The Pricey Steak Cut That's Actually Worth It For Beginner Grillers

The ability to turn on the grill and prepare a meal with ease is a skill that takes practice and patience. Before you get those perfect sear marks on your meat or discover the perfect ratio for your homemade barbecue sauce, you're going to run into a few failures and bumps along the way. We spoke to Scott Thomas, the owner of GrillinFools, who told us that even though it can be a little pricey, a thick ribeye for grilling is a great choice because "it is very forgiving, even for a beginner."

Thomas continues that "I know it sounds crazy to start with one of the most expensive cuts, but the reason it's expensive is how tender and juicy it is." Ribeyes come from a muscle along the bovine's spine known as the rib primal cut area and are well known for their exceptional taste and marbling. It's for this exact reason that Thomas says ribeyes are harder to overcook and make tough compared to something like a sirloin or London broil. A fatty piece of beef is also the best meat to start your sous vide journey,

When it comes to grabbing a stellar ribeye over a mediocre one, Scott Thomas advises that "the two biggest things we want to look for in a ribeye steak are marbling and the spinalis or cap muscle."  He continues that "the more little striations of fat there are, the better the steak." The cap muscle is the section of the ribeye that runs along the top of the steak, which is the most tender and flavorful part of the cow. "The spinalis closer to the chuck is much bigger than down by the loin. Find some steaks that are well-marbled and cut from the chuck end. Any butcher should be able to show you this," says Thomas. He adds that "the butcher should grab the best steaks in the case and explain why s/he chose that one."

Speaking of the butcher, part of Thomas's biggest advice on finding great meat is to "mind your P's and Q's and introduce yourself to the butcher...explain who you are and ask for advice." Once you get to know your butcher a little better, it'll be easier to ask them to do these five things with your beef, and Thomas says it will also mean "you may never eat a bad cut of meat." Plus, you won't need these tips on how to choose the best ribeye at the grocery store.