What is a Ribeye Steak?
This is known as the butchers’ steak of choice and today I want to tell you why…
For a kick-off, this is the steak to choose for maximum flavour. It’s heavily marbled, and as we know, the fat is where the flavour is, so this steak has a really rich and beefy taste.
Where does it come from?
Before we can cut any steaks, we first have to break down the rib area of the carcase, eventually leaving us with the Ribeye Roll. We prepare this cut from the Forerib which is located in front of the Sirloin, on top of the Hindquarter Flank and directly next to the Middle Rib. When we are butchering this joint, the blade bone cartilage, associated muscles, gristle, external fat covering and flank are all removed to leave only the best Ribeye meat, in one neat and tidy whole roasting cut. Once it has been trimmed, only the main ‘eye’ muscle remains and it becomes clear to see from its cross-section that it is from this joint where the Ribeye Steaks are cut.
Fat & Flavour
As I’ve already mentioned, fat is responsible for a lot of the rich flavour in a Ribeye. Understandably, lots of us are very conscious about our diet and fat intake, and this often steers us in the direction of an alternative steak cut such as the leaner Fillet or the less marbled Sirloin.
But…as the dieticians never tire of telling us, “everything in moderation”, so providing you’re not scoffing food from your local take-away every night of the week, or like me, are fitting in a weekly game of football, a wee bit of fat in its natural form is fine, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with a good old Ribeye every now and again!
Another massive factor in the flavour of our Ribeyes, as with all our steaks, is our dry aging process.
We mature our Ribeye Steaks on the bone, for up to 28 days in a temperature and humidity controlled maturation room. Allowing the beef to mature in this way does make the whole process more expensive, as up to 8-10% of the beef is lost through having to trim off the outer surfaces at the end of the maturation time. However we feel the results are well worth this loss for the guaranteed tenderness, fantastic flavour and brilliant eating quality you only get from meat that’s been aged properly in this traditional way.
Right, I know that’s been a fair heap of information, but I hope that gives you a better understanding of what a Ribeye Steak is and why we call it the butcher’s favourite. Remember, if you have any questions for me don’t hesitate to email me at headbutcher@donaldrussell.co.uk or find us on facebook
Mark
Head Butcher
Easter is one of the holiest festivals in the Christian calendar and is celebrated all over the world with great gusto and fervour. From painting and rolling your eggs to sitting down with the family for a slap up meal of roast lamb one thing is sure…Easter is open to all of our ritualistic, family traditions however eccentric they may seem!
Here in the good old UK we tend to celebrate Easter in a fairly restrained and tranquil manor with church services, an excess of chocolate and plenty of lamb. All over the world people celebrate this festival in a whole host of colourful and culturally unique ways. The folks of Ukraine forgo lamb in favour of a traditional egg and yam dish, and apparently Poland has a tradition of water fights in the streets on Easter Monday known as Smingus Dyngus. The egg decorating tradition is also a worldwide and popular Easter activity, the painted eggs are sometimes called “pace eggs” and the word pace comes from the word “pasche” which simply means Passover.
Our lovely colleague Petra is of Czech descent and she has been sharing some of her favourite Easter traditions with us over the last few weeks. The tale of the Pomlázka stick sure was one of our favourite tales. This is quite simply a stick made from willow branches and in most cases the willow is also decorated with colourful ribbons.
The Pomlázka is thought of as a symbol of youth, beauty, health and fertility with the males running around town whipping the young ladies while reciting a delightful wee poem. After the ladies have been “beaten” they then thank the men with gifts of coloured eggs and sweets for the younger ones and shots of Slivovice for the older ones. This wonderful folk tradition of “whipping” should really only be undertaken by single men so please keep your stick at home if you are already spoken for!
Here is the Easter whipping poem if you fancy joining in the fun…however do be careful who you go whipping as this tradition may require some explanation for the uninitiated!!
Hody hody doprovody
dejte vejce malovany
Nedate-li malovany
dejte aspon bily
však Vam slepička snese jiny
A basic translation of this would be:
“Give me a coloured egg
if you won’t give me a coloured egg
give me a white one
and get your hen to lay another.”
If you fancy trying out another very popular Easter activity why not try your hand at baking lamb shaped cakes? This is a wonderful way of embracing the traditions of our European cousins, and if you wanted an equally over-the-top antidote to the ‘death by chocolate’ usual Easter experience, why not serve this after a lamb roast for a lambtastically festive feast?
Disclaimer: Now as we are not religious gurus but in fact god-like butchers, some of the facts mentioned in this post may hold varying degrees of truth…and the rest is fairly daft – this is due to being infected by the festive fun and frolics of Easter!
Well we’ve certainly had an eggcellent time researching and preparing this post and don’t Passover the eggcuse for some thwacking good Easter fun!
Talk soon and remember to save some space for an egg or two after all your lamb!
Leisa
As a typical butcher, I would normally favour any cut prepared from the richly marbled Rib section, but as they say, ‘variety is the spice of life’, so when myself and Mrs F are looking for a weekend treat for the two of us, we plump for the Chateaubriand.
Before we even start to prepare the Chateaubriand at DR, my Quality Control team need to be sure that the Fillet has had ample time to mature to the perfect stage. Because beef is a natural product, each carcass varies, meaning that there is no hard-and-fasttime limit for optimal maturation. My team use their many years of expertise and know-how to judge correctly, by eye, just when the beef has reached its very best-now the butchery can begin.
We prepare our Chateaubriand from the superior head end of the fillet which is celebrated for its tenderness and sublime buttery texture. The fillet is what we call a “non-worked” muscle which means it is naturally the most tender of all the beef cuts. To guarantee outstanding quality, we still mature all of our fillet cuts on the bone – the good old fashioned way – just like when I was a young loon (that’s ‘Aberdeenshire speak’ for young boy!) progressing through my apprenticeship many years ago!
Now in my house I must admit that my cooking skills sometimes leave a wee bit to be desired, but by following the simple recipe for the Chateaubriand with Roquefort Butter I always get a good result! You can find that recipe here and if you’re not a big fan of blue cheese you could substitute it with a simple herb or garlic butter which will still be delicious with your Chateaubriand.
Our Chateaubriand is on offer just now with a saving of £10 and as a Scots man I like a bargain more the most, you’ll find the offer here.
Right, I better get back to the butchery hall, but don’t forget, if you have any queries or questions for me, you can send me an email at headbutcher@donaldrussell.co.uk or if you are one of those super social folk you’ll find us on facebook!
Mark Farquhar
Head Butcher
