A “cowboy cut” is a cut of steak with the bone in (for use by cowboys as a handle). The term “cowboy cut” appeared in the late 1960s and 1970s; Wrangler introduced its “cowboy cut” jeans before this steak cut had its name.
 
The cowboy cut is usually for rib-eye steaks, and they’re often called “cowboy ribeyes” or “cowboy rib steaks.”
   
 
Montana Legend Natural Angus Beef
Ribeye Steak
Cut from the middle (or “eye”) of the rib, these ample, well-marbled steaks have long been a staple at distinctive meals. The ribeye comes from the tail-end of the loin, next to the New York Strip. This boneless cut is a more robust steak, and it is sometimes called the “cowboy cut.” With its generous marbling, it can take a little more heat and be served medium to medium-rare.
     
Smithfield Collection - Gourmet Steaks & Beef
Cowboy-Cut Rib Eyes
NEW!  A frenched bone-in Rib Eye from Smithfield Beef is what Paula chooses when she craves a good ol’ steak on the grill. Perfectly marbled like a rib-eye should, incredibly tender and juicy, this is one hunk of beef! Just ask Paula. 14 oz. each. 
 
Ruth Chris Steak House
Cowboy Ribeye
A huge bone-in version of this USDA Prime cut.
   
22 April 1967, The Argus (Fremont, CA), Family Weekly, pg. 15, col. 1:
I have, for example, learned to be wary of such menu items as cowboy-cut T-bone steak, Santa Fe third-degree Chili, and fried reconstituted oysters.
     
14 March 1969, Oakland (CA) Tribune, pg. E53, col. 5 ad:
Cowboy Cut Prime Rib Dinner on Saturday.
(Roy Rogers’ Apple Valley Inn—ed.) 
 
3 October 1969, Valley News (Van Nuys, CA), pg. 7, col. 1:
...and the Gold Rush, High Sierra Mountain trout and pepper cowboy cut sirloin steak.
           
20 February 1972, Yuma (AZ) Daily Sun, Dining & Dancing, pg. 10, col. 4 ad:
Charbroiled Cowboy Cut T-Bone Steak $2.95
(Farm House—ed.)
   
14 June 1973, Long Beach (CA) Press-Telegram, pg. A33, col. 2 ad:
Curly’s Giant Cowboy Cut Prime Rib Dinner $2.95
(Curly Jones—ed.)
 
15 August 1973, Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) Free Press, pg. 29 ad:
COWBOY Cut of Cross Cut
STEAK…lb. 1.44
     
31 October 1975, Albuquerque (NM) Journal, pg. F7, col. 1 ad:
PRIME RIB
Ladies Cut $4.95
Cowboy Cut $6.50
(Chez Hubert—ed.)
 
9 April 1976, Yuma (AZ) Daily Sun, pg. 45?, col. 2 ad:
Cowboy Rib Steak 18 oz. ... 3.75
(Brownie’s Pit—ed.)
   
7 December 1977, El Paso (TX) Herald-Post, pg. C11, col. 5 ad:
Cowboy Cut ...$5.50
Cowgirl Cut…4.50
Tenderfoot…3.95
Rib-Eye Steak…5.95
(Upper Valley Cattle Company—ed.)
   
26 November 1989, New York (NY) Times, “Santa Fe’s Spicy Cultural Mix” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Pg. XX12:
The menu can range from a superb Pacific salmon ($17.50), oven-roasted and served with a chipotle pepper cream, delicate and spicy at the same (Pg. XX24—ed.) time, to a hearty vaquero steak (“cowboy-cut rib eye”), beautifully grilled and richly satisfying ($18.50). 
 
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From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Michael Perry)
Date: 1996/04/11
Subject: Re: Going to Star Canyon… 
 
My main course was the Cowboy Ribeye which is a grilled marinated ribeye steak smothered in onion rings.  This is supposed to be one of the house specialities.  The beef was tender and juicy and the marinade was very good. 
   
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From: “Cuchulain Libby”
Date: 2000/06/25
Subject: Re: Ruth’s Chris style steaks?
   
Just et a 2.1 lb ‘cowboy cut’ [little rib bone attached] rib-eye.
   
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From: “Cuchulain Libby”
Date: 2000/06/27
Subject: Re: Ruth’s Chris style steaks?
   
i say this because I found a supply of 21-day wet aged rib-eyes cut ‘cowboy cut’ with the little bone attached, like someone will really use it like a handle. Kinda cute tho’ 
     
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From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (IMBE)
Date: 31 Jul 2001 14:37:23 GMT
Local: Tues, Jul 31 2001 10:37 am
Subject: IMBE’s Dining Report 1 (Liberty Tree Tavern, Concourse Steakhouse, Kona Cafe, CA Grill)
 
For dinner, everyone had the special of the night - a “Cowboy Ribeye” with Mashed Potatoes.  Now the mashed were great - the parmesan type from Chef Mickey’s! LOL The steak wasn’t of a bad quality, it just had virtually NO seasonings on it. 
   
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From: “Fred A. Murphy”
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 22:47:43 GMT
Local: Tues, Sep 4 2001 6:47 pm
Subject: Re: are my National Bicentennial Medals Gold?
 
Many years ago, the standard for a “cowboy cut” steak was that you could cut a slot in it, and the steak was (better be) as thick as the coin was wide. 
     
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From: “Kilroy238”

Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 10:32:51 -0500
Local: Wed, Sep 17 2003 11:32 am
Subject: Re: Who has the best… 
 
When you go to Ruth’s Chris be sure to take your wallet Doc. Last time I was there had a cowboy cut 32oz bone in ribeye and a 2 1/2 lbs lobster was about $125. 
 
Google Books
Frommer’s Portable Cayman Islands
by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
2003
Pg. 174:
The most frequently ordered local favorite is the “cowboy cut” (16 or 18 oz.) of rib-eye dipped in blackened spices, pan seared, and topped with grilled onions.
     
Google Books
Flavourville
by Lesley Chesterman
ECW Press
2003
Pg. 24:
Main courses included grilled black sea bass, a rack of Rimouski lamb, and a “Cowboy Cut” 20-ounce rib steak.
 
Google Books
New Mexico
by Brian Bell
Insight Guides
2004
Pg. 326:
The menu changes often, but a recent installment included chile-glazed beef short ribs, black truffle risotto, scallops a la vera cruzana and the venerable “cowboy cut”—an aged Angus beef ribeye.
(Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, NM—ed.)
 
Boston Globe Archives
MENUSPEAK
Published on August 3, 2005
Author(s): Joe Yonan
 
As far as butchers and many restaurant suppliers are concerned, a “cowboy steak” is a bone-in ribeye in which the bone is “Frenched,” or scraped bare, creating a handle perfect for a cowpoke with no time for knife or fork.
 
Boston’s South End is no Wild West, but the Southwestern restaurant Masa gives its own expansive definition to the cowboy cut idea. At Masa, two of the most popular dishes take the name: one is a pork chop,...
 
Chowhound - Chicago Area
My bone in rib-eye (aka the cowboy cut or Chicago bone in cut) are really just (cooked) prime rib cut to 3/4” thickness and charred to finish.
abf005 Apr 25, 2007 12:30PM