Prime Rib Roast

[Ann_T]

Anne, there is usually just two of us so I often roast small prime ribs with just one rib.

I usually follow Barbara Kafka's high heat method (Roasting a Simple Art) which starts the roast at 500°F for 45 minutes and then makes some adjustments depending on the size. But for small roasts like last nights, I just start and finish at 500F.

Ann

[annecros]

Anne, there is usually just two of us so I often roast small prime ribs with just one rib. 

I usually follow  Barbara Kafka's high heat method (Roasting a Simple Art) which starts the roast at 500°F for 45 minutes and then makes some adjustments depending on the size.  But for small roasts like last nights,  I just start and finish at 500F.

Ann

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Thank you. I'll have to give it a whirl!

[budrichard]

First of all, are we talking USDA Grade Prime meat or the generic apellelation that is used these days for a properly termed 'Standing Rib Roast'?

I purchase my Prime USDA Grade Rib Roast from Zier's in Wilmette, Illinois. Is is dry aged 21 days at the store. Aging in your refrigerator for a few days accomplishes nothing and merely deludes yourself into thinking you have accomplished something significant.

The debate and screwy methods of cooking cause me mirth because nothing could be simpler than cooking a true Prime Rib Roast. Pepin has a method that chefs have been using for eons.

Season, sear in a hot oven, cook at somewhat reduced temperature above 300F( I remove when internal temp is just above 100F) and the let rest for a long time(at least an hour). Simple/works. -Dick

[annecros]

First of all, are we talking USDA Grade Prime meat or the generic apellelation that is used these days for a properly termed 'Standing Rib Roast'?

I purchase my Prime USDA Grade Rib Roast from Zier's in Wilmette, Illinois. Is is dry aged 21 days at the store. Aging in your refrigerator for a few days accomplishes nothing and merely deludes yourself into thinking you have accomplished something significant.

The debate and screwy methods of cooking cause me mirth because nothing could be simpler than cooking a true Prime Rib Roast. Pepin has a method that chefs have been using for eons.

Season, sear in a hot oven, cook at somewhat reduced temperature above 300F( I remove when internal temp is just above 100F) and the let rest for a long time(at least an hour). Simple/works. -Dick

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I agree that the quality of the meat is the first concern.

Prime is almost never found, and when it is it is quite often "accidentally" mislabeled. What is served and sold as "prime" bears very little resemblance to the prime of 75 years ago.

The rib roast in the store is no better than "select" - twp grades down from prime - and,that's a fact.

Top of choice is not bad at all. In fact, most would be surprised that it was choice. Including people who have long believed they were eating prime.

I agree that dry aging is difficult in a home fridge, but there are modifications that could be made to a fridge to accomadate the requirements. I'm not big on dry aging, so I will stop here out of ignorance.

Presalting is a seperate issue from dry aging.

I see you like your beef rare! Good for you!

I think the time honored way of cooking this roast is to shove it on a spit and keep turning it until you can't stand not eating it anymore.

It is funny, but it is so much fun playing around with a big hunk of meat you know will take a great deal of effort to make inedible. At it's best, it almost always ranks in one of those "best things I have ever eaten" categories.

Indulge us, budrichard! We want to play!

[robyn]

I've got a 6 bone Prime rib to do for Christmas and I'm serving 8-9 people.  I'm cooking the whole thing.  It makes great sandwhiches the next day!  I make a lot of Prime Rib roasts and  I do not subscribe to the low and slow method for Prime Rib.  I believe there's a thread around here somewhere where I tried Jack's method and there was no real noticeable difference to me.  For anything smaller than a three bone roast, I'll sear the outside first, but anything larger, is going to crisp up quite nicely on its own in the oven, particularly if you are using convection and brush the outside with a little olive oil.

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Here's the thread from about 3 years ago where I learned how to cook a prime rib roast. I've followed your convection oven method (300 degrees until internal temp is 120) since then. Always a great crust - some medium stuff on the ends for people who want medium - and the insides are rare and beautiful. Just made one last Friday for Chanukah - and it was excellent. Robyn

[Marlene]

Robyn, I'm glad the method is working out for you. I've been doing prime rib this way for years and years, and I've never been disappointed!

[robyn]

First of all, are we talking USDA Grade Prime meat or the generic apellelation that is used these days for a properly termed 'Standing Rib Roast'?

I purchase my Prime USDA Grade Rib Roast from Zier's in Wilmette, Illinois. Is is dry aged 21 days at the store. Aging in your refrigerator for a few days accomplishes nothing and merely deludes yourself into thinking you have accomplished something significant.

The debate and screwy methods of cooking cause me mirth because nothing could be simpler than cooking a true Prime Rib Roast. Pepin has a method that chefs have been using for eons.

Season, sear in a hot oven, cook at somewhat reduced temperature above 300F( I remove when internal temp is just above 100F) and the let rest for a long time(at least an hour). Simple/works. -Dick

←

I'm talking about a standing rib roast. If there's any prime meat sold where I live - I haven't found it yet. Best rib roasts here are in Fresh Market - although the more expensive "aged" beef it sells isn't necessarily better than the cheaper stuff it also sells. I just eyeball the roasts - and look for one with decent marbling - no matter what the label says.

Don't do anything to it before I cook it except rub with some olive oil - and season with salt/pepper/minced garlic.

Note that with Marlene's convection method (which I use) - I don't think you need a sear unless you're dealing with a small roast (cooking time less than 2 hours or so). I always cook a larger roast. I don't think you need an hour's rest - but you do need at least 30 minutes (and an hour won't hurt). Robyn

P.S. We all know ovens can vary quite a bit. My convection oven is a 30" Kitchenaid which tends to "cook hot" on the convection setting (it's got a pretty big fan). It will automatically tell you to lower the temperature by 25 degrees when you're using the convection setting (which can be a disaster if you're baking - but that's another story).

Edited December 18, 2006 by robyn (log)

[Jmahl]

It is a pleasure to instigate this debate -- the consensus seems to be low and slow is good but high and off also works-- and then there is the 300 all the time method. Who know? So let the debate continue.

And yes, the cut is a misnamed – it is rarely graded “Prime” It’s really just a rib roast with the bone in – but it sounds so much more important “Standing Prime Roast.” To those who were offended by my frenching the roast. I apologize, but let’s not take food too seriously. Someone else wrote something to the effect that food after we eat it becomes something else in short order. So please keep up the debate and have some fun.

Thanks for all the comments.

Jmahl

[markk]

With just hubby and I, the only time I buy a small roast is when it is on sale and then I cut it into steaks when I get home. Maybe there is a way to roast a one rib roast that gives you decent results?

I make small roasts, and one-rib roasts all the time. In fact, that's how I got in to searing the meat (blistering hot peanut oil or melted beef fat), because there'd for sure not be enough time in the oven. When I do the single rib, I make sure it's getting a super crisp, because that's about all it's going to get. Then I put it in the oven with the temperature probe (mine is connected to the oven, but one of these probe thermometers with a digital display and beeper outside the oven would of course be indentical), and stop it a the desired temperature. With a one-rib roast, I would figure that the internal temp would rise more (because the outside surface is closer to the center) so I'd stop cooking when the inside reached a few degrees less than usual - figure 117 or so).

[the Bill]

Help!

Last night we cooked a rib eye roast - kind of fun! But it is a little too rare as leftovers. What will happen if I put it back into the oven for a short bit? Should I even attempt this or just microwave the slices or what ... someone please help.

[UnConundrum]

While I'm generally a fan of the low and slow, there is a lot to be said for both methods. I've done a lot of ribs over the years, and one this past weekend that was just terrible. Hate to admit it.... but gotta be honest. There are issues that are out of our control. This was just a bad piece of meat. Bought from the same butcher 6 or 7 times... all just wonderful. This time... yuk. Low and slow gives you a little more leeway with regard to meat quality. If you get stuck with one a little lower in quality, the time will give the collagen a better chance to dissolve. Also makes it a little harder to overshoot your desired temperature. The high temps, on the other hand, give you a wonderful flavor and crust. I think next time around, ..... may try a low and slow, let it rest for half hour, and then crank the BGE to 800 or so, and do a 2nd cook for about 5 minutes, just to build the crust....

[ChefCrash]

First of all, are we talking USDA Grade Prime meat or the generic apellelation that is used these days for a properly termed 'Standing Rib Roast'?

I purchase my Prime USDA Grade Rib Roast from Zier's in Wilmette, Illinois. Is is dry aged 21 days at the store. Aging in your refrigerator for a few days accomplishes nothing and merely deludes yourself into thinking you have accomplished something significant.

The debate and screwy methods of cooking cause me mirth because nothing could be simpler than cooking a true Prime Rib Roast. Pepin has a method that chefs have been using for eons.

Season, sear in a hot oven, cook at somewhat reduced temperature above 300F( I remove when internal temp is just above 100F) and the let rest for a long time(at least an hour). Simple/works. -Dick

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I've never heard of Zier's, but over at Williams-Sonoma you can buy 4 USDA Prime 10oz NY strips for $149 or 4 8oz Fillets for $129. Or you could own the complete set for $280 and for a bit extra they come monogrammed.

I bought this roast this morning at Sam's Club. The butcher showed me four whole roasts. I deamed this 14 pounder Prime, and bought it for $120.

It's sitting in my walk-in cooler uncovered.

Christmas day I plan on searing it in the oven @525* for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 140*.

[HKDave]

First of all, are we talking USDA Grade Prime meat or the generic apellelation that is used these days for a properly termed 'Standing Rib Roast'?

I purchase my Prime USDA Grade Rib Roast from Zier's in Wilmette, Illinois. Is is dry aged 21 days at the store. Aging in your refrigerator for a few days accomplishes nothing and merely deludes yourself into thinking you have accomplished something significant.

←

I'm talking about a standing rib roast. If there's any prime meat sold where I live - I haven't found it yet. Best rib roasts here are in Fresh Market - although the more expensive "aged" beef it sells isn't necessarily better than the cheaper stuff it also sells. I just eyeball the roasts - and look for one with decent marbling - no matter what the label says.

...

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This Prime grade vs prime rib thing comes up once a year in this forum.

Prime grade is the top gov't grade of beef in Canada and the US, and you'll rarely see it at retail. It accounts for only an extremely tiny portion of the slaughter and a lot of it is exported. If I see anything being sold at retail as Prime grade, I'm suspicious.

To quote robyn's words of wisdom above, "I just eyeball the roasts - and look for one with decent marbling - no matter what the label says." Exactly; that's all you need to know about meat grading right there. Once your butcher knows you and knows that you know how to buy meat, you'll find that if you ask there's usually some good stuff around - maybe not in the display case...

The 'prime rib' thing is more complicated. A whole bone-in rib primal roast consists of 7 of the 12 rib bones, and is around 15-20 pounds. 'Prime' rib (no relation to Prime grade) traditionally refers to a smaller bone-in rib roast cut from the 4 or 5 ribs at the loin (smaller diameter, more tender, better marbled) end of the rib primal, while 'standing' rib refers to a roast cut from the 2-3 ribs at the shoulder/chuck (bigger diameter, less tender, less marbled) end.

This name difference was a gov't requirement in Canada, although that's now under review and may soon change. In the US these are sometimes called 'small end rib roast' and 'large end rib roast' respectively, which eliminates the confusion with Prime grade. Bottom line is if I see 'prime rib' I make sure I'm getting loin-end (small-end) ribs, not chuck-end ribs.

On the slow vs fast cooking methods and combi vs dry heat and regular vs convection, I've tried various methods and now am back to where I started:

- I always unwrap and dry the roast in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

- for big roasts, 20 min blast of dry convection as hot as the oven can go and then cook at around 325f dry convention until I get the internal temp I want, which varies with the size of the roast and the holding time;

- for small roasts (1-2 ribs) I sear in cast iron instead of blasting in the oven, then continue as above.

- rest at least 1/2 hour for big roasts; 10-15min for small.

Re home dry aging, I've tried variations on the Alton Brown method. For home use, it's not a bad method and you certainly can taste the difference; but these days people are so unused to the taste of dry aged beef that it's almost a waste of time.

[jackal10]

Is all US beef just beef? Here (at least in the better butchers) you can choose which breed, length of aging, and they will tell you the feed, age, provenance and history of the animal. THis is partly because of the better record keeping following the BSE scare

Local Dexter, grass fed killed at 30 months and aged for 4 weeks for me.

[annecros]

While I'm generally a fan of the low and slow, there is a lot to be said for both methods.  I've done a lot of ribs over the years, and one this past weekend that was just terrible.  Hate to admit it....  but gotta be honest.  There are issues that are out of our control.  This was just a bad piece of meat.  Bought from the same butcher 6 or 7 times... all just wonderful.  This time... yuk.  Low and slow gives you a little more leeway with regard to meat quality.  If you get stuck with one a little lower in quality, the time will give the collagen a better chance to dissolve.  Also makes it a little harder to overshoot your desired temperature.  The high temps, on the other hand, give you a wonderful flavor and crust.  I think next time around, ..... may try a low and slow, let it rest for half hour, and then crank the BGE to 800 or so, and do a 2nd cook for about 5 minutes, just to build the crust....

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There's nothing more dissappointing than a bad piece of meat, is there? I got one about a year ago that was absolutely devoid of flavor. I was really sad.

Edited December 19, 2006 by annecros (log)

[annecros]

Is all US beef just beef? Here (at least in the better butchers) you can choose which breed, length of aging, and they will tell you the feed, age, provenance and history of the animal. THis is partly because of the better record keeping following the BSE scare

Local Dexter, grass fed killed at 30 months and aged for 4 weeks for me.

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I'm jealous. Would love to get that personal with my cow, but although it is possible at some specialty meat purveyors, it tends to be rather pricey and out of range for your average person.

Beef is graded in the states: Prime - Choice - Select.

http://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading.html

It is not realistic to expect to be able to buy Prime beef in the US at almost any price. Somebody, somewhere (fine restaurants and beef billionaires I suppose) in the US has cornered the market and it is just incredibly scarce. What is sold as prime is often top of choice, and is very good. What is in the typical grocery store is select, but Whole Foods and such places carry Choice. Breed specific beef is becoming the thing lately, once again at a premium.

I like the Certified Angus Beef program and it is a good compromise. But you still have to be careful, because much that is sold as "Angus" in the grocery stores isn't really. In fact, the "Certified Angus" isn't really a purebred Angus either, just shows enough traits of the Angus breed that it passes. It is more affordable than the designer meat out there, and is very good.

http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/

I've eaten quite a bit of the Certified Angus, and have always been pleased.

After working with a beef company on a project it is amazing I still have an appetite for meat, but I do.

[annecros]

Help!

Last night we cooked a rib eye roast - kind of fun!  But it is a little too rare as leftovers.    What will happen if I put it back into the oven for a short bit?    Should I even attempt this or just microwave the slices  or  what ... someone please help.

←

I wouldn't nuke it, personally. Thinking back I don't believe I have ever rewarmed one in the oven whole, but I don't see why not as long as you let it sit out a bit to come closer to room temp. I normally go the sandwich route with a quick dip in the leftover au jus to warm then onto a crusty toasted roll with more au jus, maybe some cheese. Yum.

[Taboni]

Please people its "a quick dip in leftover" jus not leftover au jus...chalkboard meet nails.

As far as standing rib goes, I have normally done the sear first and low to finish, but I tried the Paula Deen method a few months ago and I must while it doesn't appeal to most purists it actually works very well. 375 for an hour. Turn oven off and leave it closed for 3 hours. Do not open the oven door for any reason whatsoever. A quick reheat about 30 mins before serving at 375 and then a 15-20 minute rest. I did this on a 4 ribber and it came out final temp of 130. Very pleased with the roast and something that requires very little ability to get very acceptable results.

Edited December 19, 2006 by Taboni (log)

[annecros]

Please people its "a quick dip in leftover" jus  not leftover au jus...chalkboard meet nails.

As far as standing rib goes, I have normally done the sear first and low to finish, but I tried the Paula Deen method a few months ago and I must while it doesn't appeal to most purists it actually works very well.  375 for an hour. Turn oven off and leave it closed for 3 hours. Do not open the oven door for any reason whatsoever. A quick reheat about 30 mins before serving at 375 and then a 15-20 minute rest.  I did this on a 4 ribber and it came out final temp of 130. Very pleased with the roast and something that requires very little ability to get very acceptable results.

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I stand corrected.

[Taboni]

[tim]

Help!

Last night we cooked a rib eye roast - kind of fun!  But it is a little too rare as leftovers.    What will happen if I put it back into the oven for a short bit?    Should I even attempt this or just microwave the slices  or  what ... someone please help.

←

I wouldn't nuke it, personally. Thinking back I don't believe I have ever rewarmed one in the oven whole, but I don't see why not as long as you let it sit out a bit to come closer to room temp. I normally go the sandwich route with a quick dip in the leftover au jus to warm then onto a crusty toasted roll with more au jus, maybe some cheese. Yum.

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Hi,

I used to wrestle with the use of left over rare prime rib. Then, I decided to cook a thick slice like a steak - it was wonderful!

I usually go for a 1"-1.25" slice and sear in a very, very hot cast iron skillet for about 2 minutes on a side. Finish with a little good salt and pepper and serve with horseradish creme fraiche.

It tastes every bit as good as a boneless rib steak.

Tim

[MobyP]

Is all US beef just beef? Here (at least in the better butchers) you can choose which breed, length of aging, and they will tell you the feed, age, provenance and history of the animal. THis is partly because of the better record keeping following the BSE scare

Local Dexter, grass fed killed at 30 months and aged for 4 weeks for me.

←

I do envy the Americans some of their high end prime beef. We certainly don't in the UK have an industry wide knowledge about marbling profiles, or even a market for it. But as Jack says, it's become a different type of industry here. It's relatively straight forward - with a little effort - to determine not just breed, but age of animal, degree of dry-ageing, location of farm, even type of feed. Here are a few examples, for better and worse, that I've had recently. The best of them, consostently, have been the galloway short horn cross, with a very distinct flavour. Though I'd eat the Red Poll daily if I could, they're very hard to find.

A galloway/shorthorn cross, age 36 months, dry aged for 5 weeks (fantastic piece of meat)

Same farmer - galloway pure breed - age pushed to 5 years. Dry-aged 6 weeks. Much darker meat, but also different parts of the same rib section.

Different farmer, sirloin from a Red Poll breed, age 30 months, dry aged 5 weeks (v.good flavour)

in contrast, a sirloin with freak marbling from a longhorn, age about 30 months, 6 weeks dry-ageing. Flavour relatively poor.

Standard supermarket Angus boneless ribeye, age probably no older than 24-26 months, carcass hung for a week and then wet aged for another week or two. Taste, ok.

Edited December 19, 2006 by MobyP (log)

[JacobCooks]

Beautiful pictures Moby!

[John Woods]

So.... in conclusion, if using a convection oven for cooking prime rib, there is no need to sear... just baste, correct? I've developed a great rub over the years so I believe that is all I will need.... plus a few pieces of injected garlic. Sound good?

[Marlene]

Convection oven @300 for about 18 - 20 mins per pound depending on how well you like it done. In any event, pull it at 120 -122. I have never basted a prime rib actually. I just brush a little olive oil over the roast and seaon with kosher salt. If you're going to use a rub, why baste? The rub may come off.