Grilled Rib-eye with Caramelized Onions and Feta

Red meat isn’t a huge part of this household’s diet since we eat mostly chicken and fish.  But every once in awhile there’s a day that just warrants a big, beautiful Rib-eye Steak.

This particular day, my studly IronMan in training husband had put in an extra hard workout at the gym and I wanted to make him a well earned steak dinner.  I’d been dreaming of caramelized onions and we had our homemade feta… Sold. If that’s not a recipe for the manlinest of man-steaks, I don’t know what is.

First thing I did was take this bad boy out and let it warm up while I seasoned it with a nice healthy dose of salt and pepper on each side.  Although I’ve seen people say that it’s a myth to let steak get to room temperature before cooking, to me, it seems to just make sense. You don’t want to take a cold steak that’s been in the fridge all day and throw it on the grill. Not that it has to be completely room temperature, but at least a good 20 minutes or so while you prep the rest of the meal.Like while I caramelized the onions.  In a hot pan set on medium I tossed a tablespoon of butter and about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Using a mixture of butter and olive oil helps with the caramelization process because oil has a higher smoking point, i.e. butter burns faster.  But, you still want to use butter to get the butter flavor.  The ratio doesn’t really matter, but I did a 1:1 just because I have a tendency to burn things, so I’ll gladly take any help I can to avoid it.

Then, I tossed in the onions and gave them a good stir so that they all were coated with the butter and oil and covered them to let them sweat.

About 10 minutes later with a few stirs, the onions started to brown.

Then, I turned the heat up to medium high, sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and just a wee pinch of sugar, and then stirred them for the next 10 minutes as they finished cooking, browning, and caramelizing.

Now, I should have deglazed the pan while the onions were still caramelizing. I could have done this with just water, or I could have used a sherry wine vinegar, stock, or even beer. But I didn’t. Because I forgot.  Something else I tend to do.  So, to not let all that goodness go to waste, I removed the onions, added some minced garlic,

…and then some fresh, washed and not so totally dried spinach. That way, as the spinach cooked, it would de-glaze the pan and let the spinach soak up all the goodness. Aw ya.

Meanwhile, I had heated up a stove top grill top while the onions were caramelizing. I know, I know.  We have a wonderful grill in our backyard.  But it was raining. Hard. And I admit it: I’m a fair weather griller.

On medium heat, I cooked one side of this massive 1 lb steak for 3 1/2 minutes on one side, then flipped it and did 3 1/2 minutes on the other side, then flipped it again, but at a 90 degree angle to get the pretty grill marks, and cooked it another 2 1/2 minutes on each side.  That was for a rare aalllmmooossstt medium rare steak. Just the way Dan likes it.  Super duper juicy and red in the middle but not still moo-ing.

Topped with the caramelized onions and some crumbled homemade feta, with some quick butter smashed potatoes and sauteed spinach… Whoa. Manly meal with a capital M!

Grilled Rib-eye Steak with Caramelized Onions and Feta

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

• 1 one pound Rib-eye steak
• 1 white onion, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 oz of feta cheese
• Plenty of salt and pepper
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: water, beer, stock, or sherry vinegar to de-glaze pan

Take steak out to warm at least 20 minutes before cooking and generously salt and pepper each side.  Pre-heat grill to medium.

In a saute pan, turn heat to medium and add butter and oil.  Add onions and mix well so all the onions are coated.  Cover and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown.

Remove lid and turn heat up to medium high and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring more often.  At this point if desired, de-glaze the pan with a little water, stock, sherry vinegar, or beer.  Salt and pepper to taste and add just a pinch of sugar. Cook until liquid has cooked off and onions are browned.

For rare – medium rare, grill steak for 3 1/2 minutes on each side, then another 2 1/2 again on each side turning 90 degrees to obtain crosshatch grill marks.

Remove steak from grill, let rest for at least 5 minutes, then top with caramelized onions and crumbled feta.