Prime Rib thoughts for Christmas Eve dinner

[Mozekian]

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.

We still use the local butcher because they have always produced quality. I’ll call in my 4 bone, chuck end, trussed and frenched and it will be ready on the 22nd

More expensive than Costco but I like supporting the local butcher and I like that the roast is cut and prepped specifically for me. After all, it’s a Christmas treat so I have zero issues paying a little extra when I know the guy produces quality.

 

[Greg Jones]

We still use the local butcher because they have always produced quality. I’ll call in my 4 bone, chuck end, trussed and frenched and it will be ready on the 22nd

More expensive than Costco but I like supporting the local butcher and I like that the roast is cut and prepped specifically for me. After all, it’s a Christmas treat so I have zero issues paying a little extra when I know the guy produces quality.

Unfortunately I don’t have access to a full-service, local butcher. We have a beef rancher that comes to the farmer’s market twice a week, but the beef is already cut and frozen. The other options are Kroger and Meijer, and they get almost no meat in anymore that isn’t already cut and packaged. Even Costco isn’t that ‘local’-it’s a 40 minute drive for me.

 

[SmokeZilla]

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.

Greg Jones:
Thank you for your insider’s perspective. Being from NC, I often chuckle when I see terms like “free range” chicken, or organic anything. On the farm, our idea of organic meant taking the feces and manure from the chickens and other livestock and using it for fertilizer for the various forms of produce (e.g., corn, sugar cane, potatoes, tobacco, and the like). When my “city” friends see those labels and pay premiums for their products it is hard for me to hold back on my thoughts. It is especially funny when it is a friend that is vegan.

 

[Jim6820]

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).

We discovered Kerrygold butter years ago and the difference between it and the domestic butter we’d grown up on was amazing. I didn’t realize the difference was attributable to “grass-fed,” but it makes sense. Kerrygold makes some great cheese too!

 

[Greg Jones]

We discovered Kerrygold butter years ago and the difference between it and the domestic butter we’d grown up on was amazing. I didn’t realize the difference was attributable to “grass-fed,” but it makes sense. Kerrygold makes some great cheese too!

The difference between grass/grain fed beef and all grass fed beef is more subtle. In dairy products, not subtle at all.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Want a good laugh? Supersize Me 2.
Guy opens a healthy fast food chicken restaurant and uses all the buzzwords.

 

[cutplug]

The reason for trimming the bones off and re-ting is so that it can be carved easily at the table.
Ever try trimming the bones off on a hot roast? It can be tricky.
Great suggestions for a wonderful roast. I also have a pan of hot au-jus so if someone wants a more well done slice just add it to cook it more. That way you can cook the roast closer to rare.
Costco is the only store around me that has prime at an affordable price. I think Central Market has prime but probably $25 per pound. Keep an eye out for Choice Angus Beef (CAB) as it is very well marbled and close to prime.
edit-don't forget a good hot horseradish sauce!
Merry Christmas!

 

[Dadbo]

One final question and I wont bug you all with this anymore. I did pick up a Wild Fork Foods Angus choice standing rib roast. Marbling looks to be upper choice for sure. Can I plan on one week to fridge thaw and then 2 days for dry brining of this roast, prior to prep for a reverse sear cook?

Again thanks for the thoughtful and occasionally entertaining replies!

 

[RattleR]

One final question and I wont bug you all with this anymore. I did pick up a Wild Fork Foods Angus choice standing rib roast. Marbling looks to be upper choice for sure. Can I plan on one week to fridge thaw and then 2 days for dry brining of this roast, prior to prep for a reverse sear cook?

Again thanks for the thoughtful and occasionally entertaining replies!

Not sure how many bones or weight but I would say a couple of days to thaw and then it should be fine up to five days more. Also depends on how cold you keep the refrigerator. All a bit of a SWAG.

 

[Pacman]

I'd say that would be just about right if it's a three or four bone roast. I'd be comfortable with that plan.

 

[Dadbo]

Yes, I should have said 8.5 lb 3 bone roast. Sorry about the lack of info.

 

[Greg Jones]

Wild Fork Sounds like you have the same roast that is arriving at casa Jones tomorrow. I’ve done more than a couple of these over the past few years, and @RattleR and @Pacman nailed it. Nice choice-you will enjoy that.

 

[Pacman]

@Greg Jones I must admit prime rib on a rotisserie over open fire is just damn sexy!

 

[Greg Jones]

@Greg Jones I must admit prime rib on a rotisserie over open fire is just damn sexy!

It’s fun from start to leftovers!

 

[RHEINLEIN]

I’ve always done bone-in, and Wild Fork has always been good to me with this cut. Once I followed a suggestion that I should remove the bones beforee cooking, then truss them back on. Can’t remember why that was supposed to help other than getting it seasoned where the bones normally would be attached, but either way is spectacular. good luck!

I picked up a couple of these at my local today @$5.99 / lb.
Look descent?

 

[SmokeOCD]

I picked up a couple of these at my local today @$5.99 / lb.
Look descent?

View attachment 20736

Jewel meat has been really good lately - price and taste/tenderness. I'm cooking one this Friday.

 

[SmokeZilla]

If you ever go rotisserie for a turkey, prime rib or even chicken, it will be very hard to look back. The self basting nature of a rotisserie can’t be beat. I like to put the protein on the RT700 at low (max smoke) for about 50 minutes, then onto the”triwly-thingamabob” for the rest of the cook with a smoke tube and pretend like I know what I am doing. The results will amaze you. One word of caution, monitor your temps on the smoker. You don’t want to grow bad bacteria as you experiment.

 

[SmokeOCD]

@SmokeZilla assuming you've seasoned the meat; between the salt and the smoke you should have much greater latitude on the food safety time & temps. And anything starting up a colony on the outside of your roast should be obliterated as temps climb toward final cook temp. No, I'm not promoting unsanitary habits - just saying salt and smoke buy you some extra time.
I agree ”triwly-thingamabob” is really hard to beat.

 

[SmokeZilla]

@SmokeZilla assuming you've seasoned the meat; between the salt and the smoke you should have much greater latitude on the food safety time & temps. And anything starting up a colony on the outside of your roast should be obliterated as temps climb toward final cook temp. No, I'm not promoting unsanitary habits - just saying salt and smoke buy you some extra time.
I agree ”triwly-thingamabob” is really hard to beat.

Thanks for the feedback. I agree with your assessment and several dozens of rib roast confirm my success. I dry brine the external surfaces and have ”cured” proteins for up to 45 days so but my worries relate to the herbs and garlic I insert into the RRs 24 hours before cooking that I think about. In addition and more risky is the transition time from ~42F to ~90F for the poultry (e.g., turkeys and chickens, pheasant, quail, and similar)) and gator I smoke and rotisserie, but in the many years I’ve been cooking, I haven’t had a problem.

 

[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.