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Entrecôte Grillée — Grilled Rib Steak with Compound Butter

The entrecôte (literally 'between the ribs') is the French grilladin's quintessential steak — a boneless rib-eye cut, 2.5-3cm thick, 300-350g, grilled over fierce heat and served with a disc of compound butter melting over the surface. The entrecôte is distinguished from the côte de boeuf by its manageable single-portion size and absence of bone, making it the workhorse of bistro and brasserie menus across France. The cut comes from between the 6th and 12th ribs — well-marbled with intramuscular fat that bastes the meat internally during cooking and delivers the characteristic beefy richness. Preparation: temper 1 hour at room temperature. Season both sides generously with coarse salt 40 minutes before grilling (the salt-moisture-reabsorption cycle dries the surface). Pat dry. Oil the steak, not the grill. Place on a very hot grill (300°C+) at 45° to the bars. Sear 3 minutes without moving (the crust develops and the steak releases naturally). Rotate 90° for quadrillage, 2 minutes more. Flip once, repeat the process on the second side. Total grilling time for medium-rare (54-56°C): 8-10 minutes for a 3cm steak. Rest 5 minutes on a warm plate. Place a 15g disc of compound butter (maître d'hôtel: butter, parsley, lemon juice, salt) on top — it should be firm from the refrigerator, melting slowly into a pool around the steak as it reaches the table. The companion is pommes frites (always) and a green salad (usually frisée with a mustardy vinaigrette). This is the eternal French bistro meal — no innovation required, only execution.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesFour portions
Total1 hour 20 minutes (including tempering and resting)
Sourced0of 9 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

4 × 300–350 g
entrecôte (boneless rib-eye, 6th–12th rib)
2.5–3 cm thick
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
as needed
coarse salt
applied generously 40 minutes before grilling
Your own market
as needed
neutral oil
used to coat the steak, not the grill
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the maître d'hôtel butter
60 g
unsalted butter
softened, then re-chilled as discs
Your own market
2 tbsp
flat-leaf parsley
finely chopped
Your own market
1 tsp
lemon juice
freshly squeezed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 pinch
fine salt
Your own market
To serve
as needed
pommes frites
always
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
as needed
frisée lettuce
dressed with Dijon mustard vinaigrette
Your own market
II

The Method

1
Prepare the maître d'hôtel butter first. Beat the softened butter with the chopped parsley, lemon juice, and fine salt until fully combined. Roll into a cylinder in cling film, refrigerate until firm, then slice into 15 g discs. Return discs to the refrigerator. They are ready when firm to the touch but not brittle.
2
Remove the steaks from refrigeration. Season both sides generously with coarse salt exactly 40 minutes before grilling. Leave uncovered at room temperature for the full hour of tempering. After 40 minutes the drawn surface moisture will have been reabsorbed. Pat each steak completely dry with kitchen paper — the surface must feel dry and slightly tacky, not damp.
3
Heat the grill to a minimum of 300 °C. Coat each steak lightly with oil on both sides. Lay the steaks on the grill at 45° to the bars. The steak must sizzle aggressively on contact — a loud, sustained hiss confirms the grill is sufficiently hot. Do not move the steaks for 3 minutes.
4
This is where the dish lives or dies: the crust. After 3 minutes the steak will release cleanly from the bars without resistance — it must not be forced. Rotate each steak 90° in the same plane to produce the quadrillage crosshatch. Grill 2 minutes more. The exposed surface should show a deep mahogany sear with clearly defined bar marks; the edges will have changed colour one-third of the way up.
5
Flip each steak once. Repeat the sequence: 3 minutes without moving, then a 90° rotation for 2 minutes. Total grilling time is 8–10 minutes for medium-rare (54–56 °C internal temperature) on a 3 cm steak. The second side should match the first in colour and marking.
6
Transfer the steaks to a warm plate and rest for 5 minutes. The meat will feel slightly springy under finger pressure — resistance without rigidity. The juices should not flood the plate.
7
Remove the butter discs from the refrigerator 5 minutes before service. Place one 15 g disc on each steak at the moment of plating. Send to the table immediately — the butter must arrive visibly melting, pooling around the steak in a glossy emulsified ring, not fully liquid. Serve with pommes frites and frisée dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette.
From the canon — Pommes frites are the defining accompaniment to every grilled steak in France — and the technique of double-cooking (cuisson en deux temps) is what separates… Pommes Frites — Double-Cooked French Fried Potatoes →
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Dry-aged (minimum 28 days) rib-eye from a named heritage breed — Charolais, Limousin, or Blonde d'Aquitaine — cut precisely between the 6th and 12th ribs at 3 cm and heavily marbled with intramuscular fat; butchered and tied to order.
02
Estate — Wet-aged rib-eye from a single-origin grass-and-grain-finished beef operation, cut at 2.5–3 cm with visible marbling; sourced from a reputable butcher who can confirm the primal origin.
03
Market — A sound rib-eye from a trusted retail butcher, correctly cut at 2.5–3 cm minimum and tempered fully before grilling; marbling need not be exceptional if the technique is correct.
04
House — A supermarket rib-eye, provided it meets the minimum 2.5 cm thickness — a thin-cut steak at this rung overcooks before developing any crust and cannot produce an acceptable entrecôte by the method given.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sound. An aggressive, sustained hiss on contact with the grill bars confirms the surface temperature is sufficient to sear rather than steam.
◇Touch. At 3 minutes the steak releases cleanly from the grill without resistance; forced removal means the crust is incomplete.
◇Sight. The first side shows deep mahogany colour with defined crosshatch bar marks and colour change one-third up the edge before the flip.
◇Touch. After resting, the steak yields slight springiness under finger pressure — resistance without rigidity — indicating medium-rare fibres.
◇Sight. At service, the butter disc is visibly melting and pooling around the steak in a glossy ring; a solid disc or a fully liquid puddle both indicate mistimed plating.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies on the crust: the steak must release from the grill bars without force at the 3-minute mark, yielding a deep mahogany sear — if the grill is insufficiently hot, or the surface was wet, this crust does not form and the entrecôte is lost.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Bushmills Malt 10 Year Old
Old Bushmills Distillery · County Antrim — Bushmills Distillery
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic

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The whole pairing
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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