Prime Rib thoughts for Christmas Eve dinner

[Mozekian]

I go for the chuck or large end rather than the loin end for that reason. And I have actually gotten some great ones with my butcher looking in the back room for me.

We usually do the chuck end too, more marbling. This year In ordered a "first cut" from the loin end, want to give it a go and try something different. The girls dont "appreciate" the marbling as much as the men do at our table

 

[Jim6820]

@Jim6820 you seem to have a severe aversion to vats of butter and/or oil.

“Vats of butter and/or oil” are fine for some things; I have no problem with deep-frying a lot of things…including potatoes. It is just that steak and prime rib are not among those “things.”

As for the Canadian experience, the prime rib was just fried on the flattop grill like a smash burger...and, to a solid well done. Not my thing.

 

[Threadcutter]

watch

Alton Brown's prime rib instructional has been my go to for a few years, it's perfect. You get the benefit of the smoke to 118-120 degrees, the long rest, and then the sear to crust. And because you already rested, you are free to slice after the sear to crust it up.

And.........it's a fun video to watch. He's a character, that's for sure !

And, and..........if you've never watched Chef Jean Pierre, he's a hoot !

 

[MikeK]

You definitely want bone in. It adds so much more flavor. I made the mistake of buying choice one time from the recommendation of the butcher, never again. Only buy prime.

 

[Motodad1776]

Deep fried prime rib.....the best I have ever eaten and I will never cook it any other way!

NEVER is a long time, I personally "try" to avoid deep fried anything, in particular with the seed oils. I've done smoked prime rib and it was to die for, just a bit of work is all.

 

[defraud]

I am so very thankful to everyone for their wisdom based replies. In the past I always did the almost cut off bones and retired method. And did in the past pre pellet grill 500 degrees for 5 mins per pound turnoff grill and don’t open oven door for 2 hours. Always turned out “good” .

will see if prime can fit the budget as I will be doing sea scallops too from WFF. Going to be 13 of us this year so a bit more manageable.

thanks all. And happy Holidays as this whole month is a blessing to our friends and family.

I"ve done dozens of prime ribs, and always get the most compliments when they are well seasoned and med-rare (130-133) final. To do this (heresy alert), remove bones and top fat flap (discard), and the main row of fat going into the roast (leave the roast connected to itself). Then season the heck out of it, as you now have access to the inside part as well as the outside. Tie back together and into fridge for 1-2 days, then onto counter several hours to warm some, then into hot 450 oven for 30 min to sear. Temp down to 300 for a bit, then keep dropping oven temp to 225-250, based on how dinner time is matching roast time. You can hold that puppy in the oven at 170 for along time if needed. Also, the ribs really taste better when more done, so take them off when roast is done and cook more until med at least.
I haven't done this on the Bull yet (its cold outside then), but should be the same.

 

[SmokeZilla]

I like the tips offered here and endorse their collective processes and the dry rub is important. I would like to add that I separate the bone 3/4th of the way instead of complete removal to add seasoning on the internal bone side. You should also tie it back and make sure it is as uniform in size as possible. I also inject the roast with a combo of butter, a little Wagyu tallow, garlic, and various herbs to really kick up the flavor profile. I use small chunks of garlic and make small incisions about half way through the beef and insert the cloves into the holes. When, the roast hits 110F, I will slather the exterior with unsalted butter and put it on my gasser’s sear burner and build a crust. As it is building, I continue to slather it with the butter-herb compound and my results are typically out of this world. One thing that is important is to make sure you pick a decently marbled protein as it makes all the difference. To meet the USDA’s “prime” grade, the Spinalis Dorsi (Ribeye Cap) should be at least 2” - 2.5” thick. Just my opinions, Happy Holiday’s.

 

[Jim6820]

One thing that is important is to make sure you pick a decently marbled protein as it makes all the difference.

This!

 

[Greg Jones]

This!

The challenge for me, at least-don't want to speak for others-is that post-pandemic I don’t get to see the premium proteins that I am paying for. I’m limited to whatever WF or SRF or 6666 or whoever sends me because locally the selection is as basement grade as it can be. Sometimes my local National grocery chains don’t even have a butcher on duty. They have someone that will wrap your selection from the display, but if you are wanting a 2” thick Prime Porterhouse cut, well sorry!

 

[Greg Jones]

Note to self and others-I wasn’t intending to be disparaging on the online vendors I mentioned. Most are stellar most of the time. Just that I don’t have a local option to pick exactly the cut I want.

 

[DesertRat]

I tried a USDA Choice a few weeks back and it was a big disappointment; not enough marbling in that particular piece of protein to make it tender.

Do you remember if it was grass fed and finished? As a once long ago Nebraska lad all our beef was grain finished for marbling and dry aged for about a month for tenderness. That kind of protein is very hard to find these days at the retail store level. I did find a butcher shop in Temecula that had a few limited cuts, but the prices were ridiculous. While I'm not a big fan of Omaha steaks, they do age their beef, not long enough for me, but long enough to give it a good flavor and tenderness. And while their prices are high even at the standard 50% off sales, for those special occasions I think it's worth it. There are endless other companies selling Meats for delivery that I'm sure are equally as good. Just a thought.

 

[SmokeZilla]

“… for those special occasions I think it's worth it. There are endless other companies selling Meats for delivery that I'm sure are equally as good. Just a thought.”

DesertRat:
You summarized it perfectly. We all try to economize where and when we can but I have found that for special occasions and for family and friends, I will usually go above and beyond average. We all push that pebble called life up the hill each day and sometimes it will roll back down on us, but we never stop trying. For those we love and adore, I would rather make positive memories that last a lifetime than offer something that is mediocre. But each of us will need to determine what is proper for our circumstances. May you all be blessed with a wonderful holiday.

 

[Jim6820]

Do you remember if it was grass fed and finished? As a once long ago Nebraska lad all our beef was grain finished for marbling and dry aged for about a month for tenderness. That kind of protein is very hard to find these days at the retail store level. I did find a butcher shop in Temecula that had a few limited cuts, but the prices were ridiculous. While I'm not a big fan of Omaha steaks, they do age their beef, not long enough for me, but long enough to give it a good flavor and tenderness. And while their prices are high even at the standard 50% off sales, for those special occasions I think it's worth it. There are endless other companies selling Meats for delivery that I'm sure are equally as good. Just a thought.

Sorry, but I don’t know. It was all that Costco had on the day I was there. I do recall that is was USDA Choice and I was not thrilled with that but it was all they had at the time.

 

[Greg Jones]

As a FYI, all cattle are grass fed early in life. They are born eating off their momma’s milk or bottle fed a replacement formula and then they eat on pasture (grass). Until they are either continued to be grass fed or they are switched to grain fed, or more commonly they are both grass/grain fed simultaneously. Grass fed from start to finish is considered to be best, especially for dairy cattle, which is why European dairy products are valued more than US dairy products (Land of Lakes butter vs.. Kerrygold). Grass/grain fed is a throw-away term, ment to confuse the buyer. While all the beef cattle we raised on our farm was grass/grain fed, we never confused it with being the same quality as all grass fed. We would grass (pasture) feed our cattle in the summer months when pasture was plentiful, then supplement hay (harvested pasture grass) with grains to keep them nourished in the winter.

TLDR: when someone brags about grass fed/grain finished, they are blowing smoke about how the cattle were raised. Doesn’t mean either is better when buying beef however.

 

[Dadbo]

Well this certainly became an eye opening discussion….fo me! Looks like the vote here by the family is to do a bone in AND a boneless roast to A and B compare. They want it, they get it. scallops will round out the proteins.

And I will try some of the discussed methods, on a smaller scale, next year if for no other reason, to say “yep, tried that too”. Perhaps a dozen more Christmas dinners to share with friends and family made better cause of you all. Thanks.

 

[Jim6820]

Well this certainly became an eye opening discussion….fo me! Looks like the vote here by the family is to do a bone in AND a boneless roast to A and B compare. They want it, they get it. scallops will round out the proteins.

And I will try some of the discussed methods, on a smaller scale, next year if for no other reason, to say “yep, tried that too”. Perhaps a dozen more Christmas dinners to share with friends and family made better cause of you all. Thanks.

Hey, this is an opportunity to have prime rib more often. “Honey, I’m just doing some testing that the guys on the forum suggested; this is purely a scientific experiment!” Honest!

 

[Big D]

watch

Alton Brown's prime rib instructional has been my go to for a few years, it's perfect. You get the benefit of the smoke to 118-120 degrees, the long rest, and then the sear to crust. And because you already rested, you are free to slice after the sear to crust it up.

Hello, Mozekian:

You may be the perfect person for my question. I am planning on using the AB method for a prime rib roast on my Bull this year.
My question is, since the Bull is indirect heat as opposed to an oven, if I crank up the Bull to 500 for the final sear period, does it still produce good results without have to reverse sear in cast iron, etc.?
I appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks!
Big D

 

[SmokeOCD]

Sometimes my local National grocery chains don’t even have a butcher on duty. They have someone that will wrap your selection from the display, but if you are wanting a 2” thick Prime Porterhouse cut, well sorry!

I've asked the supermarket "butcher" to cut down a primal for me, and was told they're not allowed to cut that piece of meat for me. They can only cut corporate branded meat. Swift, Tyson, Brand X, Farm Z they can only sell the way it comes to them. Turn Prime Rib into ribeyes... fuhgeddaboudit. I've got the meat saw and cleaver, etc - just thought it would be easier to have the butcher do it. (pfft)

 

[Greg Jones]

I’ve been told that Costco will still cut a primal, but I’ve never asked them to do that. I’ve settled for ordering from one of the mostly excellent online meat suppliers, but I still miss ordering exactly what I want from a butcher.

 

[Mozekian]

Hello, Mozekian:

You may be the perfect person for my question. I am planning on using the AB method for a prime rib roast on my Bull this year.
My question is, since the Bull is indirect heat as opposed to an oven, if I crank up the Bull to 500 for the final sear period, does it still produce good results without have to reverse sear in cast iron, etc.?
I appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks!
Big D

Glad you asked, I can hopefully prevent the mistakes I’ve made

So previous years I’ve done the AB method, got it to 118 internal, pulled, rested, and cranked the Bull to 500 to sear. Problem is, way too much fat drippings from the long rendered cook, got a small flame up. So don’t go that route.

2 years I used the oven and broil like AB does.

Recently I took my cast iron, put a cooling rack on top, and cooked the prime rib on the rack to 118 degrees. When it hit 118, I removed it all, took the drippings in the pan, separated fat, deglazed and made an au jus with it. Because the drippings were in the cast iron, grill was clean and fat has rendered. Cranked it to 500 and placed rested meat on the grill for 10 minutes to char

After all these experiments, oven broil works best because of the direct heat on the beef. But your house will smell like broiled beef,
not a bad thing, but it can get smokey

If you like a heavy crust, go this route. If a medium crust works, try the cast iron on the rack, which allows the air to get under the beef to keep smoke flowing.