Beef Rib Primal

[JeffGC]

This question is for someone that knows their way around a cow. Twice, at the same restaurant, I received a bone-in ribeye steak with rather strange-looking bones. Instead of a single rib bone, there were a number of smaller bones. What was this? I'm a bit familiar with a rib primal, which should be rib numbers 6-12. 1-5 is chuck. Were these steaks actually chuck with part of the blade bones?

 

Thanks.

 

Jeff

[Paul Bacino]

Maybe some of the spinous process is present!!  Just a guess

[weinoo]

10 hours ago, JeffGC said:

Twice, at the same restaurant, I received a bone-in ribeye steak with rather strange-looking bones. Instead of a single rib bone, there were a number of smaller bones. What was this? I'm a bit familiar with a rib primal, which should be rib numbers 6-12. 1-5 is chuck. Were these steaks actually chuck with part of the blade bones?

 

Where's the picture?

[JeffGC]

I should have done that!

[TdeV]

Welcome to eGullet, Jeff. 🙂

[AlaMoi]

suspicion:

 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/chuck-eye-steak-336251

" What Is Chuck Eye Steak?
Tender rib-eyes come from the sixth to twelfth ribs of a cow; butchers cut the chuck eye from the fifth rib. This proximity means the chuck eye steak shares many of the characteristics of a rib-eye. Although chuck eye steaks aren't always available—there are just two per cow—they tend to be a budget-friendly cut of meat when you can find them. "

[IndyRob]

I've eaten a lot of chuckeye steaks in my time and have never encountered a bone of any sort.

Edited August 23, 2022 by IndyRob (log)

[weinoo]

Just now, IndyRob said:

I've eaten a lot of chuckeye steaks in my time and and have never encountered a bone of any sort.

 

My late butcher Jeffrey (RIP) would grind up eye of chuck - it made great burgers.

[Dr. Teeth]

On 8/23/2022 at 8:49 AM, AlaMoi said:

suspicion:

 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/chuck-eye-steak-336251

" What Is Chuck Eye Steak?
Tender rib-eyes come from the sixth to twelfth ribs of a cow; butchers cut the chuck eye from the fifth rib. This proximity means the chuck eye steak shares many of the characteristics of a rib-eye. Although chuck eye steaks aren't always available—there are just two per cow—they tend to be a budget-friendly cut of meat when you can find them. "

I’m not a cow expert, but usually the fifth rib is larger than the 6th to 12th ribs.   So I’m not sure why multiple bones would make you think Chuck Eye.  I like the idea of spinous process, but it’s hard to say.   Lacking a picture, could you clarify “multiple”

[Anna N]

15 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

My late butcher Jeffrey (RIP) would grind up eye of chuck - it made great burgers.

Quite a number of the bits of a cow can make an excellent burger. Only one piece can make an excellent chuck eye steak. I weep at the thought of it being ground up. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

Quite a number of the bits of a cow can make an excellent burger. Only one piece can make an excellent chuck eye steak. I weep at the thought of it being ground up. 

Am reminded of one of my first jobs.   During my afternoon coffee break, I would go to a nearby butcher shop to buy meat for dinner.    My boss found out and asked me to shop for her at the same time.   "A filet mignon, ground fresh."     For maybe 6 months my butcher complied.   Then one day he said, "NO!    I will not grind up a beautiful piece of beef.   I will grind round and you can tell her or not."    Well, I had to either tell her or keep the substantial change.    She was chagrined at first but admitted that it was jut as good, maybe a little tastier!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

FWIW, chuck eye is marketed as Denver steak where I live and is PRICEY.   Note, over $25.lb here.

[Paul Bacino]

44 minutes ago, Dr. Teeth said:

I’m not a cow expert, but usually the fifth rib is larger than the 6th to 12th ribs.   So I’m not sure why multiple bones would make you think Chuck Eye.  I like the idea of spinous process, but it’s hard to say.   Lacking a picture, could you clarify “multiple”

AS one Dr Tooth to another,  I  could elaborate more on spinous process,  which are smaller bones

 

Chine bone beef

Featured snippet from the web

 

On a beef roast, the Chine Bone is referred to as the backbone which is attached to the rib roast. When buying a pork or beef roast, it is desirable to have staff in the meat department cut through the Chine Bone so it is removed prior to roasting the meat.  Maybe in this case it was left on

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

I weep at the thought of it being ground up. 

I've heard from various sources; you're a weeper!

[weinoo]

Merle Ellis, in his classic tome Cutting Up In The Kitchen (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), talks about the many ways various chuck roasts or steaks can be cut into unexpectedly delicious steaks.

To my mind. it's the best basic book for amateurs who enjoy playing with larger cuts of beef, pork, lamb, whole birds, etc.  Mine is so well used that it may be time for a new (albeit used) copy.  And for some reason, I think he even appeared on some old school, west coast cooking shows.

[AlaMoi]

7 hours ago, Dr. Teeth said:

I’m not a cow expert, but usually the fifth rib is larger than the 6th to 12th ribs.   So I’m not sure why multiple bones would make you think Chuck Eye.  I like the idea of spinous process, but it’s hard to say.   Lacking a picture, could you clarify “multiple”

 

one can also buy a boneless prime rib.

I don't believe I mentioned or quoted multiple bones, but name the other prime rib cut that includes multiple bones: _________________

 

the only way to get multiple bones is to cut further into the clod - i.e. lower rib numbers.

 

of course, all this overlooks the possibility that the resto is simply untruthful about the cut.

 

[Dave the Cook]

On 8/23/2022 at 8:49 AM, AlaMoi said:

suspicion:

 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/chuck-eye-steak-336251

" What Is Chuck Eye Steak?
Tender rib-eyes come from the sixth to twelfth ribs of a cow; butchers cut the chuck eye from the fifth rib. This proximity means the chuck eye steak shares many of the characteristics of a rib-eye. Although chuck eye steaks aren't always available—there are just two per cow—they tend to be a budget-friendly cut of meat when you can find them. "

 

I don't know where this person gets their information, but it's incorrect. Please consult the acknowledged American authority, NAMP (National Association of Meat Processors), which is not spruceeats.com. Chuck Eye Roll. I'll also quote myself from an earlier topic on this issue:

 

Quote

It's worth pointing out that the chuck roll (NAMP 116A) is not the same thing as the chuck eye roll (NAMP 116D); nether is it the same as the chuck tender (NAMP 116B).

 

All three are shoulder cuts, fabricated from the square-cut chuck (NAMP 113), which yields the shoulder clod (NAMP 114), as well as the chuck roll and the tender. The chuck eye roll is fabricated from the chuck roll.

 

These are North American designations. See here, here, here for more information.

 

10 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

FWIW, chuck eye is marketed as Denver steak where I live and is PRICEY.   Note, over $25.lb here.

 

I also don't know what those cuts are -- they could be a number of things -- but I do know that they are not chuck eye steaks.

[AlaMoi]

from USDA:

USDA SELECT AND CHOICE BEEF CUTS DATASET.XLSX

Chuck eye steak, select, raw	23079	24	71.4 (1.4)	21.3 (1.4)	6.47 (1.4)	0.98 (0.1)
Chuck eye steak, select, grilled	23076	24	61.4 (2.9)	27.9 (2.4)	9.77 (1.9)	1.03 (0.2)
Chuck eye steak, choice, raw	23078	48	69.5 (1.7)	21.3 (1.7)	8.29 (2.0)	0.92 (0.2)
Chuck eye steak, choice, grilled	23075	48	60.4 (2.0)	28.0(3.0)	11.5 (2.7)	1.03 (0.2)

[Dr. Teeth]

14 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

 

one can also buy a boneless prime rib.

I don't believe I mentioned or quoted multiple bones, but name the other prime rib cut that includes multiple bones: _________________

 

the only way to get multiple bones is to cut further into the clod - i.e. lower rib numbers.

 

of course, all this overlooks the possibility that the resto is simply untruthful about the cut.

 

The multiple question was intended for the OP, but I can see how you misread it.   my fault I should have put in a paragraph break.

[AlaMoi]

I'm totally lost on this thread.

Dave seemed to indicate IMPS/NAMP has no such thing - but according to their pubs

1116H

Chuck, Chuck Eye Steak

 

[Dave the Cook]

5 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

Dave seemed to indicate IMPS/NAMP has no such thing

 

That's not at all what I posted. I've been vocal and public in my praise of chuck-eyes for several years, including an article in the late lamented Daily Gullet. All I said was that the writer of the thespruce article was mistaken (personally, I'd never use thespruce as a solitary reference).

 

Further research, however, turned up the Denver steaks @Margaret Pilgrim posted about. They come from the side of the chuck roll opposite the chuck-eye roll (you can find them on page 8 of this document). I cannot fathom how they command $25/lb.

 

As for the OP's original query, I have no idea, except that I think @Paul Bacino might be on to something -- an oddly (poorly?) butchered steak, or a steak cut off a poorly butchered prime rib.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

9 minutes ago, Dave the Cook said:

 

Further research, however, turned up the Denver steaks @Margaret Pilgrim posted about. They come from the side of the chuck roll opposite the chuck-eye roll (you can find them on page 8 of this document). I cannot fathom how they command $25/lb.

 

 

Thanks, Dave, for pointing out the erroneous info I posted.    I, too, read up on Denver steak and its relationship in the shoulder.    That said, it is a very flavorful steak, and if properly sourced and cut, extremely tender.    San Francisco butchers started selling it for around $15 a pound.   It is now $20 plus.   

[AlaMoi]

presuming the resto is marginally obvious about describing the meat, there are very few options for more than the rib bone.

- a chunk of spine is left on

- it's cut from further up in the shoulder to the point more 'bone' / 'bones' are included.

 

I'm missing how the spruceeats in so far in error.  virtually every source I have found cites the chuck eye steak being cut from less than the 6th rib area.

sources also state 'be sure to get a boneless cut' -

so the whole thing is a gigantic mess of essentially no detailed information from the OP combined with local / resto naming  conventions.

 

[JeffGC]

I had a rather lengthy conversation with someone at American Association of Meat Processors. Nelson suggested “The Meat Buyer’s Guide (North American Meat Institute).”  The restaurant is misrepresenting the product. 
 

Thanks to everyone for responding. 
 

Jeff C. 

[Dave the Cook]

21 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

I'm missing how the spruceeats in so far in error.  virtually every source I have found cites the chuck eye steak being cut from less than the 6th rib area.

 

But that's not what spruceeats said. Rather than ". . . less than the 6th rib area . . . ," they said ". . . from the fifth rib . . ." Your description is correct, mostly because anything from the fifth/sixth rib demarcation forward to the head and above the  foreshank/brisket is the definition of chuck. The spruceeats description, striving for greater exactitude, is incorrect. (Sometimes, the fifth rib is used to fabricate a tomahawk chop.)

 

spruceeats is also incorrect in saying that there are only two chuck-eye steaks per steer. Depending on the size of the steer and how it is butchered, there are six to eight 3/4" to 1" chuck-eye steaks, cut from the rib end of the chuck-eye roll.

 

I'm glad Jeff C. got his rib issue straightened out.