Ribeye at 88 degrees: Steak

Ribeye from Prime or 1++ shows the BMS scale most clearly — this is the cut the marble pictures are about. The muscle sitting over ribs six to eight. It barely moves during the animal's life, so the grain stays fine and intramuscular fat settles through it in a dense web. This is where the most spectacular marbling on any carcass appears.

The best pieces carry fine marbling all the way out to the fat cap around the spinalis, not just in the eye. Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Steak.” Use 88 degrees and 88 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat.

At the counter, read the use on Ribeye before the photograph. 88 degrees is the internal heat, “Steak” is the dish, and 88 is the stage of the fire. Marbling alone does not split stew from grill. Stop where the fat has just begun to render. The thicker the steak, the more a three-minute rest protects it.