Steak is easily our family's favorite meal. But steak is also pricey, especially for a good cut. We were spoiled as kids because my Grandpa and Grandma were beef farmers, so we were never short on good meat. But now the farm is gone and we are tragically subject to market prices.
Minute steaks are the perfect solution to feeding your whole family a great steak meal, but you don't have to spend $40/person. Although you're not getting the satisfaction of devouring 12oz of ribeye all by yourself, you still get a great protein meal that can be rounded out by hearty sides like potatoes and crusty sourdough. Best of all, they really do take less than a minute to cook!
My Grandma's cookbook refers to minute steaks as a certain cut of meat that was "specially cut" by the butcher. We can assume they may have been talking about cube steak, which was often tenderized by a machine, giving it a "cubed" look. Her cookbook also says to simply put the meat in the pan with no fat, cook it for a minute on each side, and serve. Taking an already less desirable cut of meat and denying it any chance of being flavorful simply won't stand in my kitchen. So we're bringing in some delicious fat in the form of butter, and some punchy flavors like lime and garlic.
Notes
- Cuts of Meat: The beauty of this recipe is that you can cook almost any cut of meat, even something tougher, and turn it into something tasty. For our recipe, we recommend going ahead and getting an already decent cut of meat. Ribeye and porterhouse are great, but sirloin would also be delicious. If you're using something more affordable and maybe a bit tougher, you can try cutting it into portions and then pounding them flat (about ⅓" thick) to tenderize them. You can also use old-fashioned cube steaks if they're available to you.
- Variations - Using a compound butter gives you endless opportunity to play around with flavor profiles. Just be aware that some more delicate herbs and even the garlic may burn while cooking because the pan is so hot. My family personally doesn't mind a bit of charred fond, but some people are adamant against it.
- Cook Time: Although they're called "minute steaks," I have always found a whole minute to be too long of a cook time for each side. It will depend on the heat of your pan, but if it's nice and hot, you will likely only need 30-40 seconds.
Storage
This is a recipe I don't recommend making more of than you will need for one meal. Because the steaks are so thin, they will be very overcooked after re-heating and likely quite tough. But if you do end up with more than you need, just wrap the steaks in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
FAQ
While I don't recommend planning for leftovers with this meal, you can absolutely chop up remaining steaks and add them to an omelet or a baked potato, cut them into strips and use them as a salad topping, or chop them and toss into a slow-cooked soup.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Grace Says:
If you're having trouble cutting the steaks thinly, it can help to put them in the freezer for a few hours. Just make sure to bring them back to room temperature before cooking.
📖 Recipe
Minute Steaks with Lime-Caper Compound Butter
Ingredients
- 20 oz total of steak, ribeye or porterhouse (other cuts are fine too)
- 6 T soft salted butter
- 1 large or two small cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 medium lime, zested and sliced
- 1 T capers, minced
- 2-3 Tbl course salt (optional)
Instructions
- First, make the compound butter. Add the garlic, lime zest, and capers to the soft butter and mix until well-incorporated. Then divide in half: half for cooking, half for serving.
- Cut your steaks to an appropriate size: approximately 4-6" across and ⅓" thick. If you're using two 10 oz steaks, you should be able to get 3 thin steaks from each. If you're using a large 20 oz steak, you'll want to cut it in half or thirds first, and then create your thinner slices. Optional: 15 minutes before cooking, salt the steaks on both sides with the coarse salt and allow them to sit at room temperature.
- Preheat your pan on medium-high heat. If you flick water onto the pan, it should sizzle loudly. You'll want it quite high to get a bit of sear on the meat. Then add 1 tablespoon of the compound butter and coat your pan with it. Then add 2 of your minute steaks, flipping them once, and cooking them about 30-40 seconds on each side. Add another tablespoon of the compound butter before you add the next two, and repeat until all the steaks are cooked.
- Allow the meat to rest for 5-10 minutes, and serve with the remaining compound butter and lime slices.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!