Bone-in or boneless ribeye?

[ricklea1953]

Most of the steak restaurants I frequent serve ribeye with the bone in. Can somebody explain why this seems to be the norm? Does the bone add to the flavor? My butcher shop sells ribeye either way.

[foodnfoto]

The closer to the bone, the sweeter the meat.

Honestly, though, I don't know the answer to your question. Somehow, the bone on a well grilled ribeye is one of the tastiest bones.

[Steve A]

The meat next to the bone is obviously less exercised than that away from the bone. What's that mean: tenderness. Also, when cooking, the bone imparts a flavor of it's own. Additionally, due to the denseness of the bone, the immediate vicinity cooks slower. You'll notice that if you've a MR ribeye, bone-in, it'll be MUCH less cooked near the bone. C'est la vie... the price of perfection.

Buy bone in when you can. It's worth the extra charge for the bone itself.

Ciao,

[ricklea1953]

Thanks because I ordered bone-in prime. The butcher recommended bone-in but I forgot to ask why. I also stepped up to the prime (over choice) and ordered 1" cuts. Wise decision? I sure hope so. The choice was $9.99 a lb. The prime was $15.99 a lb.

[Jolly Roger]

When I go out to eat, I want a great steak. My favorite is, in fact, a bone-in ribeye. The reason being is that the roasted/flame broiled bone imparts its flavor to meat. It's like the part of the meat you can seriously char. I think of raosting bones for veal stock and seeing the marrow ooze out from inside the cleevered bones. That's just primal, down to the Earth deliciousness! I also enjoy T-bones for the same reason. And while we are at it, try buying chicken breast still on the rib. When you grill it, it will notice a distinct flavor due to cooking it on the bones.

[nowIamone]

A "bone in" rib steak is what has made my business. Not only is the flavour, better, but my steaks always look like more when plated. They have another 3/4 to 1" of width, sure looks like a big, old plate of steak!

[bigwheel]

Back before the Winn Dixie food chain went out of bidness in the Fort Worth area a few years back you could often find Choice grade whole bone-in ribeyes in the general vicinity of 2.99 per lb. My favorite way to handle them things was to bone em out and cut the meat into boneless steaks for grilling and save the remaining rack o bones to cook at a later date for some of the best beef ribs you ever got a lip lock on. Seems like when I got the steaks cut with the bone still in it just made for more waste and uneven cooking..cuz like the the other folks hath said that meat up near the bone can still be cold and bloody whilst the other part is done.

bigwheel

[nowIamone]

Big wheel, I prop a burger press along the bone side, not on top of the steak, but from the grill to the stak at an angle. The metal helps conduct heat to the bone, so the steak is more evenly cooked. I don't worry about it on med. rare/med/med well steaks, the steak will even out even after it leaves the grill and folks seem to expect it. But it does help the steak ordered "rare" be warm next to the bone and the steak ordered "well" is always consistant when the customer makes his first inspection cut next to the bone. "Well" dones "always" cut next to the bone as soon as they get the steak!

[GmeNGrmetSales]

Bone in products are cheaper than boneless, thus restaurants going for a better bottom line will go for the bone in product. The best ribeye I ever had was a Glatt Kosher Boneless Ribeye - some of the most tender and tasty meat you will find on a Kosher Steer - actually this is the best cut on a Kosher Steer as they only use the front half of the steer.

Good luck with your search.

Steve

[bigwheel]

Well thanks for that good tip on the burger press. Betcha that would also be a good plan for beating the bloody bone blues on a Prime Rib.

bigwheel

Originally Posted by nowIamone

Big wheel, I prop a burger press along the bone side, not on top of the steak, but from the grill to the stak at an angle. The metal helps conduct heat to the bone, so the steak is more evenly cooked. I don't worry about it on med. rare/med/med well steaks, the steak will even out even after it leaves the grill and folks seem to expect it. But it does help the steak ordered "rare" be warm next to the bone and the steak ordered "well" is always consistant when the customer makes his first inspection cut next to the bone. "Well" dones "always" cut next to the bone as soon as they get the steak!

[diane]

I normally buy whole filets, bone out. But always regret the bone, all that marvellous flavour. And goodness. I think I will take the whole thing next time, when it is on the counter I shall ask the butcher to do it for me. Asked Shane to bring home dogs bones a week or so ago. When they arrived home they looked so meaty and lovely, and smelled so fresh, I made a stock instead, which we used for a casserole.

[scott123]

I'm sorry, but I've always had a hard time equating bone with flavor. Marrow certainly has flavor, but I'm skeptical as to how much marrow is transferred from the bone to the flesh. Bones are great for stock, but for steak... they're just a pain in the butt.

Fat is flavor. I look for the best marbling I can find in a boneless cut.

Restaurants sell it on the bone for the reason previously mentioned- it looks more than it is. It's about money not quality.

There are those people that, for whatever reason, like to gnaw bones (a canine gene perhaps? . All power to them. If I'm making steaks for people I'll ask if they want the bone. But for me, give me a well marbled, dry aged boneless steak every time.

[Suzanne]

Originally Posted by foodnfoto

The closer to the bone, the sweeter the meat.

Honestly, though, I don't know the answer to your question. Somehow, the bone on a well grilled ribeye is one of the tastiest bones.

Folk wisdom is usually based on long observation. The tastiness of the ribeye bone may come from all the fat in the cut, and from the inherent quality of the cut. Also, the bone acts to keep at least one surface from drying -- and the more juice, the tastier.

But this is one of those debates that can only be answered by direct experience in a head-to-head test. Anyone care to invite me for grilled bone-in AND boneless steaks?

[diane]

It is quite hard to speak cuts with you, I am sure misunderstandings take place between countries. I am for a bone out eye filet. My husband likes a T bone or scotch filet. But I find that too large. Sirloin is OK if it is handled right. I prefer it whole and roasted.

[Suzanne]

Diane: you are so right! As I mentioned on the "Cuts of Meat thread, there are big differences in names -- and even in the butchering -- between countries. For work, I need to know American, British, and Australian cuts, and believe me, it's not easy to translate one to the other. (And then there was the time I was working on a book on Colombian cooking written in English by a writer from Colombia who was living in Panama. Whoo boy! )

BTW: are the cuts the same in NZ as they are in Oz?