Rib eye on the bone
A scotch fillet with the rib bone left on. Thicker, slower to cook, and a better looking steak on the plate.
- Also called
- Bone-in ribeye
- Section
- Rib
- Fat
- High, well marbled
- Best cooked
- Reverse sear, or grill with gentle then high heat
- Best doneness
- Medium rare to medium
Tap a section to explore its cuts.
Chuck
The shoulder. Hard working muscle and rich flavour, where the short ribs begin.
Rib
The richest marbling on the animal, and the home of the scotch fillet.
- Scotch filletAlso called RibeyeRead guide
- Rib eye on the boneAlso called Bone-in ribeyeYou are here
- TomahawkRead guide
- Beef back ribsRead guide
Striploin
Along the back. Firm, beefy steaks with a fat cap down one edge.
Tenderloin
Tucked under the loin, doing almost no work. The most tender cut there is.
Rump
The hip. Big beef flavour for the price, and a favourite on the grill.
Plate
Below the ribs. Loose grained, intensely flavoured and quick to cook.
Flank
The belly behind the plate. Lean, long grained steaks made for a marinade and a hot grill.
Round
The hind leg. Lean, hard working muscles such as topside and silverside, used for roasts and corned beef.
Shank
The hind leg from below the round to the knee. Very lean and tough, so it is slow cooked or minced rather than served as a steak.
What is rib eye on the bone?
It is the same muscle as a scotch fillet, cut from the rib section, with a length of the rib bone left attached. In the US it is sold as a bone-in ribeye, and when the bone is trimmed short it is often called a cowboy steak.
Because it is cut through the bone it is usually thicker than a boneless scotch fillet, which changes how you cook it more than the bone itself changes the flavour.
What part of a cow is rib eye on the bone?
Rib eye on the bone comes from the rib section, in the upper middle of the back between the chuck and the striploin. It is the same muscle as the scotch fillet, cut with the rib bone still attached.
Location and anatomy
It is cut across the rib cage, one rib bone per steak, so the meat sits on top of a trimmed length of rib.
The eye of the rib is the large centre muscle, the same meat as a scotch fillet. The rib cap is the rich outer muscle curling around the eye. The rib bone is trimmed short, which slows cooking along the bone.
What the bone actually does
The meat right against the bone cooks more slowly, because bone conducts heat poorly. That gives you a slightly rarer strip along the bone and a little more margin before the steak overcooks. The rest of the flavour comes from the marbling, exactly as it does in a scotch fillet.
How to cook it
Thickness is the whole challenge. Cook it gently first, on a cooler part of the grill or in a low oven, until the centre is about ten degrees short of where you want it. Then give it a very hot sear on both sides and the fat edge. This is called a reverse sear, and it gives an even colour all the way through instead of a grey band under a burnt crust.
Rest it before carving, and slice the eye away from the bone to serve.
Also from the rib: Scotch fillet, Tomahawk, Beef back ribs.
Where to order rib eye on the bone
Sydney has plenty of places to order a good steak, and our pick of the best steak restaurants in Sydney is a good place to start.
Our venues serving rib eye on the bone are Elements Bar and Grill in Walsh Bay and Pyrmont (dry aged rib eye on the bone) and Elements Smokehouse in Darlinghurst (bone-in cowboy rib eye).
Cuts to compare with rib eye on the bone
Frequently asked
Does cooking steak on the bone add flavour?
Mostly it changes the cooking. Bone conducts heat slowly, so the meat beside it stays rarer. The flavour comes mainly from the marbling.
What is the difference between rib eye on the bone and a tomahawk?
The bone length. A tomahawk keeps the whole long rib bone, cleaned back for presentation, and is usually cut much larger for sharing.
How do you cook a thick bone-in steak?
A reverse sear: cook it gently until nearly done, then sear it hard at the end. It cooks evenly without burning the outside.
Is wagyu rib eye on the bone worth it?
Angus rib eye on the bone is the classic steakhouse choice: big, beefy and happy to take a hard sear. Wagyu rib eye is richer, so a thick bone-in cut is best shared and kept to medium rare.
