What is Ribeye Steak?
A ribeye steak is one of the highest quality steak cuts you can find. It’s cut from the beef rib primal cut (the same place you get prime rib). It’s famous for being tender, flavorful, and juicy, and is the perfect choice for a romantic date, a celebratory dinner, or any special occasion. Another version of the ribeye steak is the ribeye cap steak (which is even more decadent) or the bone-in and dramatic-looking tomahawk ribeye steak.
What cut of meat is ribeye steak?
Ribeye steak is cut from the primal rib at the top of the cow. Since it's a muscle that the cow doesn't exercise very much, it’s especially tender.
How is Ribeye Different From Prime Rib?
Ribeye steak and prime rib are cut from the same part of the cow. With prime rib, the bone is left in and it’s cooked like a roast. For ribeye steak, the bone is typically removed from the meat and the ribeye steak is cooked like any other cut.
What is a Good Price for Ribeye Steak?
While the price of a ribeye steak will vary based on where you live and where you’re shopping (e.g., a grocery store versus a farmers market), you can expect to pay between $10 and $23 per pound of ribeye steak.
Can You Smoke Ribeye Steak?
Smoking a ribeye steak adds a unique flavor to this already killer cut of meat. When smoking a ribeye steak, we recommend first dry brining your steak, seasoning it, smoking it at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 60 minutes, letting it sit while you increase your grill temperature to 500 degrees, then searing it until it’s cooked to medium-rare.
How to Reverse Sear Ribeye Steaks
Sometimes, the best way to learn a new technique is to watch the pros. In this video, Matt Pittman from Meat Church showcases how to reverse sear ribeye steaks on a Traeger.
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Top Ribeye Steak Recipes
It’s hard to go wrong with a ribeye steak. Most of the time, we like to keep it simple with this elegant cut of meat. Here are a few of our favorite ribeye steak recipes that are sure to impress your friends and family.
How to Cook Ribeye Steak
To grill a ribeye steak, trim the fat and rub with a neutral oil and seasoning. You can go with simple salt and pepper. Let your Traeger get to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and place your steaks directly on the grill grate, flipping every 6 minutes. Cook until steaks reach an internal temperature of 132 degrees and enjoy.
How to Smoke and Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak
To reverse sear a ribeye steak, season your steak with salt and pepper or your seasoning of choice, and smoke at 225 degrees Fahrenheit until your internal temperature is 120 degrees. Once the ribeye steak reaches that temperature, remove it from your Traeger and increase your grill temperature to 500. When your Traeger reaches that temperature, return your steaks to the grill and sear on both sides for about 3 minutes or until the internal temperature is 132 degrees. Let your steak rest for 5 minutes and enjoy.
How to Cook Ribeye Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet
That cast iron sear is a favorite with steak lovers, but you don’t have to forsake your Traeger to get that flavor. First, season your steak with salt and pepper and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. While it’s sitting, preheat your Traeger to 500 degrees with a cast iron skillet big enough for your steaks direction on the grill.
Once your Traeger is preheated, place steaks on the hottest part of the grill for five minutes with the lid closed. After those five minutes, open the lid and place four tablespoons of butter in the skillet.
Flip the steaks into the cast iron skillet, grilled side facing up. Cook for five to seven minutes, making sure to baste with butter every few minutes. Cook until your internal temperature reaches 125℉ to 130℉ for medium-rare.
How long should you cook a ribeye steak?
The amount of time it takes to cook a ribeye steak depends on the thickness of the steak, and the temperature at which you’re cooking it. Regardless of your method, you should cook your ribeye steak to an internal temperature of 132 degrees Fahrenheit to get that perfect medium-rare. When smoking and reverse searing, that could take about 50 minutes since it’s cooking at a lower temperature. If you’re searing a ribeye in a very hot pan, it could take as little as 5 minutes to get to that perfect 132 degrees.
Grilled: ~5minutes
Reverse Seared: ~50minutes
Steak Doneness
While medium-rare is probably the most popular temperature for cooking a steak, others might want their more or less done.
- Rare: 120-130 °F
- Medium-Rare: 130-135 °F
- Medium: 135-145 °F
- Well: 145-155 °F
- Well-Done: 155-165 °F
- What Have You Done? 165 °F+
How to Season Ribeye Steak
Because it’s already so tender and flavorful, you don’t need to do a lot to cook a delicious ribeye steak. In our opinion, salt and pepper goes a long way, but you can take it up a notch by using a premade seasoning blend or using your own spices to your steak.
Because it’s already so tender and flavorful, you don’t need to do a lot to cook a delicious ribeye steak. In our opinion, salt and pepper goes a long way, but you can take it up a notch by using a premade seasoning blend or using your own spices to your steak.
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All Ribeye Steak Videos
Ribeye Steak Recipe
Prep Time: 5 mins.
Cook Time: 50 mins.
Serves: 8-12
Effort: 2/5
Ingredients -
- 2 (1-1/2 inch thick) rib-eye steaks
- Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ Rub
- Meat Church Gourmet Garlic and Herb Seasoning
- High-quality butter
Preparations -
- Set your Traeger temperature to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes. If available, use Super Smoke for the best flavor.
- Season steak throughout with Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ Rub and Meat Church Garlic and Herb Seasoning. Once your Trager is preheated, place the steaks on the grill and cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until internal temperature is 120 degrees.
- Remove your ribeye steaks from the grill and increase your grill temperature to 500 degrees.
- When the grill is done preheating, return the ribeye steaks to the grill and sear on both sides for 3 minutes or until the internal temperature is 132 degrees.
- Remove the steaks from the grill, add butter to the top, and lightly tent the ribeye steaks with tinfoil to allow the butter to melt. Let rest for 5 minutes and then serve your perfect Traeger ribeye steak.
What is the best wood flavor for Ribeye Steak?
For the perfect ribeye steak, you need the perfect pellets. Though you may want to experiment with different types of woods and different blends depending on your recipe, we’re big fans of the bold flavor of hickory, the mesquite, oak, and pecan mix of our Texas Beef Blend, or the hickory and red and white oak flavors of our Big Game Blend.
- Other recommended flavors are:
What to serve with ribeye steak
While we certainly wouldn’t fault you for treating ribeye steaks as an entire meal, a few well-chosen side dishes can complement the flavor and texture of a ribeye. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to pair with ribeye steak.
What to serve with ribeye steak
While we certainly wouldn’t fault you for treating ribeye steaks as an entire meal, a few well-chosen side dishes can complement the flavor and texture of a ribeye. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to pair with ribeye steak.
