The Ingenious Way to Make Ribeye Less Expensive

A buttery ribeye is a luxury, and that’s especially true in recent years, with the rising cost of beef. At the recently-opened Port Sa’id in New York City, however, the ribeye “minute steak” is sliced paper-thin and flash-seared, making it an affordable dish that’s easy to adapt at home for a weeknight meal that’s ready in, yes, under a minute.

“It’s one of the smartest, most elemental restaurant dishes I’ve eaten all year,” says F&W editor in chief Hunter Lewis of the steak, which is served over a pool of nutty tahini with a tomato-and-pepper tartare and an herbaceous zhoug. 

“For $23 bucks, it’s a relative bargain for steak in Manhattan, and it’s an inspiration for me as a home cook,” he continues. “Beef is expensive and will continue to be expensive given the relative scarcity of beef cattle in the United States, so I’m looking for ways to keep my family dinner costs down. Having a butcher thinly slice a spendy prime cut like ribeye helps me stretch my dollar further and searing it on a griddle or grill makes the cook time faster. It reminds me of the Steak-umms I grew up on in the 1980s, only way better.”

Minute steaks are often made with more inexpensive cuts like eye of round, sirloin, or sometimes cubed steak (a pre-tenderized cut with waffle-like marks), but using ultra-tender ribeye makes for a sumptuous dish that’s still weeknight-friendly. We asked Port Sa’id head chef Victor Gothelf how to pull off the dish at home. 

“The key to the dish is a tender cut [of steak],” says Gothelf. He slices boneless ribeye into paper-thin 1 1/2-ounce portions, but you can ask your butcher to do so for you to make prep easier — no tenderizing needed. Then, keep it simple. 

“I suggest not getting in the way of this dish while preparing it,” Gothelf advises. 

He recommends lightly coating the slices of meat with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then add a little olive oil to a hot pan over high heat, and sear the slices for about 40 seconds to allow them to get a perfect crust. A very hot pan is essential to pulling off a quick sear like this one; heat your pan until the oil shimmers and begins to smoke. Flip the slices and cook them for 10 seconds longer. Serve over tahini or any sauce of your choice. 

If you’d like to use another cut, make sure it’s tender (eye of round steak and sirloin are both good substitutes) and sliced paper-thin so it cooks quickly and evenly.