Buying guide · One muscle, with and without the rib
Bone-in vs boneless ribeye
Bone-in and boneless ribeye are the same meat: the longissimus eye, the spinalis cap and the fat seam from ribs six to twelve. The bone adds weight (a bone-in steak weighs 500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb against 250–400 g / 9–14 oz boneless), shields the meat beside it from heat and raises the price per gram of meat. It does not change the muscle or its marbling.
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At a glance
- Same muscle
- Longissimus eye, spinalis cap and fat seam from ribs 6–12
- Bone-in
- Rib steak · IMPS 1103 · 500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb
- Boneless
- Ribeye roll (IMPS 112A) steaks · 250–400 g / 9–14 oz
- Pull at
- Medium-rare 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F in both
What is the difference between them?
Only the bone. A bone-in ribeye, sold as a rib steak (IMPS 1103), is cut across the rib with the rib bone left attached, one bone per steak. A boneless ribeye is cut from the ribeye roll (IMPS 112A), the whole muscle with the bone already removed, and sliced into steaks of 250–400 g / 9–14 oz.
Both carry the longissimus eye, the spinalis cap curled over it and the seam of fat between the two, and both come from the ribeye section. With the bone left long and scraped clean, the bone-in steak becomes a tomahawk.
How do they compare side by side?
The table sets out the practical differences. The muscle and the marbling are the same.
| Bone-in ribeye | Boneless ribeye | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | Rib steak · côte de bœuf · chuletón | Ribeye · entrecôte · scotch fillet (AU) |
| Trade item (IMPS) | 1103 | 112A roll, sliced into steaks |
| Weight | 500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb, bone included | 250–400 g / 9–14 oz |
| Bone | One rib bone per steak | None |
| Cost per gram of meat | Higher: the bone is sold by weight | Lower, at the same grade |
| Cooking next to the bone | Slower; the bone shields the meat | Even from edge to edge |
| Pull at (medium-rare) | 54–57 °C / 135 °F 129–135 °F | 54–57 °C / 135 °F 129–135 °F |
| Carving | Cut off the bone before slicing | Sliced or served whole |
| Usually bought for | Sharing, presentation | One portion per person |
What does the bone change in the pan or on the grill?
Bone conducts heat poorly, so the meat beside it cooks more slowly than the outer edge. A bone-in steak can be at temperature on the far side and still short at the bone, which is why the thermometer goes into the thickest part of the eye, away from the bone.
Cooks often say the bone makes the steak juicier or tastier. Steakpedia has found no measurement that separates the two, and the tomahawk article makes the same point: the bone adds weight and presentation, not flavor. What the bone does change, reliably, is the pace of cooking beside it.
A boneless steak cooks evenly from edge to edge, so it is the easier one to get right on a hot pan or grill.
How is each one cooked?
The ribeye forgives heat. Its intramuscular fat begins to soften around 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F, so both versions are usually taken off at 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F and rested before slicing.
Steaks of 3 cm / 1¼ in or more, which is where most bone-in steaks sit, suit a two-stage cook: gentle heat first, in a low oven or over indirect coals, then a hard sear. Thinner boneless steaks go straight onto a very hot grill or pan. The method is described in Reverse sear, and doneness targets are in Steak temperatures.
Which gives more meat for the money?
The boneless steak. The bone carries weight but no meat, so part of the price of a bone-in steak is bone. Frenching it, which scrapes the meat, fat and membrane from between the ribs, removes still more.
Our piece-by-piece breakdown of this cut is coming for members. What can be said now is that most of a boneless ribeye roll ends up as steaks, with the rest fat, silverskin and a little trim.
Which names mean which steak?
In the United States the bone-in steak is a rib steak or bone-in ribeye, and the boneless one is simply a ribeye. In France they are the côte de bœuf and the entrecôte; in Spain, the chuletón and the entrecot; in Argentina, the bife ancho and the ojo de bife.
Australia and New Zealand reverse the habit. The boneless ribeye is sold as scotch fillet (trade name cube roll, HAM 2244), and “rib eye” there often means the bone-in steak.
When does each one make sense?
Boneless suits one diner per steak, each choosing a doneness, and a pan that cooks in minutes. Bone-in suits a thick steak brought to the table whole and carved, often shared.
At the counter, look at the eye rather than the bone: marbling, a well-formed cap and an even thickness. Ask which end of the rib the steak came from, since chuck-end steaks have more cap and fat and loin-end steaks a larger, leaner eye. Grade and aging decide the eating quality.
Keep reading
- Cut · Rib, the long boneTomahawkA thick bone-in ribeye with the long rib bone left on and cleaned — same meat, more bone.
- Buying guide · Same rib, with or without the boneTomahawk vs ribeyeThe same ribeye meat with and without the long rib bone: weight, thickness, cooking and cost per gram.
- Buying guide · Short bone vs no boneCowboy steak vs ribeyeA bone-in ribeye with a short, cleaned bone against the boneless steak: same meat, different cooking and cost.
- Buying guide · Roast vs steakPrime rib vs ribeyeOne muscle, roasted whole or cut into steaks: grades, temperatures, yield per kilo and when each suits the table.
Frequently asked questions
Is bone-in ribeye better than boneless?
Not in any way Steakpedia has found measured. The meat is the same; the bone adds weight, slows the cooking next to it and raises the price per gram of meat. Boneless cooks more evenly.
Does the bone add flavor to a ribeye?
The bone adds weight and presentation, not flavor, as far as measurements show. It does shield the meat next to it, which cooks more slowly than the outer edge.
How long does bone-in ribeye take compared with boneless?
Longer, because it is usually thicker and the bone slows the heat beside it. A thermometer in the eye, pulled at 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F for medium-rare, decides the time.
What is a bone-in ribeye called?
A rib steak, in trade terms IMPS 1103; also côte de bœuf in France, chuletón in Spain and bife ancho in Argentina. With the bone left long and cleaned, it is a tomahawk.
Is bone-in ribeye more expensive?
Per gram of meat, yes, because the bone is sold by weight with the steak. The price per kilo of a bone-in steak is not the price of its meat.
Sources
5
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications: Fresh Beef Series 100. Washington, DC, 2014. www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IMPS_100_Fresh_Beef%5B1%5D.pdf
- AUS-MEAT Limited. Handbook of Australian Meat, 7th ed. (International Red Meat Manual). Brisbane, 2005. www.ausmeat.com.au
- Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina (IPCVA). Cortes de carne vacuna argentina — nomenclatura y usos. Buenos Aires. www.ipcva.com.ar
- McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.
- Huerta-Leidenz, Nelson. International Nomenclature Guide of Beef Cuts for the U.S.A. and Other Countries Targeted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Denver: U.S. Meat Export Federation, 2013. www.usa-beef.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1064.GUIDE_beef-cuts_ingl%C3%A9s_09oct13.pdf