What Is Ribeye Steak?

What is a ribeye, and can you really order ribeye steak online?

The ribeye has long been touted by chefs and butchers alike as the king of steak. Its rich marbling and hearty meat flavour delivers a mouth-watering beef experience, and it is forgiving enough for even novice steak lovers to get right.

But what exactly makes a ribeye so good, and can you really order the perfect ribeye online?

       In a word: delicious.

Technically speaking, a ribeye is carved from (not surprisingly) the beef rib. Even more technically speaking, this cut falls between the shoulder (chuck) and the loin, specifically ribs 6-12.

Why does that matter?

It doesn’t really. The most important thing to know is that this area is full of lovely intramuscular fat. All that fat melts into the meat to create the juicy, intense beef flavour ribeyes are known for.

What about the bone?

Not to get too nerdy, but bone-in ribeyes are referred to as rib steaks.

So if you are buying a ribeye it should be boneless.

What should you look for in the perfect ribeye?

In school and in meat, pay attention to grades.

Look for Prime or AAA grade meat to ensure maximum marbling – which, after all, is the entire point of the ribeye cut. Farm 2 Fork does not offer anything below AAA – our AAA Angus Ribeyes are a favourite!

With age comes wisdom… and taste.

Aging meat brings out the best possible flavour and texture.

Many AAA grade steaks at supermarkets have not been aged, so although the marbling is good (hence the triple-A rating), the flavour and tenderness will be inferior.

All our steaks at Farm 2 Fork have been aged.

Some meat is wet-aged. When meat is wet-aged, it is vacuum sealed and stored in a controlled environment, sitting in its own delicious juices for up to 28 days. This allows the connective tissues to begin breaking down, creating a much more tender piece of meat.

Some meat is dry-aged. Dry aging involves hanging the meat in a humidity and temperature-controlled environment, exposing all sides to a constant flow of air. Exposing the meat in this way draws out moisture, leaving a richly concentrated beefy flavour behind. As the dry aging process continues, the meat continues to break down, resulting in an unbelievably buttery texture.

Although dry-aged ribeye is a popular menu offering at high-class steakhouses, you don’t have to pay restaurant markup to get a fantastic steak. Look for high-grade, dry-aged meat from a supplier that does not use added hormones, antibiotics, or other filler. In other words… Farm 2 Fork.

Order ribeye steak online from Farm 2 Fork.

Prime, 40-day dry-aged ribeye steaks are so delicious, it is almost not fair to the other cuts.

Back to blog