The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
Tuesday night. One package of sirloin, zero interest in a full steak dinner. That’s how these garlic butter steak bites started. I cubed the steak, got the skillet hot, and finished everything in butter and garlic. Twenty minutes total, one pan to wash. [PLACEHOLDER: swap in the real story of the first time you made these]
They taste like the good part of a steakhouse plate, the seared edges and the buttery pan juices, minus the wait and the bill.
Why These Garlic Butter Steak Bites Work
Three things, and skipping any one of them shows up right away.
Dry steak browns. Wet steak steams. Paper towels first, every time. Surface moisture has to burn off before browning can start, and by then the inside is already overcooked. My first batch skipped this and came out gray.
Two batches, not one. Dump all the cubes in at once and the pan temperature drops. The steak dumps its juices, and now you’re boiling beef in its own liquid. Half the steak at a time keeps the pan loud and hot.
Butter goes in late. Drop the heat first. Butter at medium-high scorches, and garlic turns bitter in seconds. At medium it just gets fragrant. Then the second round of butter goes in at the end, off the hard sear, and that’s what makes the glossy coating instead of a greasy puddle.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds sirloin steak or ribeye, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Pat steak cubes dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil.
- Once hot, add half of the steak cubes in a single layer.
- Cook for 2 minutes without moving, flip, then cook another 1–2 minutes until browned.
- Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining steak.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, then stir in garlic, thyme, and rosemary.
- Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Return all steak bites to the pan, toss with the garlic butter, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
- Stir until the steak is coated and glossy.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Servings: 6
Tips
Cut the cubes the same size. Uneven pieces mean some are raw in the middle while the small ones are already leather.
Don’t touch the steak for the first 2 minutes. Hard to do. Do it anyway.
Pull them a hair early. They keep cooking once they’re back in the butter. If they look done in the pan, they’ll be overdone on the plate.
Fresh garlic only. The jarred stuff tastes flat and scorches faster. [PLACEHOLDER: confirm this matches what you’ve actually seen]
Rosemary is the one herb I’d measure. A teaspoon fresh is my limit. Past that it tastes like a pine tree.
Variations
Worth doing: a teaspoon of Worcestershire stirred in with the second round of butter. Adds depth, and nobody can tell what it is. Red pepper flakes with the garlic also work if you want a little heat.
Steak and potatoes in one pan: parboil baby potatoes until just tender, halve them, and sear them in the skillet after the steak comes out. Then they soak up the garlic butter too.
Skip the marinade. I know it’s tempting. Small cubes in a salty marinade turn mushy and ham-like on the outside, and the garlic butter is already doing the flavor work.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Cook these right before you eat. That’s the honest answer. You can cube the steak a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, but wait to salt it until it’s headed for the pan.
Leftovers keep about 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat for a minute or two with a small pat of butter. The microwave makes them rubbery. Freezing isn’t worth it.
FAQ
What’s the best cut for garlic butter steak bites?
Sirloin for weeknights, ribeye when you want them richer. Ribeye has more fat, so it’s harder to overcook, and the bites come out softer. Sirloin is leaner and beefier and costs less.
How do you keep steak bites from getting tough?
Don’t overcrowd the pan and don’t overcook. Each batch needs only about 3 to 4 minutes of total sear time. If you’re checking with a thermometer, pull them around 130°F for medium-rare, since they’ll climb a few degrees once they’re tossed in the butter. Tough steak bites almost always come from a pan that was too full or too cool, not from the cut.
Can I use dried herbs?
Yes, use half the amount.
Do I need cast iron?
Cast iron. Not close. It holds heat when the cold steak hits the pan, which is the whole point of the sear. Stainless works. Nonstick doesn’t get hot enough for the browning I want here.
Final Thoughts
Serve these over garlic mashed potatoes and spoon every last bit of the pan butter over both. The potatoes soak it up and that’s the best bite on the plate. Scrape the skillet, don’t leave anything behind.
Garlic Butter Steak Bites
These Garlic Butter Steak Bites are juicy, tender, and coated in a rich garlic herb butter sauce. Ready in just 20 minutes, they make an easy weeknight dinner or flavorful protein to serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat the steak cubes completely dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, add half of the steak cubes in a single layer, leaving space between the pieces.
- Cook the steak for about 2 minutes without moving it, then flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned to your preferred doneness.
- Transfer the cooked steak bites to a plate and repeat with the remaining steak cubes.
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet. Stir in the minced garlic, thyme, and rosemary.
- Cook the garlic and herbs for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Return all of the steak bites to the skillet and toss them in the garlic butter. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Stir and toss until the butter is melted and the steak bites are evenly coated and glossy.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
Pat the steak dry before cooking to help it develop a deep golden-brown sear.
Cook the steak in batches rather than overcrowding the skillet so the pieces sear instead of steam.
Fresh thyme and rosemary can be replaced with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary.
Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or roasted vegetables.
