Prime Rib Guidance Needed

I have eaten some might fine prime rib in my time. In fact, I recently enjoyed one in Hood River, Oregon, that may have been the BEST I’ve ever had. BUT, I have NEVER cooked one.

WHY? Because I couldn’t muster up the courage to possibly (probably?) ruin such a magnificent (and expensive) piece of beef!

I did the RoadFood search (while waiting for my “Insider” application to process), I did a Google search, I read Alton Brown, I read a bunch of "stuff."

But now I turn to theexperts for guidance.

I must prepare my roast in the oven. I would like to prepare a reasonably MODEST size roast (like, maybe a two-inch slice for each of two people . . . with some leftovers possible).

I would REALLY appreciate any tips you could offer, FROM actual experience, when cooking a prime rib roast IN THE OVEN.

Thanks in advance for what I promised the missus will be a culinary delight!

Nothing to it. First buy your roast. Second, buy a digital probe thermometer (the kind that the probe stays in the meat while cooking and there's a wire leading to the temperature readout gizmo.

As to the beef, I personally prefer the small end (towards the rear end) from the left side of the animal. And for this cut, I find prime grade too rich.

Trim the fat to 1/2 inch or so (please don't take it all off), season the fat side with coarse salt & black pepper, and tie it every two inches or so (string runs parallel to the rib bone). Insert the thermo probe to the center of the meat, put the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and slip into a 350 degree oven. Now, there's endless debate on high temp vs. low temp so go ahead & experiment if you want. But you'll do fine at 350.

Pay attention to the thermometer. When it gets to about 110 - 115, take the meat out even though you think its not done yet. Cover with foil and watch the temp continue to rise about another 10 degrees. When the temp stops rising, you're done and should have nicely rare roast beef with consistent texture all the way through. If you don't let it rest, you'll have raw in the middle and overdone on the outside.

Carve with a very sharp knife, not one of those serrated things or, worse yet, an electric knife.

Eat and enjoy.

I agree not much too it, it's all preference to temp. and doneness but easy. Here's one I have success with:

1 - 7-8 lb standing rib roast(about 4 ribs in this case)
fresh ground pepper
1/2 c. beef broth
2 - 3 T red wine(optional)

Preheat oven to 325.

Season teh roast liberally with pepper and put in a roasting pan rib side down. Roast for about 20 minutes per lb. for medium rare or until instant read thermometer(love these)registers 130-140 degrees. For well done about 160. For this size roast it's about 2 hrs and 20 mins. for medium rare.

Remove roast from the oven when the temp reaches 5 degress lower that desired as meat will continute to cook! Let sit on counter for about 20-25 minutes.(very important)

Skim or pour fat from pan juices. Add beef broth and cook stirring over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper, red wine if your using. Cook until it's slightly reduced.

Stand the roast on a platter and cut downward.

So, what time's dinner?!?!?

Where in Hood River? I go there once in awhile for blues concerts. Nice area.
Regards

I do the Alton Brown recipe, including the dry aging, but don't mess with the terra cotta stuff. A slow roast at about 225 or whatever Alton Brown says, and then a quick rest, and then a blast at 500 makes for a great piece of meat. I recommend it highly.

Hood River is a cool little town. I go to Maupin, on the Deschutes, across the mountain. My preferred route from Portland is up the gorge, then turn south at Hood River. An extra hour or so, but in addition to being a great drive, that route goes smack through some wonderful fruit orchards.

quote:

Originally posted by Pitts

Where in Hood River? I go there once in awhile for blues concerts. Nice area.
Regards

The "Riverside Grill" adjacent to the Best Western Inn.

The food was GREAT, and since we stayed at the BW, the hotel gave us "coupons" which made our WONDERFUL dinner (including my prime rib) and our next morning's breakfast . . . REALLY a good deal!

The Best Western Inn and, more importantly, the "Riverside Grill" were the "culinary" highlights of our Northwest "Adventure." Surprisingly, we really experienced some mediocre roadfood in Oregon!

So, NOW, I have to try to cook a "prime rib" that even comes CLOSE to the one I enjoyed at the "Riverside Grill"!

If your buying it from a real butcher shop ask the butcher to make it kitchen ready. Thats boned and cap removed then reassembled and tied. I roast mine in a very hot oven to start about 15 to 20 min then turn off oven and leave it alone {no peeking} for about another 45 min depending on size, remove and let rest, succulant. Also figure about 14oz per person on the bone. Go the full route and make a Yourkshire pudding with the pan drippings, not for the faint of heart though. Chow Jim

Ditto on Alton Brown's aging and roasting method. I tried it last X-mas and it came out wonderful.

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

Ditto on Alton Brown's aging and roasting method. I tried it last X-mas and it came out wonderful.

I have yet to come across an Alton Brown recipe or technique that wasn't damn near perfection. The guy is top notch. You gotta make his skillet fried-chicken. Yowza!

Reading the answers posted here, I would take some from column A and some from column B and while I'm at it use some ideas not mentioned, or at least consider the simplest approach.
Most restaurants will slow roast the rib in a convection oven which will circulate the air as we all know, or an Alto Sham which is a unique oven of its own right.
Coarse Kosher salt and cracked pepper is applied to the outside, and is a constant as far as recipes are concerned. I have used Dijon mustard and fresh rosemary too.
Most of the suggestions here are spot-on, but I have never bound the roast with string unless you have the cap removed, well okay, then you could tie it up. You might want to consider putting something under that fat.
I like the suggestion of Yorkshire pudding. It is fairly simple to make the batter and they were pretty good when I worked at a place that had a convection oven. But let's face it, Yorkshire pudding was created before the days of convection, so it shouldn't be too difficult to make at home.

It like horseradish sauce made with sour cream, but don't forget the au jus either. The secret of most restaurant au jus is yes....beef base and water.

mark

If you don't tie it, the fat will tend to separate from the meat (particularly at the large, or shoulder, end) and curl up. Doesn't affect the flavor, obviously, but doesn't look as nice.

Aged beef is indeed wonderful if done properly, though its hard to find many places that do it. Its also really pricey.

I have only prepared supermarket, boneless "prime" rib. (I doubt it is really "prime", most supermarket beef is not, and they don't call it "prime" anyway). I just cook it at so many minutes per lb according to the cookbook. I always let it rest as rjb suggests. I've never had a problem.

My only suggestion is that personally after a lot of attempts I have found that I actually like prime rib cooked a little more than I do a steak. For steak I like medium rare to medium depending on the cut and how good of a cut of meat it is. For prime rib I like it more towards the medium well side. I think it has to do with the texture of the meat. Prime rib is very fatty and whe it is medium rare I just think it has a funny mouth feel. Just my opinion though.

Prime rib rocks, and is SO easy. We have it every Christmas and have never anything less than wonderful results using the most basic cooking technique as listed by tmiles - cook it for however many minutes listed, and keep an eye on the meat thermometer.

My one suggestion is to cozy up to your butcher a few weeks before you intend to buy and let him/her know that s/he is now on the chase for a "perfect" roast for you. Our grocery store meat manager/butcher is always more than happy to save a beautiful prime rib for us.

I've always found Yorkshire pudding a total SNAP to make, honestly. When your prime rib is just a bit under where you'd like it to be as far as "wellness" transfer it to a platter and cover with foil to let it rest, and turn the oven up to 475. Measure 1/4cup drippings, return to pan. (If you have to, add oil to make 1/4 cup - you won't have to, I'm sure.) Beat 4 eggs with 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of flour and salt to taste - 1/4tsp or so. Stir into drippings and bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden.

The only problem with making Yorkshire pudding is that you have to scalp all of the drippings *and* the pan, so making au jus is pretty much impossible - the roasting pan adds a lot of flavor to the York. pudding. We usually make a beef gravy a day before to use on the yorkshire pudding and whipped potatoes and prefer horseradish whipped with heavy cream on the prime rib. You'll get a fair amount of au jus from the platter while the roast rests if someone just HAS to have au jus. (Not to mention it's pretty on the table.)

Gosh, how many days 'til Christmas?

Txtwister (is that is Texas?):

Like all of the other folks’ input, I appreciated your comments . . . and share your enthusiasm for what I consider theBEST of the BEST of the BEEF.

I also appreciated your “cozy up to your butcher” advice.

As a fairly recent transplant to Maryland (due to my wife’s corporate transfer . . . I am retired), I am learning the “ropes” with the local grocers and butchers.

We LOVE the Lexington Market, in downtown Baltimore, and have established a pretty good rapport (at least, I think so) with one of the meat vendors.

He has ordered us a prime rib roast, has agreed to “prep” it for us, and we will pick it up on Saturday.

THEN, with all the GREAT advice, and with a little luck, I will prepare it for a special dinner (anniversary) for me lady and me!

Thanks, all, for the great input. If I screw it up, it will be my own fault!

Yes, "texas twister" from an old Little Feat song of the same name. :-)

Your prime rib will be wonderful, guaranteed - no luck (or even our advice!) necessary. It's almost foolproof. (To be fair, I too remember the fear of ruining my first prime rib - it's just too expensive to treat with anything but due respect!)

Have fun and of course report back with your experience!

quote:

Originally posted by Pigiron

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

Ditto on Alton Brown's aging and roasting method. I tried it last X-mas and it came out wonderful.

I have yet to come across an Alton Brown recipe or technique that wasn't damn near perfection. The guy is top notch. You gotta make his skillet fried-chicken. Yowza!

And also his fish and chips recipe is super!

One more piece of advice, let the meat come to room temperature, first. I start mine in a 500 degree oven, and without opening the door, turn it down to 350 for 20 minutes a pound. It comes out medium rare. I, too, like my prime rib more medium than rare. I guess that is why I always eat around the outside first. Equal parts of horseradish and sour cream make a good sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

quote:

Originally posted by Pigiron

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

Ditto on Alton Brown's aging and roasting method. I tried it last X-mas and it came out wonderful.

I have yet to come across an Alton Brown recipe or technique that wasn't damn near perfection. The guy is top notch. You gotta make his skillet fried-chicken. Yowza!

And also his fish and chips recipe is super!

Yea, Yup And yes

If you are going to San Francisco soon, check out the House of Prime Rib. It's a Lawry's Prime Rib knockoff but damn good. They serve 4 different cuts of juicy prime rib tableside with Yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach and your choice of mashed or baked potato on the side. They also have a spinning salad bowl where the waiters pour salad dressing in the spinning salad bowl. The salad bowl spins on a bed of ice. Totally kitschy comfort food that is definitely worth the calories, wait and money.

I wish we had a good prime rib place in Knoxville. I would make my own except I am afraid I would screw up a $80.00 piece of meat.


Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I used to think the same thing Paul but it is easier than you think. Make it in your smoker. That is where I cook mine all the time now and everyone loves it.

John

I used to cook them 12 at a time. And it was very similar to Altons way.... We had and and electric oven from Alto Sham that would hold a temp 1 degree plus or minus over a 24 hour period. I had a calculation based on the weight and would cook the roasts at 250 for X long and then the temp would drop to 160 and hold until we stopped it. It gave us an end to end rare roast, so if you wanted a rare end cut....TADA...you got it....if you wanted it well done....we would drop the slice into a pot of Au Jus to color it up. I would weigh out the roasts the night before I was going to cook them so that I could set up my time, then first thing the next morning the bakers would turn on the oven for me. I would have the roasts in and working by 7 a.m. They would be done before noon and then hold until supper. You could eat that beef with a spoon, it was so tender. That long hold time allowed the conective tissue to break down and the flavor to just seem throughout the roast.

All of the above tips will work. I do pretty much the same except I have my butcher cut the ribs off the roast and then tie them back on. I like the "2nd" cut
because it has some of the outside ring of meat that I find sooooooo tasty as well as the "eye" without the outside fatty meat aformentioned. I leave all the outside fat on to self baste the roast. Then season with nothing more than kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I set my remote thermometer to 120 degrees and remove from oven when it reaches that temp. I start with a 500 degree oven and turn it down to 350 after 15 minutes in the oven. Fat side up of course. After you reach 120 degrees, remove and cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. Slice VERY THIN slices! The meat is so much more tender that way than trying to chew on a "caveman" sized slice.
Works like a charm-everytime!

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I wish we had a good prime rib place in Knoxville. I would make my own except I am afraid I would screw up a $80.00 piece of meat.


Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul - Don't slight yourself here... Prime rib is one of the easiest roasts to come out perfect every time.

I sit it out on the counter at least an hour as the closer to room temp on the outside, the more even the temp when it comes out.

I stud (making slits with a paring knife) with pieces of garlic cloves, rub it down with fresh cracked pepper, sea salt, and olive olive. Place it in in oven on a roasting rack/pan in a pre-heated to 450F for about an half/hour, then turn it down to 350F until the roast reaches an internal temp of 130F. Let it rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.... perfection as long as your sides are good. I prefer mashed taters in some form, some form of green beans, and a salad.

Casper

quote:

Originally posted by CasperImproved

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I wish we had a good prime rib place in Knoxville. I would make my own except I am afraid I would screw up a $80.00 piece of meat.


Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul - Don't slight yourself here... Prime rib is one of the easiest roasts to come out perfect every time.

I sit it out on the counter at least an hour as the closer to room temp on the outside, the more even the temp when it comes out.

I stud (making slits with a paring knife) with pieces of garlic cloves, rub it down with fresh cracked pepper, sea salt, and olive olive. Place it in in oven on a roasting rack/pan in a pre-heated to 450F for about an half/hour, then turn it down to 350F until the roast reaches an internal temp of 130F. Let it rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.... perfection as long as your sides are good. I prefer mashed taters in some form, some form of green beans, and a salad.

Casper

I forgot to mention to slice the meat off of the rib bones, and retain for the chef

Third vouch for Alton Brown's dry and fry type recipe.

You should really check out Alton Brown or at the very least Food Network for your recipe needs. I think Emeril is a douche, but his recipes can be practical and handy.

Yorkshire Pudding has been mentioned several times. Rib Roast without Yorkshire Pudding is like a day without sunshine. The secret to having Yorkshire Pudding rise is to have all your ingredients at ROOM TEMP before you make the batter and use a Blender to mix it. Make the batter well in advance and let it rest. Pour melted CLARIFIED Butter in your muffin pans and put the pans in a hot oven before you add the batter. These little tricks learned after years of trial & error. Follow these suggestions and you'll have Yorkshire Pudding treats bigger than Basketballs!

P. S. You can use the drippings from the roast instead of the Clarified butter for more flavor. I use the butter when I make it to go with other meats.

I always marinade my prime rib over night in a mixture of Lawry's salt and worcestershire. I put the roast in a 500 degree oven, and turn the oven off as soon as I put the roast in. The key to this method is to NEVER EVER open the door until the roast is at the desired tempature.