Which is better ribeye or prime rib?
Prime Rib vs Ribeye Taste and texture
That flavor tends to be a bit stronger in the prime rib because of the presence of the bones, fat and connective tissue in the larger roasting cut. The ribeye steak has a milder flavor, with its added marbling giving it a buttery taste and smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Cooking prime rib vs ribeye is very similar. As shown above, cooking a ribeye roast with the bone in can be done either in the oven or over a grill. When cooking a bone in prime rib roast, follow these steps: 2 hours before cooking, rub the prime rib roast with a dry rub of your choice.
What is Prime Rib? At the store, “Prime Rib Roast” can go by different names including Rib Roast, or Standing Rib Roast (because it is positioned standing on the rib bones as it roasts). It can be found in the meat case with both boneless and bone-in options.
Prime rib and ribeye cuts come at different price points. On average, per pound, a prime rib cut will cost less than a ribeye cut. Prime rib usually includes all the bones surrounding the cut, muscle, and fat. Ribeye steak is leaner and often comes boneless, making it a more expensive per-pound choice.
Top loin roast is a great alternative to prime rib.
Rib eye steak is flavourful and tender with a rich marbled fat and is best cooked to at least medium-rare or medium. This allows time for the fat to melt for maximum flavour and juiciness.
Ribeye steak: A ribeye steak comes in both boneless and bone-in varieties. This cut of steak is best known for its juiciness, but depending on how you cook it, this steak can be very tender as well.
Is it better to cook steak on the stove or in the oven? Both! You wouldn't think it would make that big of a difference, but it really does. The pan-searing on the stove gives the browned flavor you love and the really hot oven helps cook the steak through!
standing rib roast
Also found in: Dictionary, Wikipedia.
Cut of Meat | Cost per lb | Example Cost |
---|---|---|
Prime Rib Whole Bone-In | $17.79/lb | $404.19 (22.72lbs) |
Prime Ribeye Boneless Roast | $25.99/lb | $199.86 (7.69lbs) |
Prime Ribeye Whole Roast | $17.89/lb | $323.63 (18.09lbs) |
Choice Standing Rib Roast | $12.99/lb | $129.90 (10.00lbs) |
What does a butcher call prime rib?
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.
Ribeyes have a higher fat content than sirloin steaks, so they don't fare as well on the grill. For a good old smoky flavor or some barbecue grilling, the sirloin is your best choice because it's usually a thinner cut that can cook faster without drying out.

Ribeye. Ribeye is a large, round cut with excellent marbling throughout. It is a classic favorite for steak lovers because it is hearty, flavorful and tender. It's sold boneless or bone-in.
Compared to ribeye, sirloin is a much leaner cut of meat. It lacks the distinctive marbling and fatty cap of the ribeye, which means it isn't as heavily flavored or as tender. Trimmed of fat and connective tissue, sirloin steak is still packed with beefy flavor and has a characteristic chew without being tough.
Choice beef is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime.
- Marinate: Marinating your steak in acids or enzymes breaks down the fibers and tenderizes the steak. ...
- Pound: Pounding your steak is an easy way to break down the fibers and soften the meat. ...
- Salt: Salting your steak is a simple tenderization method that breaks down the protein cells in the meat.
If you're cooking a ribeye, you'll want to season that more than if you were to cook a flank steak. So, don't be afraid to generously coat the surface of your steak with salt. Make sure there's an even layer of salt on both sides. If it's a thinner cut, reduce the amount of salt just by a little.
Timing is Essential
We recommend salting your steak approximately one hour before cooking it per inch of thickness. For example, if you were working with a steak that was 2-inches thick, then you would salt your steak 2 hours before cooking it.
Meat tends to get tougher as you radiate out from the tenderloin, with the rib and loin containing the most tender cuts, and the shank, round, flank, plate, chuck, and brisket—areas that work hard to walk, graze, and support the cow's weight—generally housing the toughest cuts.
Undercooked steaks fail to melt the fat in the beef and are quite chewy. Additionally, undercooked beef might cause an upset stomach or even food poisoning. Overcooked steaks burn through all the fat and end up being hard, dry, and chewy.
Should you cook a ribeye fast or slow?
This rule suggests that these tough meaty portions will yield the best results when they are cooked on low heat for a good amount of time. If cooked using the hot and fast methods, these cuts will develop a sear from the outside but will remain uncooked on the inside, rendering them virtually inedible.
For the perfect medium-rare degree of doneness, your Ribeye steak grill time should be 9–12 minutes for a 1-inch steak, and 12–15 minutes for a 1½ inch steak, turning about 1 minute before the halfway point. A meat thermometer should read 130°F. Rest your steaks for 5 minutes before serving, covering lightly with foil.
The best cooking temperature for a ribeye steak is 135 degrees Fahrenheit, or medium rare. At this temperature, the meat is tender and juicy, with an attractive pink color. When a ribeye is cooked to higher temperatures, the meat dries out and becomes a gray color.
The ribeye – also called a Delmonico, Spencer, beauty steak, sarket steak, or Scotch fillet – is known for its rich, buttery flavor and tender texture.
Cut the Prime Rib Roast into Multiple Steaks. Pat the Roast dry with paper towel. Place the Roast onto the cutting board with the fat side down for easy cutting. Face the thick part (the eye) of the roast away from you when cutting.