What Is The Marbling In A Rib Eye

Rib eye steak which comes from you guessed it the rib section or mid section of the cow is a full flavored cut of beef with lots of marbling throughout which keeps it juicy when cooked.

What is the marbling in a rib eye. As for rib eye grilling or pan searing are best. Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade. We ll talk more about fat development later but it s. Prime rib comes from the ribs of the cow.

Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. Marbling is what we call intramuscular fat which means that it s found inside the muscle. Longissimus dorsi eye of ribeye the longissimus dorsi or eye of the ribeye is the meatiest portion of the rib subprimal. However it is still fattier than the rib eye.

To visually determine the marbling of a steak take a good look at the texture of the meat. Marbling intramuscular fat is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean. If the meat is free of all fat then the cut has little or no marbling. Every ribeye has an eye it s the center of the cut and the source of a lot of that delicious marbling.

It s surrounded by kernels of fat and the next two parts of the steak the spinalis and the complexus. It s also a muscle where a good amount of intramuscular fat tends to deposit. Intramuscular fat is the flecks of white fat found within the actual lean muscle intermuscular fat is different this term is used to describe the fat that is found between the different muscles in the beef carcass. Though this is a leaner and often more tender it is not as flavorful.

The rib eye is the most well marbled cut you ll find on a cow. And yes all of that mouth watering goodness can be attributed to the marbling. This is clean cut meat that does not have as much fat content as other cuts of meat. It s often reserved for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.

It is cut from the 6th to the 12th ribs of the cow and comes with part of the bone. If you take a look at a new york strip for instance the layer of fat along the outside is not considered marbling. Marbling is an important factor in steak selection. It s cut from the rib section and steak lovers around the world rave about it because it s so tender and juicy.

Similarly the big glob of fat in the middle of a ribeye is not considered marbling either. This fat known as marbling adds tons of moisture and flavor to a steak the longissimus is also the primary muscle in strip steaks. The main muscle in a rib eye steak is the longissimus dorsi a long tender muscle that runs from the cow s hip bone to the shoulder blade it s tender because it doesn t get much exercise. Marbling is a term used to describe the fat content inside of beef muscle known as intramuscular fat.