Ribeye Steak
by jessica/countlesscalories.com @ flickr

Every meat lover will agree with the following statement; Ribeye Steak is one of the tastiest steaks out there! When ordering dinner at a steakhouse, we always go for the ribeye. It is delicious, juicy, buttery, in a word, heavenly.

What’s a ribeye steak, you may ask? How to cook it ? Stick around for the ride!

What is a Ribeye Steak?

The ribeye is one of the most popular steak cuts. It is marbled with just the right amount of fat, making it tender, juicy, and flavorful.

The primary muscle in a ribeye steak is the Longissimus Dorsi, a long, tender muscle that runs from the cow’s hip bone to the shoulder blade. It is tender because it doesn’t get much exercise. It’s also a muscle where a fair amount of intramuscular fat tends to deposit, adding tons of moisture and flavor to the steak. The ribeye steak can be boneless or bone-in. Bone-in ribeye is often labeled as rib steak.

A bone-in ribeye is more flavorful, and it has more moisture, but it could be more challenging to cook, as the meat next to the ribs cooks slowly, making it hard to cook the rib steak evenly. That is why boneless ribeye is more common to buy, especially when you plan to cook it on the stove or grill it.

Tastewise, the ribeye steak gets its distinctive beef flavor from the large strip of fat separating the Longissimus from the Spinalis Dorsi. The central eye of meat tends to be smooth-textured, with a finer grain than a strip steak, while the Spinalis Dorsi section typically has a looser grain and more fat, making the meat so rich, buttery, and juicy.

To get a nice ribeye steak, you can pay a visit to the meat counter of your local grocery store, but there are also many high-end retailers or butcher shops offering the choicest and priciest cuts of meat where you can find some prime ribeye steak.

Ribeye is one of the most expensive meat cuts, but any cook will tell you that it is worth the extra cost for the juicy, tender meat.

When buying your steak, make sure to look for a nice deep red color with lots of marbling that will melt and render the meat when cooked. You should also make sure to get a thick rib steak so you wouldn’t overcook inside when trying to get an intense sear on the outside.

How to cook ribeye steak?

Cooking and enjoying a beautiful ribeye at home is not challenging; there are countless ways to do it.

Here’s how you do it :

1. Frying pan or cast-iron skillet ribeye recipe

For a perfect ribeye steak on the stove, we need the following ingredients:

• 1 ribeye steak at room temperature
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves of garlic smashed
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Instructions:

• Start by patting both sides of the meat and making sure it is dry. Season it generously with Kosher salt and pepper.
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet or a frying pan over medium heat until very hot, then add canola oil.
• Place the steak in the middle of your pan. Turn it every 2 to 3 minutes until a dark sear has formed on both sides.
• Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Add butter, garlic, thyme, and rosemary to the side of the pan/skillet.
• Start basting the ribeye steak for a minute by tilting the pan towards you and spooning the butter pooling to the side over the steak repeatedly.
• Remove the steak from the heat and leave it to rest for at least 10 minutes so the meat could relax and absorb its liquids and not lose all its moisture when being cut.

You now have a perfect ribeye steak that you can serve with any sides you prefer, be it homemade fries, sauteed greens, or a good fresh salad. Have a look at skillet rib eye steak recipe.

2. Oven ribeye steak recipe

For this recipe, you need

• 1 ribeye steak at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Preheat a cast-iron pan on the stove over medium-high heat.
• Rub the steak with olive oil and generously season.
• Set the steak in the pan and cook for 2 minutes per side to get the perfect sear.
• Place the pan in the oven.
• Roast for 11 to 14 minutes until the steak is cooked to the desired temperature.
• Remove the ribeye steak from the pan and place it on a plate to rest for 10 minutes.
• Put some butter on top and loosely tent with foil.

3. Broiled ribeye steak recipe

If you want to cook your prime ribeye steak in the oven but don’t want to start it in the pan and risk overcooking it, you can broil it and get equally impressive results.

Ingredients:

• 1 ribeye steak
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat your broiler.
2. Season your steak generously.
3. Lay your ribeye steaks out on the broiling pan so they get direct and even heat.
4. After 5 minutes, your cut should have a nice brown exterior; flip it to cook on the other side for 5 more minutes.
5. Once reached the desired temperature, take the rib steak out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

4. Grilled ribeye steak recipe

We cannot talk about steak and not talk about BBQ. Grilled meat has its unique charm, and ribeye steak is no different. The following grilled ribeye recipe will be the highlight of your next BBQ party!

To get the most incredible grilled rib steak, we need:

• 1 ribeye steak at room temperature.
• 1 teaspoon sea salt.
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Optionally :
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

Instructions:

1. Mix the seasoning in a bowl.
2. Rub it onto the rib steak, then arrange it onto the grill.
3. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes on high heat, flipping only once while cooking.
4. When the steak is ready, let it rest 10 minutes before serving.

5. Air Fryer ribeye steak recipe

Since air fryers are taking over the culinary world, making everything easy and healthy, it is only fair to share an air fryer ribeye recipe. It may not match a perfectly grilled steak, but using air fryer is a fuss-free and straightforward alternative.

The ingredients are simple; you only need:

• 1 ribeye steak, bring to room temperature.
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.
• 1/2 tablespoon melted salted butter.
• Season to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
2. Rub the steak with olive oil and butter and generously season.
3. Put the steak in the air fryer basket and cook for 8 to 12 minutes, flipping after 4 minutes.
4. Remove ribeye steak from the air fryer and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

6. Braised ribeye steak recipe

Braising meat can never go wrong!
It is a great way to cook steak, keeping it moist and enhancing its flavor. Braising a prime ribeye steak can take it to the next level, and everyone will be praising your cooking once they taste it.

To make some great braised rib steaks for 4 people, you need:

• 4 rib steaks. Opting for bone-in ribeye will add a lot more flavor to your dish.
• 3 tablespoons of neutral oil.
• 1 onion cut into wedges.
• 1 crushed garlic clove.
• 18 fl oz beef stock made with a beef stock cube or preferably fresh
• 1 tablespoon of tomato purée.
• 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• ½ teaspoon of powdered English mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Don’t let the long list of ingredients discourage you; this ribeye steak recipe is not hard to execute!

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F
2. Season the rib steaks with salt and black pepper on both sides
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons of the oil and brown your cut on both sides, one or two rib steaks at a time. Transfer to a flameproof casserole dish
4. With the remaining oil, fry the onions in the same pan until softened, then add the garlic and stir it in for 1 minute until fragrant, then add your steaks.
5. Add the beef stock, tomato purée, thyme, and bay leaf to the casserole
6. Cover the casserole and transfer it carefully to the oven and cook until the rib steaks are very tender
7. Mix the cornflour and English mustard powder with a tablespoon of cold water, then add it to the casserole with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8. Place the casserole on the stove over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes stirring regularly until the gravy thickens and becomes glossy

You now have the perfect braised rib steak to serve with a side of mashed potatoes or pasta.

7. Smoked ribeye steak recipe

We cannot overlook the holy smoked rib steak. Smoking meat usually calls for marinades. However, a ribeye has enough moisture that comes from the marbled fat. Seasoning the exterior is enough.

Ingredients:

• 1 rib steak at room temperature. Using a bone-in ribeye helps enhance the flavor of the meat.
• Olive oil, preferably extra virgin
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper.
• You can add extra seasoning to the taste, such as garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, etc.
• Cherry or hickory wood chips

Instructions:

1. Put your choice of wood chips in the smoker’s tray and preheat your smoker to 220°F.
2. Rub the rib steak with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, then rest on a cold rack while the smoker is preheating
3. Put the rack in the smoker and cook until the desired internal temperature is reached. Continue if needed.
4. When done, remove the rib steak from the smoker and rest it for 10 minutes before serving.

Smoking a ribeye won’t get you beautiful grill marks or a charred exterior, but you can reverse sear it by grilling the steak over a fire or on a hot grill pan for just a couple of minutes to get the desired browning.

8. Sous vide ribeye steak recipe

If you don’t want to under or overcook your steak, sous vide is the ideal way to cook it perfectly with foolproof results.

All you need for a perfect sous vide rib eye is

• 1 boneless ribeye steak at room temperature
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 rosemary sprig

Instructions:

1. Rub your meat with olive oil and season generously.
2. Put the ribeye in a zip-top bag and throw in a bay leaf and rosemary, then seal the bag.
3. Set the bag in the prepared water bath at 130°F for 1 to 4 hours, depending on the thickness of your ribeye
4. When ready, you can sear your meat for 1 to 2 minutes to get the right color on it; you can serve it immediately with your preferred sides

9. Prime ribeye steak Tartare

This simple but elegant dish showcases the distinct flavor of ribeye.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz of prime ribeye steak
• 1 teaspoon of capres
• 1 tablespoon of shallot
• ½ teaspoon of garlic
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 quail egg
• Salt to taste
• Black Hawaiian sea salt for garnish

Instructions:

1. Dice your prime ribeye steak as small as possible using a knife to get a good texture, then put it in a covered bowl in the fridge.
2. Finely chop the shallots and rinse well the capers.
3. In a metal bowl, combine the capers, shallot, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil.
   Add to your chilled beef and mix with a spoon carefully. We don’t want to make a mash.
   Add salt to taste.
4. Put your tartare on the serving plate using a mold ring to create a circular shape
5. Crack your quail egg, discard the white, and put the yolk on your tartare.
6. Garnish the plate with black Hawaiian sea salt; you can also add some herb oil and baguette slices.

You can serve this dish on special occasions with your favorite wine as a fancy appetizer.