Buying guide · Short bone vs no bone
Cowboy steak vs ribeye
A cowboy steak is a ribeye with the bone left on: the same meat from ribs six to twelve, cut bone-in with a short frenched rib bone of about 5–10 cm / 2–4 in. A ribeye is usually the same steak without the bone. The muscle, marbling and cap are identical; the bone changes the weight, the way the meat cooks near it and the price per gram.
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| Cowboy steak | Ribeye | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Rib (ribs 6–12), bone-in | Rib (ribs 6–12) |
| Muscles | Longissimus dorsi, spinalis dorsi, complexus: the ribeye | Longissimus dorsi (eye), spinalis dorsi (cap), complexus |
| Weight | — | 250–400 g / 9–14 oz boneless · 500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb bone-in |
| Best cooked | Reverse sear, pulled at 52–55 °C / 126–131 °F | Medium-rare to medium, 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F |
| United States | Cowboy steak · cowboy ribeye | Ribeye · Delmonico |
| United Kingdom | Bone-in rib-eye · rib steak | Rib-eye · fore rib (bone-in roast) |
| Argentina | Bife ancho con hueso · ojo de bife con hueso | Ojo de bife · bife ancho (bone-in rib steak) |
| Steakhouses that list it | — | 171 |
At a glance
- Same meat
- Ribeye muscles from ribs 6–12: eye, cap and fat seam
- Cowboy steak
- Bone-in ribeye, bone frenched and cut to about 5–10 cm / 2–4 in · a US name
- Ribeye
- Usually boneless · 250–400 g / 9–14 oz (500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb bone-in)
- Pull at
- Medium-rare 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F, thermometer in the eye, away from the bone
Is a cowboy steak a ribeye?
Yes. A cowboy steak is cut from the rib primal, ribs six to twelve, and is made of the same muscles as any ribeye: the longissimus eye, the spinalis cap and the fat seam between them. It is the bone-in version, with the meat scraped from the rib bone so that a short, clean handle stands out. The name is mainly American, and butchers do not all cut it the same way.
With the full rib left long, 12–20 cm / 5–8 in or more, the same steak is a tomahawk; the two are compared in Tomahawk vs ribeye. Left short and not frenched, it is simply a bone-in ribeye or rib steak (IMPS 1103).
How do they compare side by side?
The cowboy steak and the boneless ribeye share everything except the bone. The table sets out the consequences.
| Cowboy steak | Ribeye (boneless) | |
|---|---|---|
| Muscles | Longissimus, spinalis cap, complexus | Longissimus, spinalis cap, complexus |
| Bone | Rib bone, frenched, cut to about 5–10 cm / 2–4 in | None |
| Weight | More than a boneless steak of the same size, because of the bone | 250–400 g / 9–14 oz |
| Cost per gram of meat | Higher: the bone is sold by weight with the meat | Lower, at the same grade |
| Cooking | Bone shields the meat beside it; cooks more slowly there | Even from edge to edge |
| Method | Hot and fast if thin; reverse sear if thick | High heat; two-stage if 3 cm / 1¼ in or thicker |
| Pull at (medium-rare) | 54–57 °C / 135 °F 129–135 °F, probe in the eye | 54–57 °C / 135 °F 129–135 °F |
| Carving | Cut off the bone, then sliced | Sliced or eaten as is |
| Called | Cowboy steak (US) · bone-in ribeye | Ribeye · scotch fillet (AU) · entrecôte |
What does the bone change?
The bone adds weight and presentation, not flavor: the meat is the same, and Steakpedia has no measurement that separates the taste of the two. It does change the cooking, because bone conducts heat poorly and shields the meat next to it.
That meat cooks more slowly than the outer edge, so a bone-in steak can be done on the far side and still short at the bone. The thermometer goes into the thickest part of the eye, away from the bone. Over an open fire, some cooks wrap the bone in foil to keep it from charring.
It changes the price as well. The bone is sold by weight, so part of what is paid for is not meat, and frenching takes butcher's time.
How is each one cooked?
The ribeye forgives heat. Its intramuscular fat begins to soften around 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F, so it is usually taken off at 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F and rested before slicing. The same target applies to the cowboy steak.
A thin ribeye goes straight onto a very hot grill or pan. A cowboy steak is usually cut thick, and thick steaks of 3 cm / 1¼ in or more suit a reverse sear: gentle heat first, in a low oven or over indirect coals, then a hard sear to brown the surface. After a few minutes of rest the meat is carved off the bone. Doneness targets are in Steak temperatures.
On an Argentine parrilla the bone-in rib steak is the bife ancho, cooked over embers, salted coarsely before it goes on and served without sauce.
Which names mean which steak?
“Cowboy” and “tomahawk” overlap, and the line between them is a matter of how much bone is left rather than a standard. In the United States the usual rule is a short frenched bone, 5–10 cm / 2–4 in, for the cowboy and the whole rib for the tomahawk.
Other names for the bone-in ribeye include rib steak and côte de bœuf in France and the United Kingdom, chuletón in Spain and bife ancho con hueso in Argentina. Boneless, it is scotch fillet (cube roll) in Australia and New Zealand, where “rib eye” often means the bone-in steak.
When does each one make sense?
The boneless ribeye suits one diner per steak, each choosing a doneness, and a pan or grill that cooks in minutes. The cowboy steak suits a table that wants a thick steak brought whole and carved, usually shared by two.
Per person, the boneless steak is the cheaper way to buy the same meat. The bone-in steak is bought for the cut and the table.
What should be checked at the butcher's counter?
Judge the eye, not the bone: marbling, a well-formed cap and an even thickness across the steak. A clean, pale bone shows careful frenching. Thickness matters more than weight, since a steak under 2.5 cm / 1 in is hard to sear without overcooking the center.
Ask which end of the rib the steak came from: chuck-end steaks have more cap and fat, loin-end steaks a larger, leaner eye. Grade and aging decide the eating quality, not the bone.
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 · One muscle, with and without the ribBone-in vs boneless ribeyeThe same ribeye with and without the rib bone: weight, cooking next to the bone, yield and price per gram.
- Cut · Rib, on the boneCowboy steakA thick bone-in ribeye with a short frenched bone: the tomahawk's shorter sibling; the name varies.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cowboy steak just a ribeye?
Yes. It is a bone-in ribeye from ribs six to twelve with a short frenched rib bone, about 5–10 cm / 2–4 in. The meat is the same.
Cowboy steak vs tomahawk: what is the difference?
Only the length of the bone. The cowboy steak keeps a short frenched bone, about 5–10 cm / 2–4 in; the tomahawk keeps the full rib, 12–20 cm / 5–8 in or more. See Tomahawk vs ribeye.
Is a cowboy steak better than a boneless ribeye?
Not in taste, since the meat is the same. The bone slows the cooking next to it and adds weight; the boneless steak is cheaper per gram of meat and cooks more evenly.
How do you cook a cowboy steak?
Hot and fast if thin, or with a reverse sear if thick. Pull it at 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F with the thermometer in the eye, away from the bone, and rest it before carving.
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