Skip to Content

How to Cook a Ribeye Steak on the Grill

For extreme lovers of steak, ribeye is an acquired taste. Though it’s on the pricey side, its exquisite marbling and top-quality meat give you a fantastic result with every dish. But not everyone knows how to prepare ribeye steak on the grill properly. The good news is it’s not so hard to do if you know what you’re looking to accomplish, of course.

Tips to Consider

Ribeye steak may be one of the most flavorful meat cuts available. But if you don’t know how to prepare it, you can easily ruin the meat. So, to avoid lamenting over both the culinary and financial losses, you should keep these suggestions in mind;

Choose the Right Steak

Robert steak comes in three types; Prime, Choice, and Select. The Prime cuts are the most expensive because they’re of the highest grade. The Choice is second grade and has lesser marbling than Prime, but more than Select. So when picking a ribeye steak, go for either Prime or Choice.

You can also choose between a boneless or bone-in ribeye steak. The boneless meat would be easier to carve after preparing, while the bone-in steak imparts extra flavor to the meat through the bone. Plus, the thicker the ribeye steak, the longer it takes to cook. As a rule, a well-marbled ribeye cut of at least 1.5 inches thickness is a good choice for any recipe.

Adding the Spice Rub

You can use any spice rub mix for your ribeye steak, and if you already have a special steak spice rub available, it works as well. Of course, the most convenient seasoning style would be to blend a combination of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whichever option you use, make sure to rub the dry spice rub into the steak generously. You can use as much as you’d prefer so that you can avoid under-seasoning the meat.

You can also season your steak overnight if you have the time. After rubbing in the dry spices, wrap the ribeye steak in plastic wrap. Then, please keep it in the fridge for up to 12 hours, so the seasoning seeps more profound into the meat.

Preparing the Grill

You can prepare a great dish of rivets steak with your regular gas grill or charcoal, both indoors and outdoors. But remember that you need to set the grill at medium-high heat and create a two-zone fire. The two-zone grilling allows you to cook the steak at high heat for some time and then move it to the low heat part of the same grill for slower cooking. This method makes sure that the steak is evenly cooked.

Cooking Time

An average ribeye steak recipe takes around 30 to 40 minutes to complete, depending on the thickness and how well it is cooked. But since we’re dealing with a standard meat thickness of 1.25 inches, the main focus would be on the doneness. To determine if your ribeye steak is ready, stick an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Then, look out for these temperature ranges to select your preferred doneness;

  • 120 to 125°F for rare,
  • 130 to 135°F for medium-rare,
  • 135 to 140°F for medium,
  • 150 to 160°F for well done.

Rest

It would be best if you also let the ribeye steak rest before you serve. Once it has reached the desired doneness, take the steak off the grill and place it on a cutting board. Then, leave it on the counter to rest for five minutes to redistribute the juices, so the meat comes out juicy and tender.

Other Handy Tips for Grilled Ribeye Steak

Clean the grill with a quality grill brush before you cook on it.

Always let your ribeye steak sit on your kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before you season and cook to take the chill from the fridge off it.

You can also slather a few teaspoons of unsalted butter on your grilled ribeye steak to give it extra moisture and deliciousness.

Print

Grilled Ribeye Steak (4 servings)

  • Author: Bobby

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 bone-in ribeye steak; pre-seasoned and chilled, 24 Oz
  • Black pepper, freshly ground
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 teaspoons unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. Bring the ribeye steak out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set the grill to medium-high heat and create a two-zone fire.
  2. Grill the steak over high heat for 10 minutes. You can rotate the steak to create your preferred sear mark patterns. Then, flip the steak over and cook again for another 10 minutes.
  3. Transfer the steak to the low heat zone on the grill and cook it for about 25 minutes. Be sure to flip the meat occasionally, so it evenly cooks. Check the internal temperature for your preferred doneness as you do.
  4. Once done, remove the steak and slather it all over with unsalted butter. Then, tent the steak and leave it to rest for at least 10 minutes. Serve as desired.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @thisisblogchef — we can't wait to see what you've made!