New York Strip vs. Ribeye – What’s The Difference?

Imagine that you are at a steak house, the waiter just handed you the menu, and you are deciding which stake you want to eat. But the options are plenty, and you have a little idea about each one, but you don’t know which one would be the best option for you. We all know that feeling, and we want to avoid it at all costs. 

But lucky for us that steaks are not that difficult to understand. A few types of cuts are superior to others and are consumed and made more frequently. Two such types of steaks are New York Strip and Ribeye. Understanding these types of steaks can help improve your BBQ technique and also help you choose the type of steak that’s best for you. 

The main factor to consider here is where the cut of meat comes from and the amount of fat. This can affect the tenderness and cooking time of the taste, ultimately deciding its taste. So in this article, we will discuss the differences between NY Strip and Ribeye, we know that’s not all of them, but it’s a start!

Ribeye 

One of the most dominant features of Ribeye steak is the amount of fat it has, which is usually distributed throughout the cut. You may also find a rim of fat in the middle in certain Ribeye, but that’s not the usual case. This fat distribution makes the steak incredibly tasty, tender, and juicy. 

To understand this better, you have to remember that fat is the most palatable macronutrient between fat, carbohydrates, and proteins. So, this is why people and chefs all across the globe prefer to have some amount of fat on or in their meat, and this also makes Ribeye one of the most popular kinds of steak in the world. Even if you put flavor on a side, Ribeye is usually not that expensive, but this doesn’t mean it’s cheap either. 

Ribeye makes itself a chef’s favorite by having great versatility; you can cook it in various ways that meet your requirements. This versatility comes from different muscles that are present in a Ribeye. A Ribeye is cut from the rib area (rib 9 to 11). Muscles that come in the Ribeye cut include:

• Longissimus dorsi (also called the eye).
• Spinalis dorsi (a fat-rich muscle known as the deckle).
• Another tender muscle. 

Ribeye is almost similar to the prime rib. The difference between these two is that after cooking, if the ribs are cut in between, it’s called the Ribeye, and if you leave them together, you’d have a prime rib (which consists of 2 or 6 ribs). Some people haven’t heard the name Ribeye, but they may have had Ribeye at least once in their life. 

This is because Ribeye can have different names depending on certain characteristics. For instance, the Ribeye with a bone is also known as Cowboy steak, beauty steak, market steak, or Delmonico steak. Similarly, if the Ribeye has no bone, then it is known as Spencer steak or Scotch Fillet. 

New York Strip 

NY Strip is famous for the thick layer of fat that envelops the meat. And as we have mentioned earlier, fat can elevate the taste of meat and make it more palatable. But this fat layer is usually quite thick, thick enough to make it inedible. 

Thanks to its grain formation and close texture, NY Strip has soft but chewy meat. Now let’s talk about the area from where the meat comes from. If you’ve ever eaten the T-bone, it would be easier for you to understand this. NY Strip is just one side of the T-bone.

The meat is cut from the rear portion of the animal, also known as its loin area; this is located just below the animal’s backbone. NY Strip has several different names depending on the region you are in. Some of the most popular names for NY Strip Are Club Steak, shell steak (if it comes with a bone), top-loin steak, and KC Strip. 

One of the distinctive features of the NY Strip when it comes to its appearance is the thick layer of fat around the meat. This layer of fat stays on even while cooking and usually helps add flavor to the meat, and as we have mentioned earlier, it is inedible because of its thickness. Another stark difference between A ribeye and NY Strip is that NY Strip usually has minimum to no marbling while Ribeye has much more marbling. 

So What’s the Difference Between Ribeye and New York Strip?

Now that we have talked about each type of steak in detail let’s look at their differences.

Cut Type

One of the key differences between any two types of steaks is the area of the animal from which the meat is cut. Even though Ribeye and NY strip are cut from the same muscle (Longissimus), the location on the body of the animal is different. Ribeye is cut from the animal’s ribcage (upper portion) area, while NY Strip is cut from the rear part or loin region. 

Marbling and distribution of fat

The amount of fat in a steak is a decisive factor that can be critical to the final flavor of the steak. If you want juicier steaks with a stronger taste, you want to go for the fattier cuts of meat. Ribeye usually has the fat distributed throughout the meat, while the NY Strip has the fat on the sides and outside of the meat.

Flavor

Finally, we have the flavor of the steak, which is an important factor to consider while choosing the type of steak you want to make or order in a restaurant. As discussed earlier, fat content plays an important role in deciding the taste and texture of the steak. In steaks like Ribeye with a lot of marbling and internal fat, the taste is usually stronger, and the texture is softer, while in steaks like NY Strip, the taste is a little dull, and the texture is chewier. 

Sources

• Masterclass
• MarketHouse
• OwnTheGrill