Buying guide · Two muscles vs one
T-bone vs ribeye
A T-bone is a bone-in steak with two muscles, the striploin and a piece of tenderloin, on either side of a T-shaped vertebra; a ribeye is a single steak from the rib, an eye of muscle wrapped by a marbled cap. The ribeye is richer and juicier and cooks more evenly; the T-bone is leaner and gives two textures on one bone.
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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
- T-bone
- Short loin, bone-in · striploin + tenderloin · 500 g / 18 oz–1.5 kg / 3.3 lb
- Ribeye
- Rib (ribs 6–12) · eye + marbled cap · 250–400 g / 9–14 oz boneless
- Fat
- Ribeye: cap and seam inside · T-bone: leaner, fat edge outside
- Pull at
- Ribeye 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F · T-bone 50–54 °C / 122–129 °F
What is the difference?
The difference is anatomical. A T-bone 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. A ribeye is cut from the rib primal, in front of the loin, and has no tenderloin at all. The table sets out the main differences.
| T-bone | Ribeye | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Short loin, behind the last rib | Rib, usually ribs 6–12 |
| Muscles | Striploin + tenderloin | Longissimus (eye) + spinalis (cap) |
| Bone | T-shaped vertebra, always | None; bone-in is a rib steak or côte de bœuf |
| Fat | Lean; strip along one edge of the striploin side | Highest of the premium steaks: cap and seam inside |
| Eating | Two textures: firm and beefy beside soft and mild | Juicy, rich, tender |
| Steak weight | 500 g / 18 oz–1.5 kg / 3.3 lb, with the bone | 250–400 g / 9–14 oz boneless · 500 g / 18 oz–1 kg / 2.2 lb bone-in |
| Thickness | 2.5–5 cm / 1–2 in | Usually 3–4 cm / 1¼–1½ in |
| Pull at (core) | 50–54 °C / 129 °F 122–129 °F, in the striploin side | 54–57 °C / 135 °F 129–135 °F |
Where does each one come from?
The long back muscle changes name along the spine. In the rib it is the ribeye's eye, with a marbled cap curled over it. Past the thirteenth rib the cap is gone and the same muscle becomes the striploin, in the short loin. Directly beneath the backbone there, the tenderloin begins. Cut through the loin with the bone in, and both muscles are in the steak: that is the T-bone.
That is why the two steaks are related. The striploin side of a T-bone is the same muscle as the eye of a ribeye, only leaner and firmer, as covered in Ribeye vs New York strip. The tenderloin side is a different muscle that does almost no work.
Which is richer, and which is leaner?
The ribeye. It carries more intramuscular fat than any other steak muscle, and its cap carries the most of all; that fat softens as it cooks and bastes the steak from inside. A T-bone has little fat inside either of its two muscles. It has a strip on the edge of the striploin side, and the tenderloin side is the leanest and mildest steak muscle there is.
Neither is a mistake: the choice is between richness and variety. A ribeye is one flavor throughout; a T-bone offers a firm, beefy bite and a soft, mild one on the same plate.
Which is easier to cook?
The ribeye. Its fat protects the muscle, so it is the premium steak most often cooked to medium, with a core temperature of 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F and a rest. The cap and the eye finish at slightly different rates, and carving the cap off to slice it separately is a restaurant habit.
The T-bone is harder, because it holds two muscles with different ideal doneness: the tenderloin side wants rare, the striploin side medium-rare, and the bone slows the meat beside it. The usual answer is to keep the tenderloin side away from the strongest heat and pull the steak at 50–54 °C / 122–129 °F, measured in the striploin side near the bone. A T-bone of 4 cm / 1½ in or more suits a gentle start and a hard sear at the end, as in the reverse sear. Doneness targets are in Steak temperatures.
What are the names abroad?
The ribeye is scotch fillet or cube roll in Australia and New Zealand, ojo de bife (boneless) or bife ancho (bone-in) in Argentina, and entrecôte in France. The T-bone keeps its English name in most places, with two traps: a porterhouse is a boneless striploin steak in Australia and New Zealand, and the Spanish chuletón is a thick bone-in rib steak, a ribeye and not a T-bone.
What should be asked at the counter?
For a ribeye, marbling is the main guide, because every grading system reads it on this muscle. A well-formed cap and an even, cream-white fat seam are good signs. Chuck-end steaks carry more cap and fat; loin-end steaks have a larger, leaner eye.
For a T-bone, look at the tenderloin side first: its width decides whether the steak is a T-bone or a porterhouse. Under 2.5 cm / 1 in the tenderloin overcooks before the striploin browns. Remember that the bone is weighed, so a 1 kg / 2.2 lb T-bone gives noticeably less meat than 1 kg / 2.2 lb of boneless ribeye.
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.
- Cut · Rib, the long boneTomahawkA thick bone-in ribeye with the long rib bone left on and cleaned — same meat, more bone.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a T-bone and a ribeye?
A T-bone is cut across the short loin with the bone in and has two muscles, the striploin and a piece of tenderloin. A ribeye comes from the rib and is one marbled eye with a fat cap, with no tenderloin.
Which is more tender, T-bone or ribeye?
Both are tender. The tenderloin side of a T-bone is the softest, the striploin side is firmer, and the ribeye eats juicy and rich because of its intramuscular fat.
Is a ribeye fattier than a T-bone?
Yes. The ribeye has the most marbling of the premium steaks. The T-bone is leaner, with fat mostly along one edge.
Which is harder to cook, T-bone or ribeye?
The T-bone, because its two muscles want different doneness and the bone slows the cooking beside it. The ribeye is more forgiving.
Is a ribeye the same as a rib steak?
The meat is the same. A ribeye is boneless; a rib steak keeps the rib bone, and a tomahawk keeps it long and cleaned.
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.