# How to cook a prime rib roast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797 "2008-12-12T00:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/21 "2008-12-15T02:28:23Z")
One other suggestion, have the butcher cut the meat almost off the bones. You can then add spices between the bones and the meat for additional flavor. tie it back together with butcher’s twine and you are good to go. > [@flickster](#): > > Well, I don’t actually buy prime, can’t afford the $$. > > I do however cook a mean rib roast on my Weber kettle grill, with the coals in the indirect method. I keep the cooking temps between 275 and 300. Remove when internal temp reaches 120. > > Only prep I do is rub heavily with a salt and black pepper mixture. > > To die for 🆒 Cook it low and slow with lots of smoke, and then when it hits 125 or so, pull it off, add a bunch of lit charcoal and sear it direct to finish it. Best damn prime rib ever. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/22 "2008-12-15T02:33:04Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > One other suggestion, have the butcher cut the meat almost off the bones. You can then add spices between the bones and the meat for additional flavor. tie it back together with butcher’s twine and you are good to go. That reminds me: Last year I cut the bones off and then put the roast back on top. It made it much easier to carve. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/23 "2008-12-15T04:10:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > That reminds me: Last year I cut the bones off and then put the roast back on top. It made it much easier to carve. Must try that. Although my husband is an excellent carver. My brother-in-law, otoh, just hacks meat up, slashing and gouging. It’s horrible to see. And then, what he does to a turkey . . . .:eek: Didn’t men use to learn to carve? Like, didn’t you get it in shop class or something? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/24 "2008-12-15T17:44:22Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Salt crust! We did a salt crust standing rib roast a few Christmases ago, and it was heaven. Make a paste out of one part water, three to four parts kosher salt. Spread thickly over entire roast. Cook as normal. When it’s done, peel the salt off (it will come off in big plates) before carving. The outsides are a tetch salty (much less than you’d expect), but the whole roast is juicy, because they couldn’t penetrate the salt barrier to drip out. > > –Cliffy I’ve done a rib roast this way and the results _are_ juicy - but I’ve found the cooking time is a lot longer than expected (I had to put the roast back in for an hour as it was so bloody only a vampire would have eaten it). Use a good oven thermometer (I think ours are, um, “accuracy-challenged”) and of course you have to put that in the meat before you do the salt crust! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/25 "2008-12-15T17:46:19Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > I did the dry aging thing in my refrigerator for five days once. The meat lost some weight and the dried out bits had to be trimmed but it was the best beef I ever had. When you dry-age, do you just leave the meat in there uncovered? ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/26 "2008-12-15T19:52:03Z")
> [@Lady\_Venom](#): > > My husband, the butcher and cook, says to cook at 500 deg for the first 1/2 hour, then turn it down to about 325, for about 20 minutes a pound for a medium/well inside. > > Oh, and on a rack in a roasting pan with about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. > > Make sure to start off with the roast at room temperature first, leaving it out for about an hour before cooking. Agree, except that it’s a sin to eat prime roast beef cooked to medium-well! Good quality beef deserves to be eaten pinkish-red in the center, not browned throughout (in my strongly held opinion). To do this, plan on roughly 13-15 mins./lb. Use a meat thermometer and remove the roast from the oven when the internal temperature, at the center of the roast, reaches 130 degrees. Cover with tinfoil and let it sit on the counter for another 20-30 minutes, the internal temperature will continue rising to between 135 and 140F, which is a perfect medium-rare in the very center. I can go as far as taking it out at 135-138F and letting it reach close to 145F for a straight Medium in the center. Otherwise, if someone wants it more “well done” than that, I take their cut after carving and toss it in a roasting pan back into the oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes, rather than ruining the whole roast! Off the soapbox: however well done you want your roast, what you want is “low and slow” heat for a large roast, to achieve a nice, even gradation from the edge to the center. The outside will always be more cooked than the center, but you surely don’t want something that’s cold and raw in the middle but blackened to a crisp on the outside! Oh, and why put water in the pan? You don’t want to steam a roast. On the contrary, you should leave a layer of fat on top of the roast (bone side up) to drip down into the meat as it cooks; or, if you have trimmed all the fat off of a boneless roast, wrap it in a thin sheet of fat or (get ready) BACON, which you can cut off while eating but really, really adds juicy flavor to the meat! Or coat the roast in olive oil, garlic and rosemary while letting it come to room temperature before roasting. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/27 "2008-12-15T21:51:04Z")
I like braising in a covered roasting pan. It can be uncovered later in cooking to get a nice brown colour. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/28 "2008-12-17T03:54:58Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > I like braising in a covered roasting pan. It can be uncovered later in cooking to get a nice brown colour. If you do this to a prime rib or standing rib roast? :eek:You are committing sacrilege. IMHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/29 "2008-12-22T18:50:20Z")
Any advice for _grilling_ a standing rib roast? I may do this for our Christmas meal, since we’ll have seven adults over, and I know we don’t have a broiling pan that’s big enough for roasting a prime rib in the oven. Hell, the oven itself may be too small. We’ve done surf n turf as a Christmas tradition (steak and crab legs or similar) for many years, but a prime rib sounds awesome. I’d be using a Weber gas grill (an old Silver B w/ no rotisserie). The _Weber’s Big Book of Grilling_ has a recipe involving stuffing walnuts and garlic into the meat, which sounds a little elaborate; I’d rather just put on a rub and cook. Do I need a rack or anything else to grill the roast, or is straight on the grill grate just fine? Any other suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/30 "2008-12-23T02:08:50Z")
OK, change of plans… I thought I’d make my roast on Christmas Day and go down to see my ex-fiancée over the weekend. Only now I’m going down Christmas Eve and cooking the roast down there. It’s frozen solid. (6.44 pounds, BTW.) So here’s the deal: I need to take the roast to Seattle with me Wednesday morning. Then I have a long drive down to Coos Bay starting around 1400. It will take me seven to nine hours to get there, depending on the roads. It’s plenty cold outside, so I’m not too worried about leaving the roast in the Jeep. (Yes, I’ll have to drive the Jeep. My road isn’t plowed and the Prius is snowed in.) The meat will have to be thawed by about noon on Thursday. How should I transport the roast to Seattle, allow it to sit for five or six hours, transport it seven to nine hours to Coos Bay, not let it get so warm that it’s ‘unrefrigerated’ for too long, and be thawed by cooking time Christmas Day? ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/31 "2008-12-23T02:39:29Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Any advice for _grilling_ a standing rib roast? > … > Do I need a rack or anything else to grill the roast, or is straight on the grill grate just fine? Any other suggestions? If you have a Weber Silver B, that is a great grill, I used to have one myself. It’s a three-burner grill with the burners going horizontally across, right? There are three knobs for the gas, one for the front row, another for the middle and one for the back? You could try putting the roast in the middle and leaving the center burners off, firing just the front and rear burners at low heat. (Yes you will need a rack, a roast rack [like this](http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=103256), not a rib rack). First fire the two burners on high for 20-30 minutes to sear the outside, then turn them down to about 1/4 of max (300F on the thermometer). Use a thermometer such that you can monitor the internal temperature of the roast without lifting the lid of the grill (like [this one](http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=658737) for under $25) and set the target temperature to about 130F. If this is a bone-in rib roast, put the rib side on top so all the fat that lies between the ribs will drip downwards into the meat as you cook it. If it’s a boneless roast, or heck even if it’s a rib roast, coat it in EV olive oil and garlic, coarse ground black pepper, fresh rosemary, and my favorite secret weapons for a rib roast, cinammon and curry powder – cumin if you haven’t got curry powder. No salt until the roast is done! If it’s boneless you could get some really excellent juiciness by using a rotisserie attachment and skewering the meat through the center axis. I have not tried this because I’ve always been happy using indirect heat or my oven, and a large prime rib roast can run over $100 so why risk experimenting. One may ask, why use a grill instead of the oven? The #1 reason would be because you either haven’t got an oven, or haven’t got one big enough. This was true for me at my former house. Another very good reason though is that you can use a [wood chip smoker box](http://www.amazon.com/Outset-QS77-Stainless-Steel-Smoker/dp/B000AQFYV4) with some soaked hickory wood chips placed over one of your firing burners. During the 30 minute high heat phase this will add some flavoring smoke to the meat. Awwwwww hyeah. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/32 "2008-12-23T23:15:22Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > I did the dry aging thing in my refrigerator for five days once. The meat lost some weight and the dried out bits had to be trimmed but it was the best beef I ever had. This gives me hope. I am cooking my first rib roast for Christmas dinner this year and have bookmarked this thread. I’m a rib roast virgin. My husband and I saw Guy Fieri dry-age a roast on some FN show, and decided to try it. My beautiful, 3-rib piece of marbled goodness has been wrapped in cheesecloth sitting in the fridge for 5 days. I’m nervous. We took it out last night to change the cheesecloth, and I asked my husband, "Did we just ruin a $40 piece of meat?’ It was noticeably smaller than when it went in and with some dried surfaces. Guy F. trimmed his a bit before roasting. And despite \*\*dwyr’\*\*s positive experience, I’m still worried. Whether I go high heat to low, or low heat to high, or constant heat throughout–I pull it at 120 degrees and let it rest for medium rare, right? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/33 "2008-12-23T23:54:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > That reminds me: Last year I cut the bones off and then put the roast back on top. It made it much easier to carve. Our local butcher shop does “bone and tie” as an option. I highly recommend it. Also, all, don’t forget to use the roasted bones to make beef stock. Reduce it to a demi-glace and freeze it for using in your gravy next time around. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/34 "2008-12-23T23:58:12Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > Alton Brown’s recipe for this worked great for me. He dry-aged his in the fridge for three days, but I didn’t do this. Then you let it come up to room temperature. Rub it with a little canola oil and salt and pepper. Then you put a probe thermometer in the meat and cook at 200 until the center reaches 118. Then, jack the heat to 500 and cook for 15 minutes. Rest for another 15 or so. To die for. > > Rob I have to second this. I used to do the sear then finish in a medium oven method, but I find the opposite (slow roast then finish high) is more consistent and easier to control, and generally produces better results. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/35 "2008-12-24T00:42:48Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > If you have a Weber Silver B, that is a great grill, I used to have one myself. It’s a three-burner grill with the burners going horizontally across, right? There are three knobs for the gas, one for the front row, another for the middle and one for the back? Yep, that’s the one. Its getting pretty old and grumpy, but every time I shop for a newer/better one I find that something better is over $1000 and I balk. But it works fine for most things. > [@](#): > > You could try putting the roast in the middle and leaving the center burners off, firing just the front and rear burners at low heat. (Yes you will need a rack, a roast rack [like this](http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=103256), not a rib rack). First fire the two burners on high for 20-30 minutes to sear the outside, then turn them down to about 1/4 of max (300F on the thermometer). I did get a roast rack, although I’m not happy with the form factor (it has ‘handles’ that conflict with the grill lid a bit) and may shop for another. I’m thinking I may put a cheap aluminum drip pan below the grill grate, a rack on top of the grates, and the roast on top of that. I’m eager to get a roast rack and drip pan that are just deep enough for the meat, then I’ll place them both as far back or forward as I can, so that the rear or front burner on my grill can generate indirect heat and not burn the drippings or the roast. How does that sound? > [@](#): > > and my favorite secret weapons for a rib roast, cinammon I’ve used a pork rib rub recipe before that had cinammon in it, and I was unhappy with the mild breakfast-roll note in the flavor. But maybe that’s just me; everyone else thought the ribs were awesome. > [@](#): > > No salt until the roast is done! Really? All the recipes I’m seeing specify kosher salt and fresh ground pepper rubbed beforehand. Why is salt undesirable (outside of excess sodium concerns; it’s a holiday meal, diet rules are hereby suspended 🙂 )? > [@](#): > > One may ask, why use a grill instead of the oven? The #1 reason would be because you either haven’t got an oven, or haven’t got one big enough. The #2 reason is that I have one oven, and we’ll be preparing other dishes in it. I’ve bought a 9.3 lb choice roast from costco today, so it looks like I’m committed. Wish me luck! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/36 "2008-12-24T00:43:01Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Also, all, don’t forget to use the roasted bones to make beef stock. Reduce it to a demi-glace and freeze it for using in your gravy next time around. Bones get re-cooked at low heat, and then covered with BBQ sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/37 "2008-12-24T01:14:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Bones get re-cooked at low heat, and then covered with BBQ sauce. Okay: well, then, gnaw on them all you want and THEN make stock out of them! ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/38 "2008-12-24T04:53:22Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions. I’m planning on 500 for 1/2 hour (the butcher where I bought it also recommended that) then15 minutes per pound after that. That is, if I can make it to my destination Christmas Eve. The bones and leftovers are coming home with me. The more done parts should make some excellent roast beef salad (ground cooked beef with mayo, seasonings, and ground dill pickles) and some soup with the bones. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/39 "2008-12-24T13:53:26Z")
With the exception of the start or finish in a hot oven, the key seems to be slowly roasting at a low temperature. Slow cooking at a low temperature immediately makes me think “crock pot”. As you might guess, a quick search of “prime rib crock pot” got me lots of links to people saying “Don’t do it”. However, the reasons were more along the lines of “never cook something where the ingredients cost more than the device being used to cook”. Can anyone give an Alton Brown-ish explanation of why the crock pot is a bad idea? I’m not talking about adding liquids and/or vegetables, just a seasoned roast in a crock pot. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797/40 "2008-12-24T15:04:07Z")
A crock pot is for braising, not roasting. Roasting requires even heat surrounding the meat, braising typically uses a liquid to conduct the heat to the meat, which is different. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-cook-a-prime-rib-roast/476797.md?page=3)