Here's Why Chuck Eye Is Cheaper Than Ribeye — And Preferred By Many Steak Fans

Ahh, the proverbial apples of our eye — ribeye and chuck eye, to be exact. Even occasional steak fans are familiar with the perfect ribeye steak and its rich, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth profile. Thanks to its naturally high fat marbling, this sought-after, luxurious cut comes with a price tag to match, tending toward the more expensive side of steakhouse menus. 

Now, we invite you to meet the ribeye's underrated next-door neighbor, the chuck eye. Chuck eye steak (aka the "poor man's ribeye") comes from the steer's upper shoulder (aka the chuck primal), more specifically, cut from the end of the prime rib roast. Directly butting up against each other, ribeye comes from the middle rib section between ribs six and 12 of the chuck primal, while chuck eye comes from the region just forward at rib five.

Due to the fact that chuck eye is technically a shoulder cut, it's similar to ribeye, but with less fat marbling and (subsequently) less tenderness. Although, chuck eye still offers impressively dense marbling throughout, and major beefy flavor. Even though there are only two chuck eye steaks per steer, this lesser-known steakhouse cut remains a budget-friendly alternative to classic ribeye, both economical and flavorful. At Safeway, for example, a 1-pound USDA choice boneless chuck eye steak costs $10.99, while a USDA boneless prime ribeye steak runs for $35.99 per pound — over 300% more expensive for a steak with wildly similar characteristics. Cooking with chuck eye steak can also make a terrific excuse to visit your local butcher.

A Reddit thread in r/meat shares a photo of four richly marbled steaks with the caption "Poor man's ribeye? Smart man's ribeye." Commenters pile on the adulation, writing, "Quit snitchin bro. Chuck eye roasts are best kept a secret," and "I love chuck eyes marinated. I always tell people the taste [is] somewhere between a ribeye and a tenderloin." Another post in r/Butchery keeps the chuck eye steak supremacy train rolling, with comments like, "One of the other butchers taught customers about it...couldn't keep those bad boys in stock after that. Solid cut," "I had one today. It's my favorite," and "Can confirm. Chuck eyes are the sh*t. Only steak I buy."

Beefy, robust, densely marbled chuck eye steak can also withstand the high-heat cooking customary to ribeyes, such as grilling, broiling, or pan-searing. To get the maximum possible tenderness out of your chuck eye, soak the steak in an acidic marinade like vinegar or pineapple juice. The acids will physically break down the meat's tough connective tissue, yielding major tenderization. Chuck eye's robust flavor is best brought out by low and slow cooking methods  like braising (moist heat) or stewing. 

For a hearty weeknight dinner, try it in our old-fashioned beef stew recipe or this meaty braised brisket mac and cheese. Got any leftover chuck eye steak? It makes a fabulous steak and eggs for breakfast the next morning.