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There’s really nothing quite like a perfectly Grilled Cowboy Ribeye steak sizzling over two-zone grilling: its rich marbling, thick-cut bone, and deep flavor deliver a steakhouse experience right at home. In this post, we’ll walk through everything you need to master a grilled cowboy ribeye—from selecting the perfect cut to resting and serving it with a savory red wine and mushroom sauce. Let’s fire up the grill.
We are making amazing grilled steak and finishing it with a red wine and wild mushroom pan sauce. The grilled “cowboy” ribeye is basically a Grilled Tomahawk Steak without the extra bone.
Table of Contents
Grilled Cowboy Ribeye Ingredients
A cowboy ribeye steak doesn’t need much to shine—this cut speaks for itself. Keep the ingredients simple and high-quality to let the beefy flavor stand out.
A “cowboy” ribeye is essentially a thick-cut bone-in ribeye steak with some of the bone exposed. If the bone were longer, it would be referred to as a Tomahawk. The same cut, just with a different length of exposed bone. Got it?
Key Ingredients
- Cowboy Ribeye Steak – You want a thick steak, at least 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick. Consider calling your butcher to make sure they can cut it in advance. If you can’t find ribeye, you can also use a thick NY strip steak or a thinner ribeye.
- Seasoning – We use olive oil to bind the steak, and then season with our Beef Seasoning, which is a mix of herbs with salt and pepper. Or go simple with our salt, pepper, and garlic rub (SPG Rub).
Red Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce
The base of this sauce is using a good dry red wine, like a red blend, Merlot, or something similar. The full list of ingredients is in the recipe.
- Butter and Olive Oil – Butter adds rich fat and flavor, and olive oil to help the mushrooms cook.
- Shallots + Garlic – This is going to give the sauce great flavor.
- Mushrooms – We love shiitake for this, but cremini or other wild mushrooms will work great too.
- Red Wine – A good red wine is the base and adds depth to the sauce.
- Broth – Reduce beef broth and balsamic vinegar to balance everything out.
- Thyme – or other herbs for some earthy tones.
Choosing The Right Cut
When searching for a cowboy ribeye to grill, look for a bone‑in ribeye steak about 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick. The bone adds flavor and helps with even cooking. Ideally, the meat should have generous marbling and a visible “eye” of fat. Grass or grain finished beef works well.
Just avoid lean cuts that will dry out quickly when grilled. You can learn more about marbling in our article on Choice versus Prime beef.
Preparation
Steak will not come to room temperature when sitting out for an hour, like many will advise. So don’t waste your time; instead, dry-brine your steak the day before cooking for the best flavor and texture if you have the time.
- Pat the steak dry with paper towels to ensure a good sear. Lightly oil the steak.
- Season liberally.
- Press seasoning into the meat so it adheres evenly, and then store in the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight.
If you don’t have the time to dry brine, no worries. Just season your steak before getting it on the grill. It will still taste great!
Seasoning Tip
When dry brining overnight, we want airflow around the entire cowboy ribeye. So we lay a raised cookie drying rack inside a sheet tray. Then we season the steaks, and lay them on the cookie drying rack. This allows airflow around the steak and avoids the seasoning from coming off the bottom of the steak.
How To Grill Cowboy Ribeye
For a stellar grilled cowboy ribeye steak, preheat your grill so it reaches high heat—about 500 °F. If using a charcoal grill, bank coals to one side to create a two‑zone fire. On a gas grill, light one side on high and keep the other side off for indirect cooking.
- Grill Direct: When the grill hits the target temperature, place the steak over direct heat and close the lid. Grill for 3 minutes or until you see a nice crust form. Flip the steak and then continue grilling over direct heat for another 3 minutes.
- Grill Indirect: When you see a nice crust form, move the steak to the indirect side of the grill to finish cooking. Optional: Insert a Bluetooth thermometer in the thickest part of the steak to monitor the internal temperature of the meat.
- Rest: Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches your desired internal temperature. For rare, remove when it’s 120 degrees F measured at the thickest part of the steak and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Have a pizza oven? Then review our guide on how to cook steak in a pizza oven.
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Make The Red Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce
While the steak is grilling on the indirect side, we’ll make the sauce on the grill in a cast-iron pan directly over the grill grates. Or you can use your stovetop.
- Sauté: Place the pan on the grill over direct heat and add the oil and one tablespoon of butter. When it’s melted, add the mushrooms. The pan will be hot, and you will hear a sizzle. Let the mushrooms sauté for about 3 minutes and then begin stirring them. After 3 – 5 additional minutes, the mushrooms should be browned. Next, add the shallots and stir for 2 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
- Reduce: Then add the wine. It will immediately start to simmer. Then add the broth, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and salt. Stir and close the lid. Let the sauce come to a simmer and reduce by half (about 4 minutes).
- Serve: After the sauce has reduced in half, remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter (off heat), and stir to melt the butter. The sauce will start to thicken. Serve the sauce over the sliced steak.
Beef Temperature Ranges
Be sure to take into consideration the carry-over cooking that happens while the steak rests. For steaks remove them 5 degrees lower than your desired temperature. For roasts remove them 10 degrees lower. The steak’s internal temperature will rise as it rests.
| Black and Blue | 100 – 120° Fahrenheit (F) | 37 – 48° Celsius (C) |
| Rare | 120 – 130° F | 48 – 54° C |
| Medium Rare | 130 – 140° F | 54 – 60° C |
| Medium | 140 – 150° F | 60 – 65° C |
| Medium Well (not recommended) | 150 – 160° F | 65 – 71° C |
| Well Done (not recommended) | 160 – 170° F | 71 – 76° C |
Wine Pairing
We like to pair this grilled cowboy ribeye steak with the same wine we used to make the pan sauce with. Or if we serve with a higher-end wine, we look for cabernet sauvignon or merlot with higher tannin to balance the juicy and rich steak.
Learn more about food and wine pairing or read our guide for pairing wine, BBQ, and live-fire food.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, you absolutely can – but then it’s technically not a “cowboy” ribeye. This works fine if that is all you can find. For best results, look for a thick cut bone-in ribeye.
We prefer to dry-brine the steak, so we don’t add a steak marinade to the recipe because of the pan sauce. Generally, if we do a dry brine, we won’t marinade, and vice versa.
If you only have a pellet grill, then set it to the highest temperature you can get it. And use cast-iron or grill grates to radiate more heat. Grill, or roast, at the high temperature using the grill grates. The sear isn’t the same as a charcoal grill but it will still taste delicious.
Best Sides for Grilled Cowboy Ribeye Steak
BBQ Side Dishes
Easy Parsnip Purée – Creamy + Rich
BBQ Side Dishes
Easy Corn Ribs Recipe
Food Recipes
Glazed Grilled Carrots Recipe
BBQ Side Dishes
Restaurant Style Roasted Potatoes
Grilled Cowboy Ribeye Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Instant Read Thermometer (We use the Thermoworks Thermapen One)
- 1 High Heat Gloves (A must-have grilling tool)
- 1 RFX Thermometer (Because of how thick they are, we like a leave-in meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature)
Ingredients
Steaks
- 3 pound ribeye steak, (Ideally, look for a 2 ½ to 3-inch thick and bone-in steak)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup beef rub
Red Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced , (can also use cremini or other wild mushrooms)
- 2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- ½ cup dry red wine, (We like red blends or merlot)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablesoons balsamic vinegar
- 8 sprigs thyme
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare grill for two-zone grilling, targeting 500 degrees Fahrenheit (F) in the cooking chamber. While the grill is warming up, coat the steaks on all sides with olive oil and liberally season with beef rub.
- Grill Direct: When the grill hits the target temperature, place the steak over direct heat and close the lid. Grill for 3 minutes or until you see a nice crust form. Flip the steak and then continue grilling direct for another 3 minutes.
- Grill Indirect: When you see a nice crust form, move the steak to the indirect side of the grill to finish cooking. Optional: Insert a Bluetooth thermometer in the thickest part of the steak to monitor the internal temperature of the meat.
- Rest: Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches your desired internal temperature. For rare, remove when it’s 120 degrees F measured at the thickest part of the steak and let it rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Red Wine Mushroom Pan Sauce
- Sauté: Place a cast iron skillet on the grill over direct heat and add the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. When it’s melted and slightly smoking, add the mushrooms. The pan will be hot, and you will hear a sizzle. Let the mushrooms sauté for about 3 minutes and then begin stirring them. After 3 – 5 additional minutes, the mushrooms should be browned. Next, add the shallots and stir for 2 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
- Reduce: Then add the wine. It will immediately start to simmer. Then add the broth, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and salt. Stir and close the lid. Let the sauce come to a simmer and reduce by half (about 4 minutes).
- Serve: After the sauce has reduced in half, remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir to melt the butter. The sauce will start to thicken. Serve the sauce over the sliced steak.
Notes
| Black and Blue | 100 – 120° Fahrenheit (F) | 37 – 48° Celsius (C) |
| Rare | 120 – 130° F | 48 – 54° C |
| Medium Rare | 130 – 140° F | 54 – 60° C |
| Medium | 140 – 150° F | 60 – 65° C |
| Medium Well (not recommended) | 150 – 160° F | 65 – 71° C |
| Well Done (not recommended) | 160 – 170° F | 71 – 76° C |
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We love this steak sauce on almost any beef cut from Tomahawk to NY. It’s delicious.