How to Cook Beef Rib Steak Bone In, Step by Step
Use the grill as your first method. Set up two zones, one side ripping hot and one side with no direct heat. Sear a 1.5 to 2 inch rib steak over direct heat, then move it to the cool side with the bone facing the heat. Pull it at 120 to 125 degrees F for medium rare or 130 degrees F for medium, measured in the thickest meat away from the bone, then rest it for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
By thickness on the grill, a 1 inch rib steak needs 4 to 5 minutes per side over direct heat. A 1.5 inch rib steak needs 3 to 4 minutes per side over direct heat, then 6 to 8 minutes on indirect heat. A 2 inch rib steak needs 4 to 5 minutes per side over direct heat, then 10 to 15 minutes on indirect heat. In every case, check the temperature away from the bone and pull at 120 to 125 degrees F for medium rare or 130 degrees F for medium.
If you cook indoors, heat a cast iron pan until it just starts to smoke, sear the rib steak for 3 minutes per side, and stand it on the fat edge for 1 minute. Then finish it in a 250 degrees F oven for 10 to 15 minutes for a 1.5 inch steak and 15 to 20 minutes for a 2 inch steak. Pull at the same temperatures, then rest it for 10 to 15 minutes on a warm board before slicing.
For a long bone version, see the bone in ribeye guide. For the boneless cut, see how to cook ribeye steak. Compare timings in the steak grilling times guide.
Rib Steak on the Bone: Grill, Oven and Pan Times
Times below are for a 1.5 inch rib steak, cooked to medium rare. Check the temperature away from the bone.
| Method | Heat | Time | Pull temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grill (two zone) | Direct heat, then indirect heat | Sear 3 to 4 minutes per side, then 6 to 8 minutes on indirect heat | 120 to 125 degrees F |
| Oven | 250 degrees F, then a hot sear | 25 to 30 minutes in the oven, then sear 1 to 2 minutes per side | 120 to 125 degrees F |
| Pan (cast iron) | Hot pan, then 250 degrees F oven | Sear 3 minutes per side, then 10 to 15 minutes in the oven | 120 to 125 degrees F |
Rest the steak for 10 to 15 minutes after every method, before slicing.
A bone in rib steak is a ribeye with the rib bone left attached. Butchers cut it from the rib primal, ribs 6 to 12, and the meat is the exact same ribeye muscle you already know. The bone changes how the steak cooks rather than how it tastes. Meat next to the bone cooks slower and stays juicier, so a bone in rib steak rewards a cook who manages heat in two zones instead of blasting the whole steak at one temperature.
Key Takeaways
- A bone in rib steak and a ribeye are the same muscle. The bone adds insulation, not magic flavour.
- A short trimmed bone makes it a cowboy steak. A long frenched bone makes it a tomahawk.
- Buy it 1.5 to 2 inches thick. Thin bone in steaks overcook at the edges before the meat near the bone finishes.
- Pull it at 120 to 125 degrees F for medium rare, measured away from the bone, and rest it 10 to 15 minutes.
What Is a Bone In Rib Steak?
The rib primal sits high on the cow between the chuck and the loin, and it produces the most richly marbled steaks on the animal. A boneless ribeye is that steak with the bone removed before sale. A bone in rib steak keeps a section of rib bone along one edge. Everything else, the large ribeye cap, the deep marbling, the fat seam, stays identical to the boneless version in my ribeye guide.
The length of the bone decides the name on the label. A bone trimmed short, about 2 to 3 inches past the meat, is a cowboy steak, and I cover choosing and cooking that version in the cowboy cut guide. A bone left 5 inches or longer and cleaned of meat and fat, called frenched, is a tomahawk. Under the packaging they are all the same steak.
Does the Bone Add Flavour?
Honestly, very little. Bone is mostly mineral and collagen, and almost no flavour compounds travel from the bone into the meat during a 20 minute cook. I have cooked matched pairs, one bone in and one boneless from the same rib section, and blind tasters at my table could not pick the bone in steak by flavour.
What the bone does change is heat. Bone heats slowly, so the meat touching it cooks slower than the rest of the steak. That strip of meat near the bone stays a shade rarer and loses less juice, which many people read as extra tenderness. The bone also gives you a handle for turning the steak and a dramatic plate presentation. Buy it for those reasons, not for promised flavour that is not there.
How to Choose a Bone In Rib Steak
- Thickness: 1.5 to 2 inches. This cut needs thickness so the crust forms before the centre overcooks.
- Marbling: Look for fine white flecks spread through the whole face of the meat, especially in the cap along the top edge. The cap is the most flavourful part of the rib primal.
- Bone size: A shorter bone means more of the price per pound goes to meat. A long tomahawk bone looks spectacular and costs you meat weight.
- Colour: Bright red meat and white fat. Grey edges or brown patches mean the steak has sat too long.
How to Cook a Bone In Rib Steak
Salt the steak with kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon per pound, and rest it uncovered on a rack in the fridge for 24 hours if you can. That dry brine seasons the meat through and dries the surface, and my dry brining guide explains the science. Take the steak out 45 minutes before cooking and pat it dry. Then pick your method.
Grill method (my default)
- Set up two zones: one side of the grill ripping hot, the other side with no direct heat.
- Sear the steak over direct heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the crust is deep brown. Stand it on its fat edge for 1 minute to render the cap.
- Move the steak to the cool side with the bone facing the heat source. The bone shields the meat next to it while the rest catches up.
- Close the lid and cook until a thermometer pushed into the thickest part, away from the bone, reads 120 to 125 degrees F for medium rare. Expect 8 to 12 more minutes for a 2 inch steak.
Pan and oven method
- Heat a cast iron pan until it just starts to smoke and heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Sear the steak 3 minutes per side in the pan, then stand it on the fat edge for 1 minute.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and cook to the same 120 to 125 degrees F pull temperature, about 10 to 14 minutes for a 2 inch steak.
- Optional but worth it: drop butter, a crushed garlic clove, and thyme into the pan for the final minute and baste the steak as the butter foams.
For food safety reference, the USDA recommends 145 degrees F with a 3 minute rest for fresh beef steaks, shown on the FoodSafety.gov temperature chart. Steakhouse medium rare runs below that, as the chart in my doneness guide shows. Cook to the doneness your table is comfortable with.
The Two Mistakes That Ruin This Steak
Temping against the bone. A probe touching bone reads the bone’s slower temperature, not the meat’s. You will pull the steak late and overcook the outer two thirds. Always temp the thickest meat at least half an inch from the bone.
Skipping the rest. A thick bone in steak carries serious heat in its centre. Rest it on a warm board for 10 to 15 minutes, about half its cooking time. Cut it sooner and the juices run onto the board instead of staying in the slices.
How to Slice and Serve
Run your knife along the bone to release the whole steak in one piece, keeping the bone for the plate if you like the presentation. Slice the meat against the grain into half inch slices. Serve the slices fanned around the bone with the cap pieces, the strip along the top edge, placed where your favourite person can reach them first. Flaky salt over the cut faces finishes the steak. Nothing else is required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a bone in rib steak the same as a ribeye?
Yes, it is the same muscle from the same rib primal. The only difference is that the rib bone stays attached, which slows cooking near the bone and adds presentation.
What is the difference between a cowboy steak and a tomahawk?
Bone length only. A cowboy steak has a short bone trimmed close to the meat. A tomahawk has a long frenched bone of 5 inches or more. The meat is identical.
Does a bone in rib steak take longer to cook?
Slightly. The meat against the bone cooks slower, so a bone in steak usually needs 2 to 4 extra minutes over a boneless ribeye of the same thickness. Cook to temperature, not to the clock.
What temperature should I cook a bone in rib steak to?
Pull it at 120 to 125 degrees F for medium rare and 130 degrees F for medium, measured in the thickest meat away from the bone. Resting adds about 5 degrees.
Is bone in worth the extra money?
You pay for bone weight you cannot eat, so per serving of meat it costs more than boneless ribeye. It is worth it for the juicier meat near the bone and the presentation at a special meal. For an ordinary weeknight, boneless ribeye is the better value.
Can I cook a bone in rib steak from frozen?
You can, and a thick bone in steak handles it better than most cuts. Sear it hard from frozen, then finish it low and slow to temperature. Add about half again to the total cooking time.