If You’re Not Eating This Cut Of Steak, You’re Really Missing Out

Ribeye Cap Steak

I’ve always been a filet mignon kinda person….yes, yes, I know, “it has no flavor, real steak eaters eat ribeye!” Ask any chef and they will rail against the filet mignon and immediately pivot towards their love for the ribeye cut. This past weekend, I was introduced to the ribeye cap steak and life will never be the same!

What is this ribeye cap you speak of? Also known as the deckle steak, dorsi cap, or spinalis ribeye, this roughly 16 inch muscle is trimmed off of a rib eye roast when breaking it down into smaller ribeye steaks. The cap covers the bone and the eye of meat just above it, and when cut away from the steak becomes its own masterpiece.

The cap, which is completely marbled with tasty fat is then wrapped into a circle and tied creating a nice little round steak, very similar looking to a filet (except for all that beautiful fat marbling). This is basically the best of both worlds, you get the fat-rich flavor from the ribeye marbling, but the texture is much closer to that of filet then to ribeye. Its tender, juicy, and loaded with that robust beef flavor. Put simply, this is the best cut of meat there is.

cut ribeye cap steak

How to cook a Cap of Ribeye

Even though you’re working with a piece of meat with a good amount of fat, you want to cook this in a similar manner to a filet, tri-tip, or other lean steak/roast. The reverse sear is the best route for this hybrid steak.  This involves indirect heat until the ideal internal temperature is reached, followed by a quick sear.

Check out the recipe below and I bet you never go back to filet mignon, I know I wont! Keep in mind,  this is a very heavy steak with plenty of butter, and you will likely need less then you would with a leaner cut of steak to feed the same number of people.  But then again, we live on this stuff and we can polish down a 6 oz rib cap pretty easily, so it all depends on your crowd.

2 pounds ribeye Cap Steak (anywhere from 3-4 steaks)

Marinade

1/2 stick butter melted

1/4 soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 sprigs of thyme

Rub

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons coarse ground pepper

1 sprig of thyme chopped

Glaze

1/2 stick butter melted

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup sugar

Marinate steaks for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.  Remove, pat dry and rub with the spice mixture.

Set your grill up for indirect cooking (fire on only one side) and bring the grill temperature to 250 degrees.   Either place the steaks directly on the cool side of the grill, or place within a cast iron skillet (also on the indirect side of the grill).  If using a skillet, then drop a few pats of butter, type, and a chopped onion in along with the steak ( I prefer the later).   Cook the steaks until the internal temperature reaches between 126-130 degrees.  (for rare remove at 126, for medium rare plus like you see in the picture above, pull it at 130).

Remove the steaks from the grill and place them on a plate while you bring your grill up to 600+ degrees or as hot as you can possibly get it.  Dip both sides of the steak in the glaze and place the steaks on the grill for about a minute per side.  Watch them very closely, there is a fine line between burnt and a caramelized crust.

Remove the steaks from the grill and place them on a  plate for 5-10 minutes to rest.  Once cool, place on a prepared cutting board.  To prepare the cutting board  drizzle a teaspoon or less of olive oil, sprinkle kosher or sea salt, and a handful of chopped parsley (you can also use cilantro).  Slice the steaks and place on a plate with the onions and serve immediately.

Eat the leftovers tomorrow sliced thin on a toasted English muffing with plenty of mayo and a big slice of cheddar cheese (trust me on this).

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