A Guide to Prime Rib vs Ribeye: Understanding the Differences (2024)

FAQs

A Guide to Prime Rib vs Ribeye: Understanding the Differences? ›

Prime rib is simply a bigger, less-processed section of the cow's primal rib, while a ribeye is a piece of that rib section sliced into a smaller portion. Both cuts also share a reputation for being utterly delicious. The rib primal is tucked into an area of the cow that doesn't do much work.

Are Ribeye and Prime Rib the Same? Both of these cuts of beef come from the cow's rib. However, the prime rib is typically a larger cut that includes a large bone, while the ribeye is a smaller piece of steak that has a small bone or is completely boneless.

These two choices may come from the same cut of beef, but they're not interchangeable; ribeyes and prime rib roasts are cooked differently and serve different purposes.

When you're shopping for prime rib, ask for a standing rib roast. That's the name you'll see at the butcher counter. The standing rib roast unsurprisingly comes from the rib section of the cow.

Our Final Say: Is Filet Mignon or Prime Rib the Finest Cut of Steak? The filet mignon cut from a cow is, undoubtedly, the most tender cut of steak you'll have. The cut from a rib roast is one of the most flavorful, thanks to incredible marbling that allows its fat to give it a taste and tenderness boost naturally.

The rib steak or ribeye is a cut of beef from the rib section, one of the nine primal cuts, and is prized for its tenderness and flavor. The ribeye is a boneless cut taken from the rib section of beef cattle while the rib steak is a bone-in ribeye.

But even if you managed the impossible and found a ribeye steak that was the same weight as a rib roast, you'd be paying more for the roast. That's because the price per pound for prime rib is almost always higher than the price per pound for a ribeye, thanks to limited supply and consistently high demand.

They're easy even for beginners to cook correctly, but they can come at a high price tag. While prime rib is also quite a costly roast, it can be cut into a number of ribeye steaks at a lower cost than what you'll find at the butcher's counter.

The Top Contenders: Strip Loin & Sirloin

You can easily recreate nearly identical results of a ribeye with considerably less cost. The Strip Loin Roast already resembles Prime Rib's flavor thanks to its proximity to the ribeye. Additionally, Strip Roast has no large pockets of fat, making it easier to trim.

Prime rib has a large “eye” of meat in the center, which is juicy, tender, and marbled with fat. This eye has a fat-marbled muscle around it, and the whole thing is surrounded by a thick cap of fat. This means that prime rib is tender, juicy, and extremely flavorful because the muscles aren't heavily used.

What is the most tender roast other than prime rib? ›

Chateaubriand Tenderloin Roast

The most tender beef roast that is well known for being lean and succulent.

Overcooking the Prime Rib

That's why prime rib is so expensive: it's a huge piece of extremely good beef. Therefore, it's important not to cook it beyond medium-rare. Going past that temperature means the roast will no longer be tender.

The salt helps trap the heat to better cook the prime rib. “It conducts the heat and seals it,” says Betz.

Prime rib is also known as a standing rib roast. The roast comes from the same part of the animal that the ribeye does: the primal rib section. If you are at a restaurant and ask for the prime rib you will get a slice of meat from the cooked roast most likely.

Since prime ribs and ribeye steaks come from the same primal cut of beef, the difference in their flavors comes from the way they are cooked. Prime ribs are seared and then roasted slowly under low heat, making them more tender, while ribeyes are grilled quickly over high heat, making them more charred.

Filet mignon is smaller and more tender than prime rib. The term “melts in your mouth” is typically used to describe the tenderness of a medium rare filet mignon. While not as flavorful as prime rib, filet mignon is often served with some accompanying sauce or meat accent, like bacon.

Prime rib comes out with beautiful edge to edge pink color when cooked at a lower temperature (225°F) for a longer period of time vs cooking at a higher temperature for a shorter length of time. If cooking in an oven, elevate your prime rib on a rack over a sheet pan or a roasting pan.

A simplified rule to remember is: the ribeye is perfect for those who prefer flavor, and the filet mignon is the better choice for those who prefer texture. Ribeye has long been known to steak lovers as the epitome of steak flavor. This cut of meat comes from the ribs of the animal, between the loin and shoulder.

Because a ribeye is generally a fairly tender cut of meat, you don't have to dramatically tenderize it. But, it can benefit from certain tenderizing methods. To tenderize a ribeye, you have several options. Marinades that contain ingredients like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar help break down connective tissues.

The New York strip's balance of flavor and lean meat justifies its slightly more budget-friendly status, while the ribeye offers exceptional tenderness and marbling, contributing to its more coveted status and thus higher price tag.

What is the best cut of steak? ›

“Those are steaks from the midsection of the animal, between the rib and the rump.” These cuts—ribeye, New York strip loin, and filet mignon—can certainly be dubbed the best, and few will disagree. “Filet is the most tender cut, but has the least amount of flavor.

The New York strip's balance of flavor and lean meat justifies its slightly more budget-friendly status, while the ribeye offers exceptional tenderness and marbling, contributing to its more coveted status and thus higher price tag.

Marbling adds flavor, and younger beef cattle produce the most tender meat, which is why the Prime grade is given to the younger cattle with the most abundant marbling. The Choice grade is given to meat that comes from younger cattle with moderate marbling. It is still very flavorful, tender and juicy.

What is the difference between Prime Rib and Ribeye? Prime Rib is slow roasted and cut to order while Ribeye is seared, seasoned, and grilled to perfection.