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    Home » Recipes » Sous Vide » Sous Vide Steak » How to Purchase Ribeye Steaks

    How to Purchase Ribeye Steaks

    Published: May 23, 2021 · Modified: Jun 20, 2022 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Collage of ribeye steak images with text overlay.

    Today, learn how to purchase ribeye steaks with these tips. Ribeye steaks are one of the most flavorful steak options out there. They come from the cow’s upper rib, making them a delicious and tender steak cut. Let’s dive in.

    Closeup of tongs searing ribeye steak in a cast iron skillet.

    Table of Contents

    • How to purchase ribeye steaks
    • Grain-fed or grass-fed: what’s the difference?
    • Considering size and thickness of ribeye steaks
    • What about marbling?
    • Where do you find the best ribeye steaks?
    • Cooking boneless vs. bone-in steaks sous vide style
    • Final tips for finishing ribeye steak in cast iron or on the grill
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • The Perfect Sous Vide Setup
    • Try a new sous vide recipe…

    How to purchase ribeye steaks

    You’ll want to ensure you’re buying the best quality ribeye steak for your sous vide steak dinners.

    When you go to buy ribeye steak, here are the main things to consider:

    • What the cow was fed
    • How thick the steaks are
    • Do you want bone-in or boneless ribeyes?
    • How are you going to cook them?
    • What’s the desired level of doneness (or what temperature will you cook them to?)
    • Thoughts on fat marbling
    • And more
    Top shot of ribeye steak dinner on a plate.

    Grain-fed or grass-fed: what’s the difference?

    First, know where you’re buying the steak. Were the cows grain-fed or grass-fed? As long as the cows were fed grass their entire lives, they have a high nutrient content. But many steak enthusiasts argue that grain-fed steaks have better marbling content.

    So when it comes to the grass-fed or grain-fed debate, there is no right or wrong preference.

    Know what else is amazing? See my new recipe for tri tip and t bone steak in oven.

    Considering size and thickness of ribeye steaks

    You’ll next want to look at the size of the steak. This recipe for sous vide boneless ribeye steak is ideal for a steak 1-2” thick. The different levels of thickness will impact the cook time for steak. If cooking a few steaks at once, choose steaks that are the same size so they cook evenly and over the same time.

    Top down shot of vacuum sealed ribeye steak in bag.

    What about marbling?

    The next thing to consider when purchasing ribeye steaks is to look at the fat profile, also known as marbling. While you can go by looks (marbling has a good mix of white fat and red meat), I actually suggest identifying different USDA grades.

    Here are the grades, from highest to lowest:

    • USDA Prime Beef
    • USDA Choice Beef
    • USDA Select Beef

    If you’re not based in the US, check your local country’s beef grades — though they’re likely similar.

    While USDA Prime is the ideal choice, only a small percentage of steaks in the US are Prime. If you can’t find a Prime cut, choose a Choice one.

    Tongs holding sous vide ribeye steak with the home chef's sous vide cookbook in background

    Where do you find the best ribeye steaks?

    Your local grocery store, your local butcher shop, and online and mail order stores all have great steak selections. See the bottom of this post for specific details on where to purchase ribeye steaks.

    Cooking boneless vs. bone-in steaks sous vide style

    Fortunately, there aren’t many differences between cooking boneless vs bone in ribeye steaks when it comes to sous vide cooking. Unlike traditional cooking, sous vide is a more consistent method. Using an immersion circulator will allow the meat to cook to the same temperature, bone or no bone.

    See this smoked ribeye recipe…

    Closeup of ribeye steak purchased online being seared in a cast iron pan.

    Final tips for finishing ribeye steak in cast iron or on the grill

    If you’re grilling or searing ribeye steak in a pan, your steak may be slightly rarer around the bone. But don’t change up your cooking time — if your steak is a little rarer than what you would like, heat the steak on the cast iron skillet for a minute or two longer (we’ll discuss this more in another section). Try sous vide ribeye with mayo sear for a delicious new way to finish your steaks.

    Learn more about the mayo sear technique. It’s delicious on all sorts of sous vide beef recipes including sous vide hamburgers with mayo sear.

    This is a common issue that occurs when you sous vide all bone-in meats, not just steak. Something like this sous vide whole chicken recipe and these sous vide bone in pork chops have a similar result.

    Top down shot of the home chef's sous vide cookbook and bone in ribeye steak.

    Find new ways to enjoy your favorite food with sous vide cooking with my new book – The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

    Love ribeye? See how to purchase ribeye and learn the secrets to perfectly grilled ribeye.

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Leave a comment here or find me on Instagram @sipbitego to let me know what you think about this recipe.

    Want to make restaurant-style food at home? I’ll teach you how, with in-depth video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.

    Top shot of bone in ribeye steak with tongs on a cutting board.

    The Perfect Sous Vide Setup

    Everyday I’m asked, “what do you need to sous vide food?”. Here’s my answer.

    1. A sous vide machine.
      Option 1: “stick” models like the Joule, Anova, or Instant Pot Slim.
      Option 2: “multipot” models like the SousPreme or InstantPot Duo Evo Plus.
    2. Sous vide container.
      If using a sous vide “stick” model, you need something to hold the water the food cooks in, like a bucket or stockpot.
    3. Bags to cook sous vide food.
      Keep it simple and sous vide in ziplock gallon bags, or get fancy like me with a vacuum sealer setup.
    4. Nice-to-have accessories for sous vide cooking.
      – Sous vide weights to hold down food that floats.
      – Mini mason jars for desserts and sous vide egg bites.
      – Cast iron skillet to sear sous vide steaks to finish them.
    5. My sous vide cookbook with 100+ recipes.

    Try a new sous vide recipe…

    • Sous vide salmon
    • Sous vide frozen steak
    • See how long to sous vide chicken
    • Learn how to sous vide frozen chicken breast
    • Sous vide chicken wings
    • Sous vide chicken breast tenders
    • Sous vide pork chops
    « Can You Freeze Refried Beans? Yes: See What To Do With Leftovers
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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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