How To Cut A Whole Ribeye Into Steaks Easily With Video

When you want the juiciest and tender dinner dish for yourself and your loved ones, there is no better option than a ribeye steak. Even though there are different rib cuts, my personal favorite has to be the ribeye steak cut.

It’s because I love the tenderness you get from a perfectly cooked ribeye steak. However, if you bought a whole ribeye, chances are, you are struggling with the process of cutting into steaks. 

It can be scary, to be honest. What if it gets ruined? 

The thing is, as long as you know the proper way to cut a whole ribeye into steaks, there’s nothing that can go wrong. That’s why I’m here. 

Let’s get started. 

How To Cut A Whole Ribeye Into Boneless Steaks

That’s about it. You won’t need anything else to cut a perfect steak from a ribeye rack. 

Let’s get to the process now. 

Step-1: Take your ribeye on the cutting board. If you’ve just bought it, it would be wrapped in a plastic cover. Cut the plastic bag from one side and let the juice out in your sink. 

Uncover the meat and place it on your cutting board. Wear your gloves before touching the meat. 

Step -2: Keep a sharp boning knife ready near your hand. If your knife has gone blunt, make sure you sharpen it before proceeding. 

A blunt knife will cause an uneven cut and probably tear the ribeye. You don’t want that. So, get your equipment ready. 

Get knives specifically made for cutting steaks. Usually, they’ll be a bit curved than the usual kitchen knives. 

Step-3: Do not place the meat on the cutting board the wrong way. Many people place the rack while keeping the fat side on top. It’s not a proper way to cut your steaks. The fat is harder and thus tougher than the meat to cut. 

That means you’ll need to apply more pressure on the fat. This can result in smashing the meat residing below. What I’m saying is fat side down. 

Step-4: Break a toothpick into the size you want your steaks to be. You can break it to one inch or more according to your preference. 

This is a crucial decision to take. If you are a beginner, I suggest you cut 1-inch thick steaks because thicker ones will take more time to cook. 

Also, cooking thick steaks while balancing tenderness and flavors is difficult for cooks who are not usually used to cooking. 

Step-5: Now, place the toothpick from one edge on top of the ribeye and see how far it goes. Use your knife and make a cut there. 

You can’t cut one whole steak with one stroke. Use multiple strokes, and a perfect piece of steak will come out of the ribeye. 

Step-6: There will be excess fat on the steak. Especially a thin outer layer and at one end. Cut these fats only. Let the rest stay for tenderness. 

Step-7: Measure your steak and see if it fulfills your expectation. If it’s too thick or too thin, make necessary adjustments while cutting the next piece. Cut all pieces following the same way. 

Now you’re done! Also, You can follow this video to be more clear

How To Cut Whole Ribeye With Bones Into Steaks

Sometimes you prefer boneless ribeye, and other times you want the steak with bone. The process I’ve mentioned earlier is for boneless ribeye. Now, if you wish to cut a ribeye with bone, you’ll have to make a slight deviation. 

Instead of measuring with a toothpick or ruler, you can simply cut the piece where the meat meets the bone. 

• Place the ribeye on the cutting board, bone side on top. 
• Then, take the knife and cut it on the edge of the first bone. 
• Repeat the process until you’ve cut the whole ribeye. 
• Now, if you wish to cut the bone out of the ribeye, you can easily do so using the same knife. 

You will make horizontal cuts when cutting out steaks, right? To cut the bone out, you’ll have to cut it vertically. 

Then, you’ll get a beautiful boneless ribeye, and you can follow the procedure I already mentioned.   

Related: What Is The Best Way To Reheat Steak Without Drying It Out?

Things You Will Need While Cutting Ribeye

With a few easy steps, you can cut a whole ribeye into steaks on your own. But first, you’ll need a few little things near your hand to cut perfectly beautiful ribeye steaks for cooking.

Some elements may not seem important to you. So, I’m explaining why you should use them. 

Cutting Board

The first mandatory element on the menu is a large cutting board. You are going to place a large ribeye rack on the board, so make sure it’s big enough to accommodate the whole ribeye. 

You can check out this this one from Royal Craft Wood if you are confused about which one to use. 

It can easily hold a large ribeye, and it’s perfect for cutting the meat with steadiness. 

Knife

A knife is unskippable. How else will you cut the steaks? Make sure you choose a sharp and sturdy knife for precise cutting. 

If you don’t have any steak knives, you can get a steak like the one from Wanbasion. They’re really great for sharp cuts without any tears. Besides, you can dish-wash them. 

If you already have a knife that has gone blunt, you can always sharpen it using a Waterstone.   

Toothpick 

It may sound unnecessary, but toothpicks are super useful to determine the size of your steaks. You can break a toothpick into the desired length and use it every time you cut out a steak piece from the ribeye. 

However, if you want a more precise measurement, I suggest you use a ruler. How can you use a toothpick or ruler to cut perfect steaks? 

I’ll explain that in the process further. 

Hand Gloves

Why hand gloves? Is it to prevent the mess and meat juice from getting into your hands? That’s just one reason. 

The primary reason why you should use kitchen gloves is to keep your hands warm. The meat is expected to be cold, so your hand will get more numb as you keep cutting. That is why hand gloves are one of the most essential grilling accessories out there. 

Numb hands mean your cuts won’t be precise. So, using hand gloves will not only save you from the bloody mess but also make your steaks more cleanly cut. 

You can try this pair from Tusko. I’ve tried them, and they do not disappoint. 

Kitchen Scale

A kitchen scale isn’t mandatory. You can skip it. But if you would like to measure how much your steak weighs, you can use one for your convenience. The one from Greater Goods is my personal favorite if you ask me. 

How Many Steaks Is A Whole Ribeye

The number of steaks in a whole ribeye depends on two things. The first is how large the whole ribeye is.  The size and weight will vary depending on your preference. 

The second thing to consider is what size steak you are cutting. You can slice the same ribeye into 6 pieces or 12 pieces, for that matter. 

For example, if you bought a ribeye weighing 9 pounds and cutting steaks of 1.5 inches, you will get 6 steaks out of that ribeye. 

Similarly, if you want smaller-sized steak pieces, 1-inch per piece, you will get 9 steaks out of the same ribeye. Hopefully, that clears your confusion. 

How Thick Should You Cut Ribeye Steak

The thickness is undoubtedly important when it comes to steak. So, what is an ideal steak thickness? About 1.5 inches. If you measure in centimeters, 3.8 centimeters. 

The meat will cook with tenderness and positively affect the doneness of the meat. You can, however, cut thinner or thicker steaks depending on your preference and recipe. 

But speaking from experience, 1.5-inch steaks are the best when it comes to ribeye. And I would suggest you not to go below 1-inch. 

Things To Avoid While Cutting Individual Ribeye Steaks

People who constantly cut steaks also make some silly mistakes. So, I would recommend you beware of these mistakes you can easily avoid only by being cautious. 

• Blunt Knife

It may sound obvious, but it’s actually not. Even though our common sense suggests that we should always use a sharp knife to cut things, we often go for blunt ones. Why?

One reason can be the fear of cutting oneself. What if I told you that you are more likely to cut yourself while using a blunt knife?

When you are using a blunt knife, you struggle more, and it requires more strokes and pressure to cut the steak. 

As a result, the knife can slip and cut you. A sharp knife prevents that from happening. A little caution will easily result in a perfect steak without harming your hands. 

• Not Using Gloves

As I’ve already told you, cold can make your hands numb. The more numb your hands get, the less control you will have over your knife. It’s dangerous. 

You can lose complete control and cut yourself. Safety comes first, so you should always wear kitchen gloves. 

Also, you can keep your hands clean by using gloves.

• Not Draining the Meat Juice

Remember I told you to drain the water from the plastic bag? It can make your meat brown. 

The ribeye won’t rot, but you could miss the appealing color of your dish. And as you already know, visual appearance is important.

Also, keep your cutting board dry too. The less meat juice, the better. 

Why You Should Cut Your Ribeye Instead Of Getting Ready Steaks 

It’s true that you may not need a whole ribeye very often. But on some special occasions, when you do need a lot of steaks, why should you buy a whole ribeye instead of getting multiple ready steaks? 

The obvious reason is to save money. Individual steaks will cost you more than a whole ribeye. 

That simple cut you make at your home saves you a fair amount of money.

So, if you need multiple steaks for a holiday, I’ll always encourage you to buy a whole ribeye rather than buying individual steaks. 

How To Choose The Best Ribeye Steak For Getting Better Result

Let’s assume you are shopping for individual store-bought ribeye steaks, or you want to find the best one among the pieces you cut. 

To find the best piece, you have to answer this, which part of a ribeye steak is the best?

Steaks have three parts- the tail, the eye, and the cap muscle. The tastiest and most tender part of a steak is the cap area. 

The cap area starts narrow, grows bigger in the middle, and then narrows again. 

So, if you’re asking me which piece is the best steak, I’ll tell you to go for a steak that has the largest cap area. 

Conclusion 

That was almost everything about how to cut a whole ribeye into steaks. That wasn’t so hard now, was it? Remember that you may not cut a perfectly shaped steak the first time. No matter why you got a whole ribeye, cutting and storing it comes down to you. So, ensure that you’re as precise as possible, use the right tools, and follow proper precautions. There’s nothing you can’t do if you are passionate enough about your cooking.