How to Cook New York Strip Steak Perfectly

Learn how to cook the perfect New York strip steak at home. With plenty of flavorful butter, this dish is sure to impress.

What Is A New York Strip Steak?

New York strip steaks are a cut of beef from the shorter side of the beef loin. Strip steaks contain a small amount of marbling, a bit of fat around one of the edges, and lots of tender meat with a beefy flavor. They cook quickly too, so they’re perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a date night.

A typical strip steak from the grocery store isn’t terribly thick, typically ½ inch or slightly over. Because of this, it’s not ideal for the reverse sear method or for oven-finished steaks because they will cook so quickly. A reverse sear, or any time in the oven, can easily overcook the steaks.

Adding Flavor To The Steak

It doesn’t take much to make a good steak taste great. For this steak recipe we’re using fresh herbs, garlic, and butter.

Any woody herbs work well, and fresh is always best for something like this. My favorites are fresh rosemary and thyme, and they don’t need any cutting or mincing. You’ll toss the entire sprigs right into the pan.

The garlic doesn’t require any mincing either. Give it a good, hard smash with the back of your knife so that each clove is almost flat, pull the peel away, and add the smashed garlic to the pan when it’s time.

To help quickly sear and caramelize the steaks without creating a cloud of smoke in your kitchen, butter is added to the pan part way through cooking. Not only will the butter help the outside of the steak quickly caramelize, but it adds a nutty flavor and also helps distribute the fat-soluble compounds in the garlic and herbs so that every bite of steak has the herb and garlic flavor.

How To Cook A NY Strip Steak Perfectly

To make the New York Strip Steaks, sprinkle the salt evenly over all sides of both steaks and then rub the salt into the steaks. Set these aside for a minute while the pan preheats.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until small ripples appear and it looks like it’s shimmering in the pan. Add the steaks, which will begin to sizzle immediately when they hit the hot oil. Do not move the steaks once they are in the pan so they can form a crust. This will take about 2 minutes. 

Add the butter, rosemary and thyme sprigs, and garlic to the pan and stir this around as best you can between the steak until the butter is melted. At this point, you can lift up the steaks to get some of the butter under them, then flip the steaks to sear the other side.

Reduce heat to medium so that the butter doesn’t burn. It will start to become browned and nutty at this point, and the garlic will begin to caramelize, but neither will burn as long as the heat is reduced. Cook the steaks for an additional 3 to 4 minutes for medium steaks, basting tops with the butter.

(Have someone that prefers their steaks well-done? Follow my tips for juicy well-done steaks.)

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let them rest for at least five minutes before serving and cutting. Transfer the butter and pan juices to a small ramekin or heat-proof container to serve alongside the steak for dipping. The butter can also be drizzled over baked potatoes or vegetables served on the side. So good!

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This post originally appeared in July 2022 and was revised and republished in September 2024.