Buying guide · Two muscles on a bone vs one
Porterhouse vs ribeye
A porterhouse is the largest kind of T-bone: a steak cut across the short loin with the striploin on one side of the bone and a tenderloin at least 32 mm / 1.25 in wide on the other. A ribeye comes from the rib, has no bone in its usual form and no tenderloin, and is one marbled eye with a rich cap. The ribeye is fattier and more even to cook; the porterhouse is leaner and is usually sold for two.
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| T-bone | Ribeye | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Short loin, bone-in | Rib (ribs 6–12) |
| Muscles | Longissimus lumborum (strip side) and psoas major (tenderloin side) | Longissimus dorsi (eye), spinalis dorsi (cap), complexus |
| Weight | 500 g / 18 oz–1.5 kg / 3.3 lb, 2.5–5 cm / 1–2 in thick | 250–400 g / 9–14 oz boneless · 500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb bone-in |
| Best cooked | Pulled at 50–54 °C / 122–129 °F in the strip side | Medium-rare to medium, 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F |
| United States | T-bone · porterhouse (hip end, wider tenderloin) | Ribeye · Delmonico |
| United Kingdom | T-bone · porterhouse | Rib-eye · fore rib (bone-in roast) |
| Argentina | T-bone · bife con lomo | Ojo de bife · bife ancho (bone-in rib steak) |
| Steakhouses that list it | 95 | 171 |
At a glance
- Porterhouse
- Short loin, hip end · striploin + tenderloin ≥ 32 mm wide (IMPS 1173)
- Ribeye
- Rib (ribs 6–12) · eye + marbled cap · 250–400 g / 9–14 oz boneless
- Serves
- Porterhouse often sold for two · ribeye for one
- Pull at
- Porterhouse 50–54 °C / 122–129 °F · ribeye 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F
What is the difference?
They come from different parts of the animal and are built differently. The porterhouse is cut across the short loin, behind the ribs, with the vertebra in place: striploin on one side of the T and tenderloin on the other. The ribeye is cut from the rib primal, in front of the loin. The table sets out the main differences.
| Porterhouse | Ribeye | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Short loin, hip end | Rib, usually ribs 6–12 |
| Muscles | Striploin + a wide tenderloin | Longissimus (eye) + spinalis (cap) |
| Bone | T-shaped vertebra, always | None; bone-in is a rib steak or côte de bœuf |
| Defining rule | Tenderloin at least 32 mm / 1.25 in wide (IMPS 1173) | None needed: one muscle with its cap |
| Fat | Lean; a strip along the striploin edge | Highest of the premium steaks: cap and seam inside |
| Steak weight | 500 g / 18 oz–1.5 kg / 3.3 lb, with the bone (T-bone range) | 250–400 g / 9–14 oz boneless · 500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb bone-in |
| Usually sold for | Two | One |
| Pull at (core) | 50–54 °C / 129 °F 122–129 °F, in the striploin side | 54–57 °C / 135 °F 129–135 °F |
What makes a steak a porterhouse?
One measurement. Under the USDA Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS), a bone-in short loin steak is a porterhouse when its tenderloin is at least 32 mm / 1.25 in wide at the widest point, and a T-bone when it is at least 13 mm / 0.5 in. The tenderloin tapers toward the ribs and is thickest at the hip end, so only the few steaks from that end of each loin qualify. The full rule is in T-bone vs porterhouse.
The ribeye has no such rule, because it has only one muscle with its cap. What defines a good one is marbling, which every grading system reads on this muscle.
Which has more flavor, and which is leaner?
The ribeye is richer. Its intramuscular fat softens as it cooks and bastes the steak from inside, and the cap is the most marbled bite on any steak. The porterhouse has little fat inside its muscles. Its striploin side has a firm, beefy bite and a fat strip on the edge; its tenderloin side, much larger than on a T-bone, is the leanest and mildest steak muscle.
A porterhouse is therefore a choice of contrast: two textures on one bone, rather than one rich texture throughout.
How are they cooked?
The porterhouse is the harder of the two. It holds two muscles with different ideal doneness, and the larger tenderloin is the part most at risk of overcooking. The tenderloin side is kept away from the strongest heat, and the steak is pulled at 50–54 °C / 122–129 °F, measured in the striploin side near the bone. Porterhouses are often cut 4 cm / 1½ in or thicker, which suits a gentle start and a hard sear at the end, as in the reverse sear.
The ribeye forgives heat. Its fat protects the muscle, so it is more often cooked to medium: a core temperature of 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F, then a rest. Doneness targets are in Steak temperatures.
To serve a porterhouse for two, each muscle is cut off the bone in one piece, sliced across the grain and laid back against the bone, so both sides can be shared.
Does “porterhouse” mean the same steak everywhere?
No, and this matters when comparing it with a ribeye. In Australia and New Zealand a “porterhouse” is a boneless striploin steak, with no tenderloin and no bone; there, “porterhouse vs ribeye” is the comparison covered in Ribeye vs New York strip. In Britain the word has historically named both the large and the small bone-in steak.
The ribeye also has other names: scotch fillet or cube roll in Australia and New Zealand, and ojo de bife (boneless) or bife ancho (bone-in) in Argentina.
What should be asked at the counter?
For a porterhouse, ask how wide the tenderloin side is and how thick the steak is; under 2.5 cm / 1 in the tenderloin overcooks before the striploin browns. The bone is weighed, so a 1 kg / 2.2 lb porterhouse gives noticeably less meat than 1 kg / 2.2 lb of boneless ribeye. Because the tenderloin is the most expensive muscle, a porterhouse usually costs more per kilo than a T-bone.
For a ribeye, marbling and a well-formed cap are the guide. Chuck-end steaks carry more cap and fat; loin-end steaks have a larger, leaner eye.
Keep reading
- Cut · Rib, the marbled steakRibeyeEye, cap and fat seam from the rib — the marbled steak used to grade the carcass.
- Cut · Short loin, one muscleStriploinOne muscle, one grain, one strip of fat — the New York strip, UK sirloin and bife de chorizo.
- Cut · Loin, the psoasTenderloinThe psoas: the most tender, leanest premium cut — filet mignon, chateaubriand, lomo.
- Buying guide · One bone, two widthsT-bone vs porterhouseSame bone, same two muscles: the 32 mm tenderloin rule, where each is cut, names by country and cooking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a porterhouse and a ribeye?
A porterhouse is a bone-in steak from the short loin with a striploin and a tenderloin at least 32 mm wide. A ribeye comes from the rib and is a single marbled eye with a cap, with no tenderloin.
Is a porterhouse bigger than a ribeye?
Usually, because it includes the bone and two muscles. It is often sold as a steak for two, while a ribeye is generally a steak for one.
Which is more tender, porterhouse or ribeye?
The tenderloin side of a porterhouse is the softest meat of the two, while the ribeye is juicier and richer. The striploin side is firmer.
Which is harder to cook, porterhouse or ribeye?
The porterhouse, because its muscles want different doneness and the bone slows the cooking beside it. The ribeye is more forgiving.
What is a porterhouse in Australia?
A boneless striploin steak, the cut Americans call New York strip. The bone-in steak with the tenderloin is sold there as a T-bone.
Sources
6
- 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
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef. 2017. www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/carcass-beef-grades-and-standards
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (UK). Beef Meat Purchasing Guide. Kenilworth, 2016. ahdb.org.uk
- 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.