Leftover Rib-eye Steak

August 4, 2012 1:03 PM

How should I prepare a leftover ribeye steak?

I had a huge ribeye steak last night at a restaurant last night but I only ate about a quarter of it (it was a little too pink for me anyway). How should I eat it today for lunch or dinner?? I was thinking of slicking it into strips and grilling it on our grill pan (though I'm not sure which direction to cut it) and maybe make a sandwich out of it? What would be good?

posted by brenton to food & drink (17 answers total)

Leftover steak is usually best cold, not re-grilled. I'd say make a sandwich or slice it up and put it on a salad.

If you're really inclined to add additional cooking time, I've had luck including underdone leftover steak in quiches.
posted by cranberry_nut at 1:09 PM on August 4, 2012 [2 favorites]

Quesadilla!
posted by XMLicious at 1:16 PM on August 4, 2012 [3 favorites]

Leftover steak is almost always overdone if reheated, unless reheating involves cooking in a stew for another hour or so, until it's tender and falling apart. That can be exquisite. It would be a waste of a fresh ribeye, but not a bad way to treat leftovers. If you have a slow cooker and can put it in that for several hours with some diced tomatoes and barbecue sauce, and some finely diced onions and garlic, you'll have a very nice sandwich spread.

I say this as someone who has only once in his life had a steak that was too rare. Pink is good; red is better!
posted by brianogilvie at 1:56 PM on August 4, 2012

This is exactly what roast beef sandwiches are made of. Slice it thin and slap it in bread. The only way I would heat it up (if at all) is sear it very quickly in a pre-heated pan.
posted by wutangclan at 1:57 PM on August 4, 2012 [2 favorites]

I have had good luck re-heating by sealing in a plastic bag and using a water bath.
posted by Silvertree at 1:57 PM on August 4, 2012

I second Quesadillas or fajitas!

Throw some peppers and onions in a frying pan, once cooked toss the beef in to warm up. Throw on a tortilla, top with cheese and finish with a quick trip under the broiler to crisp it up/brown the cheese.
posted by token-ring at 1:57 PM on August 4, 2012

Sear very hot, VERY briefly. Or water bath it. Then, slice very thinly. Make an amazing sandwich. Revel in gustatory bliss.
posted by weaponsgradecarp at 1:59 PM on August 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

I like a cold steak salad, but if you want to replicate how it was served, Cook's Illustrated outlined this in their current issue:

www.cooksillustrated.com/howto/detail.asp?docid=38471 (registration required)


Their technique:

Place leftover steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and warm them on the middle rack of a 250-degree oven until the steaks register 110 degrees (roughly 30 minutes for 1 1⁄2-inch-thick steaks, but timing will vary according to thickness and size). Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking. Sear the steaks on both sides until crisp, 60 to 90 seconds per side. Let the steaks rest for five minutes before serving. After resting, the centers should be at medium-rare temperature (125 to 130 degrees).
posted by asuprenant at 2:06 PM on August 4, 2012

Sauté sliced mushrooms and onions, peppers too if you like. Season with a little Montreal Steak seasoning. Add sliced steak for a minute or so to remove the chill. Spoon the mixture into split hoagie rolls. Add your choice of cheese (Provolone is nice) and place under broiler until cheese is melted. Mayo, salt and pepper to taste.

I always make too much steak so I can make this the next day!
posted by cat_link at 2:56 PM on August 4, 2012

Here's how I reheat a ribeye. I have a cast iron pan that I heat to almost smoking. If there's a sauce with my ribeye, I put it in the pan first to absorb some of the heat, then I put the cold ribeye in the pan, cover it and remove it from the heat. If there's no sauce, I put it down to sear a tiny bit on one side, then flip it, then cover and remove from heat. Depending on the size, 10-20 minutes later, I have a perfectly reheated piece of steak that isn't overdone.
posted by elle.jeezy at 3:54 PM on August 4, 2012

YOU WILL MAKE A SHOOTER'S SANDWICH
posted by the man of twists and turns at 4:01 PM on August 4, 2012 [3 favorites]

though I'm not sure which direction to cut it

Hot or cold, you want to cut it against the grain, unless it's a fork-tender cut like filet mignon. That Serious Eats article gives you nice clear instructions (including pictures) explaining how and why.
posted by Elsa at 4:38 PM on August 4, 2012 [2 favorites]

Cut it into chunks and dip in Miracle Whip.
posted by effigy at 5:25 PM on August 4, 2012

I made a delicious fried rice with some leftover steak bits. Rice, some mixed frozen veggies, egg, soy sauce, steak cubed.
posted by that girl at 1:36 AM on August 5, 2012

Pick up an envelope or two of this stroganoff side dish and prepare according to package instructions. Heat in the microwave for 7 1/2 minutes, then add sliced steak pieces to it. Stir, heat for 2 1/2 minutes. Let sit for a minute or two then enjoy!
posted by Oriole Adams at 2:02 AM on August 5, 2012

My mom used to make goulash from leftover steak. Awesome.
posted by 1adam12 at 7:17 AM on August 5, 2012

Mmm, ribeye leftovers - my favorite! Slice against the grain, melt some butter in a frying pan and saute the steak in it for a minute or two, just until heated through. Serve with fried eggs for breakfast, over spinach salad for lunch or however you like for dinner. Scrumptious!
posted by platinum at 8:01 PM on August 5, 2012