime vs choice.
Ribeye Cap is the outer muscle of the ribeye and is sold flat like we purchased where you still have to roll it or some grocery stores will sell them already tied and rolled up.
This is the king of all steaks.
Blue Cheese and Butter Topping (optional) – My intent was to mix these two items together and top the steak with it, but after I tasted the steak right off the grill, I didn’t think it needed it. We saved the mix for another day. This was one of the times when you just didn’t want to mix or cover any of the natural taste of the meat.
♨️ Equipment and Tools
Cast Iron Skillet – Use a flat bottom skillet and preheat it on the grill.
Butcher’s Twine – This holds the steaks in a circular form while searing. If you don’t have it, it will be found in the kitchen section at your local grocery store or near the butcher.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Cut five or six pieces of butcher’s twine about twelve inches long and lay them on the sheet pan parallel to each other.
Step Two: Place the ribeye cap on the twine and roll it into a long cylinder. Pull the twine tight and tie them off.
Note: You will use a sharp knife to cut in between each piece of twine and this will serve as the final thickness of the steaks. This is the time to decide how well cooked you want the steaks. We opted for a medium rare cook, and cut the ribeye cap into 1 ½ inch slices. Since these will be quickly seared, the thicker you cut, the more rare the inside will remain after searing.
Step Three: Cut between each segment of twine as seen in the photo above. Season each steak with a bit of sea salt and pepper.
Step Four: Preheat the grill to 400 degrees on direct heat. Place your skillet in the center of the grill to heat up.
Step Five: Place the steaks on the skillet. Let them sear for three minutes, turn them over and sear for another three minutes. Check the temperature to make sure it reached the desired temperature.
Oven Instructions
Step One: Remove the steak from the refrigerator and allow to sit on counter 20 minutes to come to room temperature. Pat dry the meat.
Step Two: Heat the oven to broil for 9-12 minutes in a cast iron skillet or broiler tray make a medium rare cut of meat.
Stove Top Directions
Step One: Remove the steak from the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes to bring to room temperature.
Step Two: Heat up the stove top to medium temperature with a heavy duty cast iron skillet ON TOP OF THE STOVE WHILE PREHEATING. It is important that the skillet heat up before putting on the steak.
Step Three: Season steak and sear for 7-8 minutes, turning at the half way point for a medium rare (130 degrees) steak that is about 1 inch thick.
Storage
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Freeze in a sealed container for up to one month. Remove and put in the refrigerator the night before you plan to eat it.
Reheat on a hot skillet for 1-2 minutes for each side.
Serving Suggestions
❗ Expert Tips
The thickness of your cut is critical to the final cooked temperature. I cannot stress this enough. Because we are searing at a high temperature, we really don’t have a lot of options to keep this on the grill longer to bring it up to temperature. The difference between well-seared and burnt is pretty small.
Tie the butcher’s twine tightly. While you will roll the ribeye cap into a cylinder, the butcher’s twine will hold it in shape. As it cooks, the meat will shrink slightly and it is possible that the twine will become dislodged. It is best to tie these tight.
There is no need to pre-oil the skillet. The ribeye caps have a high amount of fat that will render quickly.
Recipe FAQ
This is definitely one of the more expensive cuts of meat and it is commonly found between $25 – $35 per pound.
You won’t find this cut of meat often, but when you do, it can go by many names. I’ve seen it referred to as Calotte, Butcher’s Butter, Rib Cap, or even Spinalis Dorsi. If you see it, though, definitely grab some as it is a superior cut of beef.
It is the outer muscle found on the ribeye roll.
Always start with the butcher, Wild Fork or even Costco sells them from time to time.
The cap has the outer muscle still attached as showed on the photo above. The steak has this muscle removed.
There is no need to marinade this cut. It is already wicked tender and the taste alone is out of this world. You will not want to mask it too much or don’t spend the money as it’s not a cheap cut of beef.
Related Recipes
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Seared Ribeye Cap Steak
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
Blue Cheese Butter
- 2 ounces Blue Cheese room temperature
- 5 tbsp Butter room temperature
- 1 tbsp Parsley minced
Ribeye Cap Steak
- 1 ½ lbs Ribeye Cap Steak
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Blue Cheese Butter
- Plce the cheese, butter and parsley in a bowl and mash into a paste.
- Mound the butter into a one inch cylinder on a piece of plastic wrap forming a tube. Refrigerate or freeze until it is firm.
Ribeye Cap Steaks
- Cut 5-6 pieces of Butcher's Twine into twelve inch sections and lay them spread evenly on a cutting board.
- Lay the Ribeye Cap Steak on the twine and roll it up into a long cylinder.
- Pull the twine tightly an tie them off into knots. Use a sharp knife to cut in between each piece of twine and turn the beef into round sections. Note: cut these sections thicker for more rare steak and thinner for more well done.
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees and place the cast iron skillet on the grate to heat up. After it is up to temperature, place the ribeye cap steaks on the skillet and let them sear for three minutes on each side.
- Remove after both sides have been seared and serve. Test it out first to see if you want to apply the blue cheese butter.
Notes
Nutrition
