Grilled New York Strip with Herb Compound Butter
A perfectly seared New York strip finished with melting herb compound butter — the California steakhouse experience in its purest form. Paired with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Ingredients
Steak Ingredients
- 4 New York strip steaks 1–1½ inches thick (12–14 oz each)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp neutral oil avocado or grapeseed for brushing
Compound Butter Ingredients
- 1 stick (or Make Your Own Delectable Butter) 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh chives finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary finely minced
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Make compound butter: blend all butter ingredients together in a bowl. Roll in plastic wrap into a log and refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to 3 days ahead). Slice into rounds before serving.
- Remove steaks from fridge 30–45 minutes before cooking. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels — this is the key to a great crust.
- Season generously on all sides with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
- Prepare a very hot grill (gas or charcoal). Brush grates clean and oil lightly.
- Brush steaks with a thin coat of neutral oil. Grill over high heat: 4–5 minutes first side without moving, then flip. Cook 3–4 more minutes for medium-rare (internal temp 130°F).
- Transfer to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 5–8 minutes. Never skip the rest.
- Top each steak with a generous slice of compound butter and serve immediately.
Notes
On the steak: Pull it from the refrigerator 30–45 minutes before cooking. Pat it completely dry with paper towels — this is not optional. Wet meat steams rather than sears, and the crust is the entire point. Season more generously than you think necessary on all sides.
On the compound butter: Softened, not melted — the butter should yield to a spatula but hold its shape. Mix until fully combined, then roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. It keeps three days in the refrigerator and two months in the freezer. Slice rounds straight from cold when ready to serve — they melt more slowly and pool on the steak rather than disappearing immediately.
Really want to elevate this? Make Your Own Delectable Butter It's one of the quickest, easiest and most satisfying things you can add to your dishes - really.
The rest: Five to eight minutes minimum, tented loosely with foil, on a cutting board not a plate. The juices redistribute during this window. Skipping it costs you everything the cooking built.
Make-ahead: The compound butter is the ideal prep-ahead component. Make it Sunday and the Tuesday steak takes 20 minutes. It's also excellent on roasted vegetables, grilled corn, and baked potatoes — make a double batch.
Better yet - make the butter yourself from a bottle of cream
Wine pairing — Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Three things are happening when you eat this steak with a Napa Cab. The fat in the beef softens the wine's tannins — a grippy Cab that feels structured on its own opens up and becomes generous alongside well-marbled meat. The salt in the crust suppresses bitterness and amplifies the wine's dark fruit, making the blackberry and black cherry more vivid and immediate. And the herbs in the compound butter — rosemary, thyme, parsley — echo the cedar and herbal notes that good Napa Cab carries from barrel aging, creating a flavor bridge that makes the pairing feel designed rather than coincidental. The Worcestershire in the butter is the quiet hero: its savory, umami depth pulls the wine's fruit forward in a way that's hard to articulate but easy to taste. Serve the wine at around 60–62°F — slightly cooler than room temperature — so the tannins stay defined through the richness of the dish.
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