Rib-eye comes from the cow’s rib, an area that doesn’t do too much work, making this style of steak super tender and suitable for quick cooking. The steak can come anywhere from the sixth to the twelfth rib – the centre cut is the most common and often what you’ll find when buying rib-eye steak from supermarkets. It contains some of the fat cap along with a nice amount of marbling. The two ends are called short loin and chuck. The short loin has little to none of the cap and less marbling, so is more suited to people who prefer less fat. The chuck end contains more marbling and has the largest part of the cap attached. To get the most flavour out of a rib-eye, ask your butcher for steaks cut from the chuck end.

When buying your rib-eye, look for a nice deep red colour with lots of marbling. Select 2.5–3cm thick steaks that have been aged for maximum flavour. Buying organic and free-range will mean you get the best quality meat.

It depends what you are looking for in your steak. Sirloin is cut from the bottom and side of the cow’s back, so comes from a muscular area. This means it can be tougher than rib-eye, which is from a less hardworking area, but it does offer a great flavour. Rib-eye, meanwhile,  has a milder flavour but a buttery taste and is known for being really juicy and tender.

Most rib-eye steaks come without the bone attached. However you can also get rib-eye with the bone which is known as ‘rib steak’, or the impressive-looking ‘tomahawk steak’, which is often served in restaurants.

Make sure you bring the steak up to room temperature before cooking, as if the meat is too cold this will affect your cooking times and can cause the meat to become tough. Pat the steak dry with kitchen paper and season with salt, but not cracked black pepper as this can burn in the pan. 

Pan-frying is the best way to cook your rib-eye. Heat a little flavourless oil over a high heat in a heavy-based frying pan until it is shimmering and almost smoking. Turn down to medium-high then add your steak (it should sizzle) until it is nicely browned on one side, then turn and repeat. 

Unlike cuts like fillet, which are great rare, it is best to cook rib-eye medium-rare or medium in order to give the fat time to render down and flavour the meat as it does so. As a general guide, if you’re pan-frying a 2cm-thick medium rib-eye steak will take about 2-3 minutes on each side for medium-rare, 3-4 mins on each side for medium, and 5-6 minutes on each side for well done. Although timings will vary depending on the heat of your pan. On a digital thermometer you want the middle of the steak to read 55C for medium rare, 60C for medium and 70C for well done.

During the cooking process the particles in the meat tighten up, so if you slice into it immediately after cooking all the juices will flood out onto the board. Resting time allows the meat to relax and reabsorb this liquid, meaning you get extra juicy, tender steak and don’t lose any of those delicious juices when carving.

Thanks to its high fat content and robust nature, rib-eye steak is great for cooking over the high heat of a BBQ. Rather than leaving it to cook evenly on one side, it’s best to turn it more frequently on the barbie. Cook for 6-9 minutes in total for medium-rare, 10-12 minutes for medium or 12-14 minutes for well done. Serve with a punchy salsa verde as Helen Graves does with her BBQ rib eye recipe. 

Start your steak off in the pan to get that nice bark or crust on the outside first. Prep the meat as above, then sear in a little oil in a hot frying pan for 2-3 max in total, cooking all sides. Transfer to a tray and cook in the oven at 200C for 1 minute for medium-rare (or 3 minutes for medium and 5 minutes for medium-well done). Rest as before. Follow Richard Corrigan’s method and serve with tasty homemade onion rings too. 

There are many ways to serve rib-eye steak. Keep it simple with homemade chunky chips, field mushrooms and tomatoes as Josh Eggleton does in his recipe or pair with polenta chips and a Madeira sauce. Or you can amp up the umami with our recipe for rib-eye steak with miso potatoes and mayo. Any salad tastes good on the side, but bitter leaves with a bit of bite work particularly well, as does the addition of blue cheese in Luke Tipping’s recipe. 

You can add extra flavour directly to your steak by mixing up a flavoured butter, or serve it with a classic sauce such as bearnaise, peppercorn or a punchy herb salsa. Check out our pick of the easiest and best.