The ribeye steak, also known as the Scottish fillet or the entrecôte, is a cut taken from the Longissimus Dorsi muscle. Running down the length of the spine, the muscle is not particularly active giving its meat a tender texture, and its mass a generous marbling.
Is the fat on ribeye good and are ribeye steaks tender?
The ‘eye’ comes from the fat in the middle of the cut, usually surrounded by some intense marbling and responsible for the ribeye’s taste. As the steak cooks, the fat melts and is absorbed by the meat leaving the steak tender, juicy and full of beefy flavours.
Is ribeye a good cut of meat and how do you pick a ribeye?
As the cut comes from the cows back, where the muscles don’t work as much, the ribeye is a tender, soft and buttery steak. The more a muscle works, the tougher the meat will be. Ribeye is taken anywhere from the 6th to the 12th rib of the animal, and which end you take dictates how best to cook it. The loin end has less fat, whilst the chuck end has more of the cap and more marbling. Sometimes the ribeye may come on the bone, the rib steak or tomahawk are increasingly popular ribeye cuts.
Whilst the mid sections are most common, if its flavour you’re after, you should ask the butcher for a cut from the chuck end. When choosing your ribeye, you should look for aged, deep red meat, with lots of marbling and a thickness of around 2.5-3cm.
How to Cook a Ribeye Steak
- Remove the steak from the fridge about an hour before cooking to allow it to settle to room temperature. This ensures the steak cooks consistently throughout.
- Season with salt and pepper generously, from height to ensure an even spread.
- Get your pan nice and hot, then fry on each side for around 2 – 3 minutes on a medium heat.
- After the first flip, add some butter and thyme to the pan and baste the steak for around 1 minute.
- For a medium rare finish on a 3cm steak, your cooking time should total around 5 minutes.
- If you have a meat thermometer, your internal temperature should be 50° for rare, 60° for medium rare and 70° for well done.
- Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This allows the particles in the meat to tighten up and it will retain more of its juices and flavour.
Is ribeye a good cut of meat and how do you pick a ribeye?
All that’s left to decide, is what’s going on the side. Homemade chips, fried mushrooms, baby potatoes? It’s really down to preference. There are no right or wrong answers. A ribeye will go just as nice with a side salad as it would with a plate of chips and an egg. Our preference, however, would be another ribeye.
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