Looking for the perfect keto steak dinner recipe? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Here you’ll learn how to cook keto steak the easy way.
One of my favorite parts of the keto lifestyle is enjoying a good steak dinner guilt-free, but living in the midwest means that cooking on the grill year-round isn’t an option. With this keto steak dinner recipe you can make the perfect skillet-seared keto steak anytime… rain or shine.
How to Cook Keto Steak the Easy Way
You only need 6 simple ingredients for the entire recipe. I like that all of these ingredients in this recipe are real food.
Ingredients
- 16oz of steak: you can use a variety of different cuts of meat for this recipe. Check out my expert tips down below how to make steak on a budget
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp pepper
- 3 Tbsp Himalayan salt
- 3 sprigs rosemary or thyme
- 2 dollops of ghee (clarified butter)
My Favorite Ghee: 4th & Heart
Directions
1. Dry brine your steak: put a generous coating of salt on both sides of the steak and place it on a plate in the refrigerator. Let rest overnight or longer, but no more than 72 hours. The longer your steak dry brines, the more flavorful it will be.
2. 90 minutes before your meal: rinse the salt off the steak and pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub on both sides of the steak. Then pepper your steak lightly on top and bottom with 1 Tbsp pepper
4. Use baking rack, fork, or other utensils to elevate the steak off the plate. Place elevated steak in the freezer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes
5. Preheat oven to 250 degrees: On your stovetop, heat cast iron skillet for 3-5 minutes until it is scorching hot (and turn on your exhaust fan!). Add just enough ghee to coat the skillet.
6. Pull your steak out of the freezer: sear each side on the skillet for 1 minute.
7. Use hot pads to pull the skillet off the burner and use tongs to put sprigs of rosemary or thyme on the bottom of the skillet. Place the steak on top of the rosemary or thyme. Finally, add a dollop of ghee (clarified butter) on top of the steak.
8. Place skillet in oven and cook for 25-35 minutes: or it reaches your desire level of done.
9. Pull skillet out of the oven: let the steak rest for 5 minutes
10. Enjoy!
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…so you can pin it to your keto board!
Nutritional Info (per serving)
This recipe makes 2 servings.
Calories: 472 Fat: 20g Protein: 73g Carbs: 0g
How to Make Your Keto Steak Dinner Tender and Juicy
There are a few different elements that come together to make this keto steak dinner recipe both tender on the inside and perfectly seared on the outside.
#1: it all starts with the dry brine process. A generous coating of salt tenderizes the steak and draws the moisture out of it. This moisture evaporates as you let your steak rest in your fridge.
The longer you let it rest, the more moisture evaporates, and the more tender your steak will be. But I don’t recommend letting it rest for more than 72 hours for at-home cooks because we don’t want it to spoil.
#2: The next key step is to temporarily lower the temperature to freezing in order to remove the remaining moisture in the steak. Start by pulling it out of the fridge 90 minutes before your meal, rinse it off, wipe it dry with a paper toile, and season with garlic and pepper. Then put it in the freezer for 30-40 minutes to remove the remaining moisture.
#3: After the freezer, another important step is to use a cast-iron skillet and make sure it’s scorching hot before you start searing your steak. Also, make sure to turn on your vent hood because it’s going to get smoky!
My favorite cast-iron skillet: Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven
Add just enough ghee to coat the skillet. Do NOT use butter or other cooking oils. For more info read the “Oils to avoid” section below.
I like to use ghee because it has a high smoke point, it lasts a long time without refrigeration, and it tastes delicious.
#4: Sear on each side fo the steak for 1 minute. Optionally, you can sear the other edges for about 10 seconds each. This makes the steak fat taste amazing when it’s done!
Are You a Beginner Keto Cook?
This recipe was inspired by Tim Ferriss’s book “The 4 Hour Chef.” If you’re looking for an incredibly simple and effective guide on how to learn to cook then I would definitely recommend you buy this book.
Is Steak Keto Friendly?
Absolutely, steak is a great real food source of healthy fats, protein, and a number of essential nutrients like iron, zinc, selenium thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, magnesium, and potassium
However, it is important to know that there is a good, better, best approach to steak for a healthy keto lifestyle.
Conventional Steak: Good
Any steak you buy is going to be better than filling up on high-processed carbs, but animals store toxins in their fat to keep it away from vital organs. When we eat that fat we get some of those contaminants too.
Conventionally raised cattle raised on large corporate farms are fed primarily wheat, grain, and other carb heavy foods so they put on weight and grow faster. This feed often contains mold and other contaminants that stimulates unhealthy hormones that end up in your meat.
Is all-natural, pasture-raised, hormone-free labeled beef better? Unfortunately, it isn’t necessarily better because the USDA doesn’t have any written standards for these labels. Bad actors can and have undersold family farms by applying these labels to poor quality meat.
Organic Steak: Better
Organically grown beef has significantly fewer contaminants that conventional meat. The USDA does have strict requirements that are enforced for organic label meat. However, these cows are still fed a carb-heavy diet to make them grow faster. This meat is lower in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and other essential nutrients your body needs.
100% Grassfed Steak: Best
Grassfed beef is the best option for a healthy keto lifestyle because it has a higher ratio of anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids and other key nutrients. Additionally, as an added bonus, most grassfed beef is sourced from smaller family farms that take a great deal of pride in keeping their cows happy.
If you can’t find good grassfed beef at your local grocery store, check out Butcher Box. They deliver high-quality grassfed beef, heritage pork, organic free-range chicken right to your door!
How to Choose the Best Cut for a Delicious Keto Steak Dinner
Normally, the cut of beef you select makes a big difference in how your steak tastes.
Cheaper cuts of steak like chuck arm steak are usually tougher, while more expensive cuts like New York strip have good marbling (this is the blend of fat and protein that makes it soo delicious).
Keto Steak Dinner on a Budget
If you’re rocking the keto lifestyle on a tight budget or have a big family buying $20 a pound grassfed ribeyes are probably out of the question.
What’s different about this keto steak dinner recipe is you can take even more affordable cuts of steak (preferable still grassfed) and the dry brine process will naturally tenderize your steak over the course of a couple of days so it tastes great.
Ultimate Keto Steak Dinner
For a truly transformational experience use a grassfed ribeye for this keto steak dinner recipe.
I’ve used this recipe with expensive cuts of steak and they tasted better than the $50 or even $100 steaks I have had.
The dry brine process works like magic over the course of a couple of days and leaving your steak tasting absolutely amazing!
Oils to Avoid for this Keto Steak Dinner Recipe
I love healthy fats from olive oil and coconut oil. They make a great base for salad dressing, marinades, mayo, and more. However, these oils have too low of a smoke point for this keto steak dinner recipe because our cast iron skillet is going reach around 450 degrees when we sear our steak.
The smoke point is the temperature at which the healthy fats in the oil starts to break down and is no longer good for you to consume.
Olive oil has a smoke point of 410 degrees and coconut oil has a smoke point right at 450 degrees.
Also, do NOT use regular butter for this recipe. It has smoke point of only 302 degrees.
Ghee (clarified butter) works well for this recipe because it has a smoke point of 482 degrees. Also, if you don’t like ghee, you can use avocado oil because it has a smoke point of 520 degrees.
What Is Keto?
The Ketogenic Diet (Keto for short) is revolutionizing our understanding of food and health. The basic concept of the keto lifestyle is simple; swap your carbs for healthy fats and your body will adapt to burn fat instead of carbs fuel.
I used the keto lifestyle to lose over 40lbs, beat a family history of Type 2 diabetes, and keep the weight off for over 4 years!
If you’re new to keto, you probably have lots of questions. I created a comprehensive beginner’s guide to keto to help you avoid the many common mistakes people make when you start keto.
You can get my Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Keto and I’ll show how you get the results you want from keto!
Final Thoughts
This keto steak dinner recipe is my go-to when absolutely want to indulge in a great meal. You have to give it a try…you’ll thank later!
Also, if you have any questions post them on our Facebook page. I read all of the comments and I will be answer your questions there.
Addition Keto Resources
What’s for dessert? Check our quick and easy keto chocolate mousse recipe.
Looking for more keto resources? Check out my 5 part series on the best places to shop keto.
- #1: 3 Best Keto Snacks at Target (plus one to avoid to lose weight on keto)
- #2: Top 7 Keto Items at Whole Foods Market
- #3: 5 Best Keto Items at Trader Joe’s
- #4: 10 Best Keto Products at Walmart
- #5: 12 Best Keto Items at Costco plus 4 You Should Avoid
Also, If you’re looking for other resources take a look at 4 best exercise programs for keto you can do for free online and 9 ways to deal with anxiety, stress, and fear.
Until next time, remember it’s about progress, not perfection and keto on!
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