What is the difference between a Ribeye vs. NY Strip Steak? Juicy tenderness vs. bold flavor. Uncover the ultimate steak battle!
When you walk into a grocery store with the word "steak" on your grocery list, how do you decide which steak to choose from? Let's decide between two very common cuts of steak: New York Strip vs. Ribeye.
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="5OTu70di" upload-date="2022-07-11T00:00:00.000Z" name="Air Fryer Ribeye" description="This Air Fryer Ribeye Steak is a game changer! Simple ingredients and deliciously tender! Make a juicy medium rare ribeye in you air fryer!" player-type="default" override-embed="default"]New York Strip vs. Ribeye
Ribeye and NY Strip are both known for their tender texture and delicious flavor, so what could possibly be different? The two cuts of steak differ for three main reasons:
- Nutrition Content
- Tenderness
- Flavor Profile
Let's dive into these key differences that might help you choose which cut of beef to buy.
New York Strip vs. Ribeye: Nutrition
Calories in 4 oz (raw) portions of the two steaks
- 4oz New York Strip: 154 kcal, 25g protein, 0g carbs, 5g fat
- 4oz Ribeye Steak: 245 kcal, 22g protein, 0g carbs, 17g fat
Nutrition information is from the USDA Database.
Similarities
Both types of steaks offer high-quality nutrients to our bodies. While they differ most in fat content, they share many similarities. These steaks are high in Vitamin B12 and also in iron! These are two nutrients that are most easily found in meat.
Vitamin B12
B12 is a vitamin that helps our brains, blood, and nerve cells, to stay healthy! It is important in our growth and development, as well as being a large part of the creation of DNA.
B12 is so important because as we get older, it keeps our brains healthy and thriving. It ensures that we do not have cognitive decline and that we continue to have the energy we need to do the things we love!
Iron
Now that we know about B12, let's move on to our other important nutrient, iron. Iron is important in all foods that it is found, but the best source of iron is meat products. If you eat the same amount of iron, but one comes from spinach and one comes from a New York Strip, your body will absorb more of the iron from the steak!
That seems very strange, but it is because there are two types of iron: heme iron and non-heme iron. Non-heme iron comes from plants. Heme iron comes from meat and it is more readily available for our bodies. This basically means we get more out of it!
Iron is essential to our bodies because it transfers oxygen throughout the body. It helps with many important bodily functions. Iron is important for our heart and brain health, so the fact that we can absorb it more easily is very important.
To give you an idea to about how much iron is in beef... it has 4x more iron than found in chicken and other types of meats!
New York Strip Nutrition (4 oz serving)
We talked about some of the important micronutrients, so now let's talk about macronutrients! You may hear the word "macros" often, especially if you work in the fitness industry. The three macronutrients are protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
While counting macros is not important for everyone, there can be some benefits for people who are trying to gain or lose weight, gain muscle, or for certain health conditions. Counting macros is different from calorie counting because instead of counting calories, you are trying to hit a certain amount (typically seen in grams) of each macronutrient each day.
For someone on Keto, it can ensure that they do not go over their carbohydrates for the day.
So let's break down the macros! The New York Strip has 0 grams of carbs per 4 oz serving! The fat on a NY strip steak is about 5g, and the protein is 25 g. All of these add up to 154 calories per 4 oz serving!
These values may vary from each New York Strip depending on leaness.
Ribeye Nutrition (4 oz serving)
The steaks vary slightly between 4 oz servings for macros. The average ribeye steak has around 17 grams of fat per 4 oz serving, 22 grams of protein, and 0 grams of carbs. Together these macros add up to 245 calories per 4 oz serving.
So this shows us that Ribeye is higher in fat and in turn, has a higher calorie content!
New York Strip Vs. Ribeye: Which is more Tender?
The nutrition content of the steaks actually affects its texture! Ribeye has more marbling throughout it, which is white flecks of fat that are in the muscle of the steak!
Due to the higher fat content, Ribeye will have a much more tender texture after you cook it! This is more favorable to most people because it makes it easier to cut and chew!
New York Strip Vs. Ribeye: Flavor Profile
The same reason that Ribeye is more tender is the same reason that it is richer in flavor. Fat in our foods contains flavor compounds that come out when cooked! The fat also helps to keep the moisture in our foods so that we don't end up with a dry steak.
Do they taste the same?
The Ribeye and the New York strip steak are found along the cow's spine, but one is located further down the spine than the other. While it may not seem like that could make a difference, it does impact the overall taste.
The part on the cow where the ribeye is found is fattier, and allows ribeye to be the juicy, tender steak, that we love!
How did they get their names?
New York Strip Steak
You might also hear the NY strip being called the Delmonico steak. That is because of the origin of its name. Delmonico's is a restaurant that originated in the 1800s.
Delmonico's offered a steak and named it after itself "Delmonico Steak." It was actually a really important dish on their menu that became extremely popular! Due to the restaurant's location, New York, the steak's name transformed into the name we know today, the New York strip steak!
Ribeye Steak
Now how about ribeye, or is it rib-eye, or is it rib eye? Honestly, I had no clue, either. You may see it with a variety of spellings.
It is a compound word, which means it has two words put into one. The two words are "rib" and "eye." It is named this way because of two things: where it comes from and the shape of the muscle of that area.
It is located on the rib primal, which is the 6th through the 12th ribs. So there's a very simple explanation of where the first word comes from.
How do we get the word "eye" though? That's because a muscle is cut in order to get to the ribs. This muscle looks like an eye! So now we can put those together to get rib and eye!
The spelling is very often confused, and I think it is easy to see why. It is confusing because two words are put into one and because it is different depending on where you are!
In American English, it is typically spelled "ribeye," and in British English, it is typically spelled "rib-eye."So there are multiple "correct" spellings of the word.
Regardless of the spelling, this is what gives us Ribeye Steaks.
How to Prepare the Cuts of Steak?
You can prepare the ribeye steak and the popular NY strip steak in many ways! You can cook on the stove, bake in oven, grill, roast, smoke, sous vide, and many more! I have experimented with many different cooking methods for my steaks, and I am here to tell you that I have found the best ways to cook steak!
Below are some of my favorite steak recipes for both steaks. Try both so that you can settle the debate of which is best, New York Strip vs. Ribeye.
New York Strip Steak Recipes
Ribeye Recipes
- Juicy Air Fryer Ribeye Steak
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Ribeye Steak
- Juicy Ribeye on the Blackstone Griddle
How To Choose the Right Steak
Now that you know the facts. So how do you choose?
Some questions you can ask yourself when deciding are:
- Which one do I like more?
- How am I preparing my steak, and which steak better suits this cooking method?
- Which food fits into my budget better?
- Will I enjoy one more than the other?
- If I am buying for other people, which do they prefer?
- How do these steaks fit into my diet?
FAQs
Ribeye steak is typically more expensive than NY Strip Steak.
It all comes down to personal preference.
It is visible parts of fat that are typically found in red meat. It got its name because of the appearance it takes on in lean cuts of meat.
Ribeye is the more tender of the two steaks.
Ribeye comes from between the 6-12 ribs.
Strip steaks are cut from the short loin on the cow. This is behind the ribs, but before the thigh of the cow.
Surprisingly, they are the same cut of steak! There is some debate on whether they both have a bone in the steak. Regardless it comes from the same part of the cow!
Leave a Reply