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4 Way Bone In Ribeye Test

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    4 Way Bone In Ribeye Test

    I have been wanting to do this for a while and yesterday was finally time to do it. I tested 4 bone in ribeyes from 4 different online sources to see how they all stack up. I picked bone in ribeyes since all 4 sources sold that particular cut. They were all different sizes though. Here are the contenders:

    Click image for larger version  Name:	snake-river-farms-bone-in-ribeye.jpg Views:	1 Size:	98.6 KB ID:	691090

    Nearly 3 lb "Cowboy" bone in prime ribeye from Snake River Farms

    Click image for larger version  Name:	porter-house-bone-in-ribeye.jpg Views:	1 Size:	110.7 KB ID:	691091

    19 oz bone in ribeye from Porter Road

    Click image for larger version  Name:	gebbers-crowd-cow-bone-in-ribeye.jpg Views:	1 Size:	94.3 KB ID:	691092

    2 lb ribeye from Gebbers Cattle through Crowd cow

    Click image for larger version  Name:	market-house-bone-in-ribeye.jpg Views:	1 Size:	97.9 KB ID:	691093

    22 oz Prime bone in ribeye from Market House.

    All 4 of these steaks were very well marbled and all had good pieces of cap on them. I reverse seared them on my kettle. It was a bit tricky getting them all to be done at the same time and at the same internal temperature. The big SRF 3 pounder obviously went on first and took right about 2 hours to get up to temp. The 2 lb one went on about 45 minutes after and the two smaller ones went on after that. Here are a couple pics of the finished products:

    Click image for larger version  Name:	srf-seared.jpg Views:	1 Size:	154.1 KB ID:	691094

    Click image for larger version  Name:	porter-road-seared.jpg Views:	1 Size:	116.4 KB ID:	691095

    Click image for larger version  Name:	gebbers-seared.jpg Views:	1 Size:	175.3 KB ID:	691096

    Click image for larger version  Name:	market-house-seared.jpg Views:	1 Size:	191.3 KB ID:	691097

    I sliced them up and my wife, and a couple friends, and I dug in to give them a good taste test:

    Click image for larger version  Name:	steak-test-slices.jpg Views:	1 Size:	89.0 KB ID:	691098


    In the pic above #1 was Porter Road, #2 was Market House, #3 was Gebbers, and #4 was SRF.

    There really were no losers in the bunch. Eat any of them individually and they would have been some of the best ribeyes you would eat. Threaten to take away all my grills and I would probably say I preferred the Porter Road one the best. It had the strongest beefy flavor, was nicely marbled, and had a great texture. The one from SRF had maybe a more classic, clean ribeye flavor and had the silkiest texture. Gebbers brought a little gaminess to the party, especially the fat. My friend thought that one was the best. And the one from Market House was very delicious but didn't have anything unique that really stood out. Just a solid ribeye overall.

    If I did this test again the results might be different. All 4 of these steaks were very, very close in overall flavor and texture. It is like comparing a 98/100 steak to a 99/100 steak. Definitely better than anything I have ever eaten from the grocery store or Costco.

    All in all it was a very fun test. It had been quite a while since I had eaten a ribeye and these didn't disappoint. I went back for tastes of the different steaks multiple times and tried pieces of cap, edge pieces that had a great sear on them, pieces from the middle, fatty pieces, lean pieces, etc. to see what stood out. Every time I would take a bit of one I would think it was better than the last so it was really, really tough to pick any that stood out above the others.

    And here is the aftermath:

    Click image for larger version  Name:	aftermath.jpg Views:	1 Size:	96.7 KB ID:	691099

    I did a more complete write up at http://completecarnivore.com/bone-in-ribeye-taste-test/ if you want to read a bit more.

    #2
    What a great idea. Your friends sure were lucky.

    Comment


      #3
      Excellent write up, thanks for sharing the results. I’ve had some of those fat cowboy steaks from SRF and they are the bomb. Great work !!

      Comment


      • JoeSousa
        JoeSousa commented
        Editing a comment
        When I first saw it I thought it was almost too thick. It was definitely the thickest ribeye I have ever cooked and it did take quite a bit longer to cook than I was expecting. But the end result was great. I have never had a bad piece of meat from SRF.

      #4
      Thanx for doing this. I know it was tough, but way to hang in there.

      Comment


      • JoeSousa
        JoeSousa commented
        Editing a comment
        I was willing to take one for the team on this one.

      #5
      Thanks for sacrificing for the good of all.🙂 The gamey flavor you mentioned for the Gebbers might be because of the grass/grain finish they use. I have noticed that several of the farms, Wolfe Brothers beef as an example, has a unique flavor for that farm or ranch due to the grass/grain finish they use. It can be unique enough that we can often tell which farm our meal came from just by tasting the cooked product. We enjoy the different subtle flavors from each.

      Comment


      • JoeSousa
        JoeSousa commented
        Editing a comment
        Yeah, it was still very delicious but you could tell there was more of a grass fed taste to it. I had steaks from a couple different farms from Crowd Cow when I lived on the East Coast and have had a couple different ones out west here. And they all have unique tastes.

      • Potkettleblack
        Potkettleblack commented
        Editing a comment
        Wolfe is maybe the best steak I've ever had. They are my Crowd Cow go to...

        No they aren't. Don't buy them. Please. ;-)

      #6
      Judging from the proportion of rib cap to eye muscle, 2 of them appear to be from the large end and 2 from the short end.

      I like the large end of the rib because I like the rib cap. Many like the end closer to the short loin because it's primarily the eye.

      Either way' those are some fine steaks.

      Comment


      • JoeSousa
        JoeSousa commented
        Editing a comment
        Yeah, I prefer big chunks of cap. And when there is a big piece of cap there is usually some of the complexus muscle as well which is my favorite bite of meat on the steer. But there are usually only one or two bites of that one.

      • ssandy_561
        ssandy_561 commented
        Editing a comment
        The butcher I go to loves when I order steaks. He says nobody usually wants the ribeyes with the huge rib cap on them. I told him I know where the real flavor is.

      • JoeSousa
        JoeSousa commented
        Editing a comment
        ssandy_561 Hopefully the other customers don't figure out what they are missing. More for you.

      #7
      man what a terrible chore! glad you survived

      Comment


        #8
        You need independent quality verification for a test like this. Don’t worry, I am a trained professional and can help. I’ll be right over!

        :-P

        Comment


          #9
          Gebbers is only 30 minutes from my house.

          Comment


          • JoeSousa
            JoeSousa commented
            Editing a comment
            Hopefully I will be out that way soon to golf at Gamble Sands.

          #10
          Dsmn now I've made a mess from drooling on my shirt. Have to go change now. Great test and writeup. Thanks

          Comment

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