Identity card
Rib of beef is a marbled meat with short fibres. Like the entrecote, it comes from the middle of the rib muscle covering the dorsal vertebrae, between the 5th and 11th rib. The entrecote is not a cut taken from between two ribs, as the name might infer; it is simply a boned rib of beef. When it is cut from the lower ribs, it is called an “entrecôte découverte”. The rib of beef corresponds more specifically to the 7th rib. While a good entrecote can weigh up to 600 g, a good rib of beef often exceeds 1 kg. These two cuts are recommended for those who like their meat rare and tasty.
Generally speaking, beef ranges from the most tender, hence faster cooking (for grilling), to the least tender and slower cooking (for boiling or braising). Like the rumpsteak, entrecote or fillet, rib of beef belongs to the first category, which means the boneless cuts, with low collagen, that represent about 15% of the carcass weight. Like many beef cuts, it contains less than 6% fat and it has an important nutritional reserve (iron, top quality proteins, zinc, vitamins from the B group, among others).
Production and consumption
Grouping about forty six breeds (Charolais, Normand, Montbéliard, Limousin, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Salers, Aubrac, Parthenais, etc.), France’s national herd is the largest in the European Union. As a result, with 26 kg/inhabitant/year, France ranked as the second largest European consumer of beef in 2008, after Denmark.
The consumption of rib of beef (3% of beef purchases) has remained relatively steady since 2006, at 350g to 390g/household/year. Rib of beef is primarily bought in summer, the perfect season for grilled meats and barbecues.
(Sources: Interbev, CIV, FranceAgriMer)
At Rungis Market
As Mr Denis Pelle, Manager of IP Viandes, explains, “We have been selling beef from the Simmental breed, which comes from Bavaria, for the last 30 years. We take delivery of the carcasses and cut the ribs of beef ourselves. We don’t do high volumes because we focus primarily on quality. For a well-marbled rib of beef, you need animals that are at least 4 to 5 years old. Our clients are mainly restaurants and butcher-delicatessens.”
