The Biggest Difference Between Bone-In And Boneless Ribeye Steaks

All steaks aren't created equal. It's a fact that drives us to choose butcher shops over grocery stores and grass-fed over grain-raised, and it's well-known that ribeye steaks reign supreme. But if you're on a mission to find the best steak out there (or as close as you can get), it's not enough to simply order a ribeye. There's a difference between bone-in and boneless ribeye steaks, and your choice can impact your whole dining experience. 

To better understand the difference between the two, we spoke with Chip Carter, producer and host of "Where The Food Comes From." According to Carter, the bone impacts two important qualities of a ribeye: flavor and moisture. "More refined tastes can definitely tell just from a bite if a ribeye was prepped bone-in or boneless," Carter said. "The bone leaches flavor into the rest of the steak as it cooks. Yes, you're going to pay more for it — including the cost of the bone — but if you're splurging anyway, don't sell yourself short." While Carter admits that "you're not going to hate a boneless ribeye," he's adamant that "you're going to love a bone-in more."

A bone-in ribeye is the absolute best cut of meat for a steak-lover ( ribeye is different than Delmonico, by the way), and there are a lot of ways to cook it up. Reverse-seared or fried in a cast iron, it's a cut that's sure to impress. It might just be best on the grill, though, and according to Chip Carter, you don't really have to adjust your cooking method to accommodate the bone. Grill up a bone-in ribeye just like you would the boneless version, seared on high heat for just a few minutes on each side. "It's the meat you're cooking, not the bone," Carter said. "The addition of a single rib along the edge isn't enough to really impact that much."

Fire up that grill, get yourself a bone-in ribeye, and get to work on the best meal a meat-lover could ever have (remember to avoid this ribeye cooking mistake almost everyone makes) – and when it's ready for the table, serve it up whole with a steak knife on the side. No matter what you do, don't make the mistake of serving it sliced (unless you want to look like a rookie). " ... Nobody is going to serve you a bone-in ribeye already sliced — but frankly, I don't want my steak already sliced," Carter said. "That's usually a way to make a small steak look bigger — and to certainly make it cool off way, way faster."