Perfect Grilled Steak with Herb Butter features a homemade steak seasoning and buttery herb finish. This easy sizzling grilled steak recipe is mouthwatering!
“I’ve been grilling steaks for 45 years and this is without a doubt the best recipe ever. My family raves about it!”
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I once interviewed an Iowa cattle farmer and asked him how often he ate beef. His answer? Every single day. That’s how good Midwestern beef is, and this Iowa girl knows her steak. My foolproof method for grilling them ensures juicy, tender steaks, every time, and I think you’ll agree after your first bite that my homemade steak rub and garlic herb-butter topping are worth the extra effort. This sizzling dish will impress but is easy enough to make every day. Fire up the grill!
Watch How to Make Them
Perfect Grilled Steak with Homemade Herb Butter
If steaks feel like restaurant-only food, or like they take too much guesswork to grill at home, I’m here to help you out with my fool proof method for grilling perfect steaks, every time.
Using my method, thick-cut steaks are rubbed with homemade steak seasoning then grilled and smothered with thick-cut, compound herb butter, which is fancy talk for butter mixed with fresh herbs, garlic, and steak seasoning.
You are going to want to put this butter on EVERYTHING.
#1 Tip for Perfect Grilled Steaks
The trick for grilling perfect steaks is to create two heat zones on your grill:
- Zone 1: screaming hot with a high flame.
- Zone 2: unlit and cooler.
Sear the steaks over the hot side to get a flavorful, golden-brown crust – plus those coveted grill lines – then move them to the cooler side to finish cooking all the way through. This creates a sizzling steak on the outside, and tender, buttery steak on the inside. I’ll show you how below.
Top Tips for Grilling Steaks
- Steak quality matters. To achieve perfect grilled steak, you need to start with good quality meat. Look for steak with marbling to ensure they stay juicy on the grill.
- Keep the lid down. From pre-heating the grill, to cooking the steaks, KEEP THE GRILL LID DOWN anytime you’re not flipping or moving the meat. Think of the grill like your oven. You wouldn’t bake a casserole with the oven door open, would you? Don’t cook your steaks with the grill lid open either.
- Let the steaks rest. It’s tempting to slice into a sizzling, hot steak right off the grill, but let them rest for 15 minutes to ensure all the juices don’t run out.
Pair it with Scalloped Potatoes
How to Make Perfect Grilled Steaks.
Step 1: Make the Steak Seasoning.
My homemade steak seasoning is light-years better than anything you have pre-mixed in your cupboard. I like using a mortar and pestle to make it, though a spice grinder works too.
To the mortar, add rock salt, whole black peppercorns, minced dried garlic, minced dried onion, fennel seeds, and red chili pepper flakes then grind them up with a pestle.
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Pin ItStep 2: Make the Herb Butter.
To a bowl, add salted butter that’s been softened to room temperature, finely minced fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley, and garlic, plus a big pinch of the homemade steak seasoning.
That last addition is what totally makes the butter.
Mash with a fork to combine, then scoop the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a log. Refrigerate until solid – overnight is great – or freeze for 20-30 minutes if time is of the essence.
Step 3: Prep the steaks.
These photos show 1lb bone-in strip steaks cut 1-1/2″ thick but you can use whatever steak cut you like best. Ribeyes are a treat!
Pat the steaks very dry with paper towels then drizzle both sides with a small amount of vegetable oil (olive oil will burn) and rub with a generous pinch of steak seasoning.
Don’t be afraid to add a lot – this is a TON of meat.
Step 4: Grill the steaks.
The best way to get sizzling steaks on the outside and juicy, buttery steak on the inside is to first sear them over a hot, high flame, then move the meat over to a cooler, unlit portion of the grill to finish cooking via indirect heat.
How to Grill Using Zones
- Step 1: Turn 1/2 to 2/3 of the burners on your grill to high (if you have 2 burners, light 1 – if you have 3 burners, light 2) then shut the lid and let the grill preheat for at least 10 minutes, or until it reaches 500 degrees. If you have a charcoal grill, heat your coals then move them to one side of the grill when they’re screaming hot.
- Step 2: Add the steaks to the lit portion of the grill then sear for 1-1/2 minutes on each side (if your steaks are thicker or thinner than 1-1/2″, adjust accordingly). Move the steaks over to the unlit portion of the grill then continue cooking until they’ve reached your preferred level of doneness. My 1-1/2″ thick steaks take ~7 minutes to reach medium.
Grilling Tip
KEEP THE LID DOWN when you are searing and grilling so you don’t lose all the heat you’ve worked to build up inside the grill.
Steak Temperatures for Doneness:
- Rare (cool red center): 125 degrees
- Medium rare (warm red center): 135 degrees
- Medium (warm pink center): 145 degrees
- Medium well (slightly pink center): 150 degrees
- Well done (little or no pink): 160 degrees
Step 5: Rest the Steaks
This step is essential for juicy steaks. Let them sit on a cutting board or rimmed sheet pan for at least 15 minutes. If you slice into the steaks too soon, the juices will all run out.
After resting, top the steaks with fat slices of herb butter and serve.
Juicy grilled steak perfection! That salty-seasoned crust and compound herb butter are mind meltingly-delicious.
Your quest for perfect grilled steak ends right here. Enjoy!
Side Dish Ideas for Grilled Steak
- Healthy Chickpea Salad
- Creamy Parmesan-Garlic Orzo
- Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)
- Baked Potatoes
- Healthy Mashed Potatoes
- The BEST Pasta Salad
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Gluten Free Potato Salad
- Best Baked Beans EVER
- Napa Sweet Corn Salad
- Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2, 1 lb bone-in strip steaks cut 1-1/2″ thick, or your steak of choice
- vegetable oil
For the Steak Seasoning:
- 3/4 Tablespoon rock salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
For the Herb Butter:
- steak seasoning, see above
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh thyme
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
Directions
For the Steak Seasoning:
- Add the ingredients to a mortar and pestle then coarsely grind. Alternatively you can use a spice grinder, or add the ingredients into a heavy duty Ziplock bag, squeeze the air out, then crush with a meat pounder, rolling pin, or heavy bottomed skillet.
For the Herb Butter:
- Add the ingredients to a bowl then mash with a fork to combine. Scoop the herb butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap then shape it into a thick log and refrigerate until firm (if time is of the essence you can freeze for 20-30 minutes). Can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.
For the steaks:
- Trim your steaks of any big pieces of fat to avoid flare ups on the grill then pat them very dry with a paper towel. Rub each side with oil then season generously with the steak seasoning, pressing it into steaks so it adheres – you should use most if not all of the seasoning. Set the steaks aside.
- Heat 2/3 or 1/2 of your grill burners (2 of 3 burners, or 1 of 2 burners, depending on how many burners you have) on high with lid down for 10-15 minutes, or until the grill reaches an internal temperature of 500 degrees. Add the steaks to the lit side then sear on each side until grill marks appear, 1-1/2 minutes, adjusting the time if your steaks are bigger or smaller than 1lb cut 1-1/2" thick. Keep the lid closed between flipping.
- Transfer the steaks to the unlit portion of grill then continue grilling for 7-10 minutes with the lid closed for medium doneness, or until they've reached your preferred level of doneness (see notes section below). Remove steaks to a platter then let them rest for at least 15 minutes. Top with sliced herb butter then serve.
Notes
- If you’re using a charcoal grill, move the hot coals to one half of the grill after pre-heating.
- Steak Temperatures for Doneness:
- Rare (cool red center): 125 degrees
- Medium rare (warm red center): 135 degrees
- Medium (warm pink center): 145 degrees
- Medium well (slightly pink center): 150 degrees
- Well done (little or no pink): 160 degrees
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Hi Kristin! Do you flip the steaks at all or just leave them on the same side for 7-10 min? Thanks!
Hi Samantha! You’ll flip them during the initial searing, but no need to flip during the 7-10 minute cooking process. I hope that helps!
Can i do this with a porterhouse steak???
I haven’t tried this specific method with a porterhouse or t-bone, but I don’t see why it couldn’t work. Since it’s such a large cut, I’d add an additional minute or two over indirect heat after searing (or use a meat thermometer to ensure the steak is at the correct temperature before pulling off the grill.)
The herb butter is a really nice idea. Im going to make this up next time I grill some steak. Have you tried reverse searing instead? (Not a big difference on the flavour bit it just makes the steak a little more juicy and tender)
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I’m not much of a red meat eater but will definatley be making this again :)
This looks delicious!! Do you think you could sear it on the stove and finish it in the oven? How long would you cook it in the oven?
Hi Catherine! The cooking goes so quick that I haven’t tried transferring the ingredients to the oven. Just one skillet and 12-15 minutes is all it takes on the stove, plus I really like the pan sear vs oven baked flavor and texture!
WHOOPS! I thought your comment was about a different recipe, sorry Catherine! Yes, you could definitely pan sear then finish this steak in the oven! There are directions for that method here: https://iowagirleats.com/2015/02/09/surf-and-turf-for-two/
looks good
This recipe is so delicious it is going to be difficult to use any other recipe! My husband and i thank you very, very much!
love this recipe Kristin! Perfect for the summer months!!
Great recipe for steaks but I wanted to comment on the grilled corn. A few years ago I took 3 dozen ears of iowa sweet corn to a friends cookout in Chicago. I shucked the corn and grilled it directly over the flame like you did. It was eaten as fast as I could grill it and they never even stopped to put butter,salt and pepper on it. I still get requests to bring iowa sweet corn to chicago so they can have it again :)
I just had to thank you for posting this recipe! I made this for Father’s Day today and everyone loved it! It was very easy, the rub was so tasty and the herbed butter to be honest with you,I actually was going to skip this step, but was so glad that I didn’t, it really took this dish to next level! Thank you, thank you!!!
Thank you for coming back to leave feedback – it’s seriously all about that herb butter, right?!
This was great! Made it for hubby on Father’s Day and he loved it. Question—any ideas on what to do with the left over butter (I don’t want to waste it!)?
So glad to hear! You can freeze the extra butter – totally forgot to mention that. :)
Your photos are stunning! I am dying for a nice slab of that steak!! My husband would be has happy as a clam if I served him this steak for Father’s Day. Nice job!
Thank you for these instructions on how to grill steak properly! I never would have thought to do it this way. I’ve only ever done it over a flame, and I either overcook it or burn the outside and leave the inside totally rare. (We like medium-rare to medium.) I will definitely be trying this!
Oh, and I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: You’re hilarious! Love you guys. :-)