Meat ── Beef cuts
Rib Roast
ribeye roll — the marbled roast just behind the loin
Sitting between the chuck roll and the sirloin, this cut is known for fine, even marbling. Common in steaks and sukiyaki, its fat turns fragrant on the grill, and it is sometimes cut and sold bone-in.
Lineage
What it's made of
Sitting between the chuck roll and the sirloin, this cut is known for fine marbling running through it in even layers. The aroma of fat is pronounced, and lean flavor melds with fat sweetness the more it's chewed; the side nearer the bone is said to carry the strongest flavor, the far side the finest grain. The cross-section often shows an even, web-like spread of marbling, and that visual appeal is said to be part of the cut's draw. When grilled, its fat is said to render with a fragrant aroma that can fill a room, not unlike a pot of sukiyaki on the stove.
How it's made
It's also cut thick, bone-in, and grilled as a rib-eye roll; with its higher fat content, high heat brings out the aroma quickly. For sukiyaki it's sliced thin and briefly simmered in the seasoned broth — a cut said to suit steak, shabu-shabu and sukiyaki alike. For a thick cut, searing the surface hard and then finishing gently with residual heat is said to suit it well.
Why it took this shape
Since sukiyaki spread as "gyunabe" from the Meiji era onward, this cut is said to have been valued for combining a fragrant, fatty bite with marbling that looks as good as it tastes. Versatile enough to work as a steak too, it's said to hold a central place at yakiniku restaurants, sukiyaki restaurants and steakhouses alike. It's often served alongside sirloin from the same loin group, letting diners compare the two cuts' differing fat and grain.
Before you go
Dishes in the same style
- NeckFrom the neck, a constantly-worked muscle that is firmer but rich in flavor. Often used ground or processed, including in corned beef, and said to rarely appear as a retail cut on its own.
- SuneFrom the hard-working fore and hind legs, dense with sinew and firmer in texture. Long simmering melts its gelatin, suiting stews and soups, while the foreleg portion is tender enough to grill.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Related lineage
- Kata RosuRunning from the shoulder toward the rib roast, with lean and fat in balanced layers. Being a well-worked muscle it carries strong flavor, used across sukiyaki, yakiniku and simmered dishes.
- SirloinFrom the upper loin, this cut takes fine marbling easily. A standard steak choice carrying both fat sweetness and lean flavor, yielded in limited amount per animal and usually grilled thick, in one piece.