Steak bites are a whole steak cut into cubes before it goes in the pan. Each cube browns on several sides, so you get more crust per bite than you would from a whole steak, and the sear takes about four minutes.
The garlic butter goes in last. Garlic burns in less time than the steak takes to sear, so the steak comes out first, the heat comes down, and the butter and garlic get about 30 seconds on their own before the steak goes back in.
What you need (serves 4)
- 1 pound top sirloin, ribeye or New York strip, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more to finish
- A pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
You also need a heavy skillet (cast iron holds heat well), tongs, paper towels and an instant-read thermometer.
Before the pan goes on
Take the steak out of the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking. A cold center slows the sear, and the outside can overcook before the middle warms through.
Cut the steak into even cubes so they finish at the same time. Pat every cube dry with paper towels. Surface water turns to steam in a hot pan and stops the crust from forming. Season with salt and pepper right before cooking, not earlier, because salt pulls moisture back to the surface.
The sear, minute by minute
Heat the empty skillet over medium high for 2 to 3 minutes first. Then:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Add the olive oil. Wait until it shimmers. |
| 0:30 | Add the cubes in a single layer with space between them. Do not move them. |
| 2:30 | Turn each cube once. The first side should be deep brown. |
| 4:30 | Check one cube with a thermometer, then move all of them to a plate. |
| 5:00 | Turn the heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic. Stir. |
| 5:30 | When the butter foams and the garlic is golden, return the steak and any juices. |
| 6:00 | Add the parsley and pepper flakes, toss to coat, and take the pan off the heat. |
If the cubes do not fit in one layer, cook them in two batches. Each batch gets its own two minutes per side. A crowded pan drops in temperature and the steak turns gray instead of brown.
Doneness in a cube this small
| Doneness | Pull the cubes at | Center |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 125°F | Red and cool |
| Medium rare | 135°F | Warm and pink |
| Medium | 145°F | Mostly tan with a thin pink line |
Small cubes pass from one doneness to the next quickly, so check one cube at the end of the second side. USDA’s safe minimum for whole cuts of beef is 145°F followed by a 3 minute rest.
How much steak for your protein target
The steak sets the protein in this dish. The butter, oil and garlic add about 140 calories to each serving and almost no protein. These numbers are for top sirloin, weighed raw:
| Raw sirloin | Protein | Calories (steak only) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 ounces | 17 g | 171 |
| 4 ounces (this recipe) | 23 g | 228 |
| 5 ounces | 29 g | 285 |
| 6 ounces | 35 g | 342 |
One 4 ounce portion comes to about 23 grams of protein. If you track a daily target, the Protein Day Builder adds this dish to your day and shows what the other meals need to cover.
Per serving
One serving is a quarter of the recipe, made with 1 pound of top sirloin: about 369 calories, 23 grams of protein, 30 g fat and 1 g carbohydrate. Ribeye and strip have more fat than sirloin, so they raise the fat and calories per serving.
Three things that go wrong
Gray instead of brown. The pan was not hot enough, the cubes were wet, or the pan was crowded. Dry the steak again and cook in batches.
Bitter garlic. It went in while the pan was still at searing heat. Lower the heat first and give the garlic 30 to 45 seconds in the butter.
Chewy bites. They went past medium, or the cut was a lean one like round or flank. Sirloin, ribeye and strip stay tender at this size. Cooking meat at high heat works best with cuts that have some marbling. For exact doneness every time, cook the cubes sous vide first and sear them for about a minute per side; this sous vide time and temperature calculator gives the time for each cut and doneness.
Reheating leftovers
Keep leftover steak bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a skillet over medium low for 2 to 3 minutes, or in a 275°F oven for about 5 minutes. The microwave makes them rubbery. Cooked steak bites do not freeze well. If you want to prep ahead, freeze the raw cubed steak instead and thaw it in the fridge overnight before cooking.
Ingredient protein figures are based on USDA FoodData Central. How we calculate nutrition.
