The Proper Way To Eat Bone-In Steak At A Steakhouse

When dining out at a steakhouse, there is a major red flag to look out for — namely, too big a menu. But there are certain red flags that you, as a diner, can put up, too, like ordering something you would be better off avoiding, such as seafood, or — as is the case with many diners — using improper table etiquette when eating bone-in steak. Food Republic spoke with Kathleen Smith, home cooking expert and recipe developer for Gonna Want Seconds, about her take on the right way to tackle this tricky food conundrum. According to her, "It's more about manners than rules."

She continued by sharing that in a formal setting, like a top-tier steakhouse, you should use your knife and fork to remove meat from the bone neatly. "The bone adds flavor and looks impressive, but it isn't meant to be picked up at the table," Smith said. However, she added, if you're consuming your bone-in steak in the privacy of your own home or somewhere casual, you can "feel free to enjoy it however you like." So as long as you're not in a formal setting, you are welcome to pick up the bone and gnaw the meat off.

When cutting your bone-in meat, it's especially important that you use the correct cutlery, namely the steak knife, which has a sharp, sometimes serrated blade for slicing easily through the beef and getting ultra-close to the bone. If, by some chance, your place setting didn't come with a steak knife (and they don't bring it when they bring your meal), simply ask your server for one; it will be recognizable by the super-sharp tip and ergonomic wooden, plastic, or metal handle.

In a fine dining steakhouse setting, you'll use that "sharp knife to carve around the bone," Kathleen Smith instructed. It's best, after you make the first cut near the bone, to see which way the meat fibers are running, and cut across them. "Slice the meat cleanly and fan it out on the plate for a polished presentation," Smith said. She advised that cutting it this way makes it easy to enjoy every bite without any awkwardness (versus the slice-as-you-eat method, which can be cumbersome, as the knife may change hands after each piece is removed). "It also lets the bone shine as part of the plate without being a distraction," Smith added.