Meet Spinalis Dorsi, the Ribeye cap steak
Ever wondered what the most truly coveted cut on a steer is? Newsflash, it’s not the tenderloin! Meet the tastiest beef muscle of all – the Spinalis Dorsi.
I’ve been writing a series looking at lesser known (or ‘rare’, get it??) steaks, and so far have covered the petite tender, tri tip, tenderloin tail and even the pretty-much-impossible-to-find-unless-you’re-a-butcher Spider steak. Pay close attention though, because this steak is the the pinnacle of beefdom and the one you’re really going to wanna know about.
Multiple ribeye caps rolled and strung together to create a larger steak.
You know when you’re eating a ribeye steak, and those first few tender, melty and uber-umami bites come from that curved top end? Yeah, that’s this particular muscle. It’s formal anatomical name is Spinalis Dorsi, it’s also known as ribeye cap, and deckle steak. And you may not ever have seen it on it’s own before, because, well, you have to ruin the entire prime rib/ribeye set to cut it away.
Sometimes you’ll find the cap as a whole muscle, trimmed away from the primal in one go. Other times you’ll find strips of cap, cut away from the eye muscle, or formed back into a mega-steak using meat glue or trussing. There are a few select independent butchers who will sell Spinalis, and you can find it online here. I’ve had a great deal of luck finding it at my local Costco – you just need to use a sharp eye on the Prime beef selection. OR even better still, you can learn to butcher your own. It’s easier than you think.
Any meat aficionado will tell you, the tenderloin may be the most tender cut, but it lacks in the flavor department. For sheer beefy-ness with a tender bite, it’s unanimous amongst hardcore carnivores that the ribeye cap is where it’s at. As for me? It’s without doubt my absolute favorite.
Wanna know how I cooked it? Check out dry brine, and reverse sear methods.
Related Posts
5 Comments
Leave A Comment
About Jess Pryles
Jess Pryles is a full fledged Hardcore Carnivore. She’s a live fire cook, author, meat specialist and Meat Science grad student. She’s also a respected authority on Texas style barbecue. Australian born and raised, she now lives in Texas.
You are unequivocally 100% correct when you say that the ribeye cap is the best cut of the meat on the cow. Yes, consume it first and wash it down with a nice red. Lord have mercy.
so what do they do with the rest of the prime rib?
Traditionally, most butchers sell it as a ribeye roll
I have been butchering my own meat for the past 25 years and I am also 100% in agreement here. Sure, a filet is a nice cut of meat but the only reason it fetches such a high price is the fact that it is the smallest portion of meat on the entire animal, save for a couple of rarities that only a select few of us enjoy. Spinelis Dorsi is by far superior in so many ways for numerous reasons and on top of that, the portion is certainly more reasonable. Like the other feller said, consume it first, But I wash it down with a nice stout as I like my exterior glazed pretty solid over wood and rhe bitters work with eachother as well as the body.
I’ve been getting these at Costco for years and basically have zero reason to ever eat any other type of steak. It’s incredible, and they are only like 15 bucks each compared to a 30 dollar prime ribeye which has a good amount of fat that doesn’t render and I end up giving to the dogs.