Bone-In Rib-eye Steak

From Steak with Friends: At Home, with Rick Tramonto by Rick Tramonto with Mary Goodbody

This amazing steak is my favorite.It’s cut from the rib section of the steer, or rib roast, and is one of the juiciest and most popular steaks available. It is well marbled—webbed with streaks of fat—so it is full flavored and moist, and particularly well suited to dry heat cooking, such as grilling or broiling. The rib eye can be cut with or without the bone and generally is 1 to 1½ inches thick, although when cut 2½ to 3 inches thick, it’s called a “cowboy rib eye.” This is an expensive cut that should be cooked carefully, but it needs no more embellishment than a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I like to serve it with Bordelaise Sauce, but you may omit it and savor the meat unadorned. When I was a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef, the Quickfire Challenge was to take a full rib eye and cut long-bone chops from it. Serves 4

4 (20-ounce) bone-in rib-eye steaks, each about 1½ inches thick
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bordelaise Sauce (page 78)

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to take off the chill.
Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill so that the charcoal is medium hot and the heating elements are hot.

Brush both sides of the steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes on each side for medium rare, turning the steaks with tongs so that you don’t puncture the meat. If using a gas grill, you may not need to grill the steaks for quite as long on the second side. (For medium steaks, extend the grilling time for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side; for rare steaks, grill for about 5 minutes on each side.)

Using tongs, remove the steaks from the grill and let them rest for 8 to 10 minutes.

In a saucepan, heat the Bordelaise Sauce over medium heat until bubbling hot. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to keep warm.

Slice the steaks against the grain and serve topped with the sauce.