The other day Mrs. R rummaged around in the freezer and uncovered a 6.5-pound standing rib roast. Ohboyohboyohboy. She and I discussed how best to cook it, with frequent references to Betty Crocker, 1962 edition, and a heated discussion about what internal temperature to shoot for.
Eventually, she rolled it in rock salt, minced garlic, and savory, then cooked it at 325F until the internal temperature was 150F, and crimeny, it was good!
She was discussing it with a co-worker today, and he said that the family butcher had told him how to cook a rib roast for maximum deliciousness: Cook it an hour at 325F, then turn off the oven for 45 minutes, then crank it up to 400F until you get the desired temperature. Something about searing in the juices :dubious:
So what’s the best way to cook a really big, really nice roast?
The Cooking Guru, Alton Brown who else?, cooks at a low temp until the center is at the desired doneness, then removes the roast to rest while the oven heats to about 500 degrees. He then pops it back in the develop a crust on the outside.
He also uses a giant clay flowerpot and saucer for said pot to moderate the swings in oven temperature as the heat cycles on and off.
He believes that if you have the temp too high at first, you really have no control over how fast the inside of the roast heats up.
In the Spring I plan to hit the garden shop for a clay flower pot!
A mixture of crushed garlic, brown sugar, salt, and freshly ground excellent black pepper (Tellicherry!) (and a little oil if the garlic is on the dry side) goes on the fat side. The roast goes into a 500º oven for 5 minutes. Then it goes down a temperature anywhere between 200º and 350º, depending on how much time there is before dinner. Keep your eye on the temperature! Pull it out when it’s 5º to 10º below your target. (If you’re lucky, you’ve got a probe thermometer that can stay in the oven the whole time. If not, make sure not to poke too many holes, and that your holes are from the top down to the center, not from the edge.)
That’s what we always do with roasts at home- unless it’s a pot roast, and that’s a horse of a different color. Except that it’s a bovine, not a horse. And we don’t, besides pot roasts, have bone-in roasts here, so I’m not sure how those get dealt with.)
Cook until it’s 150 inside? We’re talking about standing rib roasts, aka prime rib, right?
Yikes… In my circle of carnivore friends, the discussions are more of whether to cook the roast to 122 or 123.
Some friends did a 9-bone roast at 325 and cooked it to 122 on Saturday, and wound up with a golf-ball sized bit of red in the middle and the rest was a sad, sad brown. Still tasty, but way overdone. Their main curse was not having the meat at room temperature first.
A few years ago, an acquaintance who thinks they know everything ruined six full roasts by cooking them to 140 despite our urgings to cook to 120. The results were pretty near to inedible - solid brown to gray and tough.
I found this old thread and thought I’d update it–
This last Christmas, I did a six-bone. Made a mixture of coarse kosher salt, olive oil, rosemary, and garlic, and patted it all over the outside. Fifteen minutes at 450F, then 325F until it reached an internal temperature of 129F. And then, since I’d massively overestimated how long it would take, it sat in a turned-off oven while my wife made the mashed potatoes.
I do low and slow at around 250-275, rest, and sear at the end. It doesn’t matter if your roast is perfectly room temp or out of the fridge. The slow cooking gets everything up to temp perfectly evenly.
I just cooked a prime rib for Christmas. I seared it for a half hour in a 450 degree oven and then moved it to my other oven (double wall oven) and cooked it at 250 degrees until the internal temp hit 125. I let it sit for 30 minutes and the internal temp came up to about 133. You can also do the reverse sear, ala Alton Brown. Remove it an extra 5 degrees early, let it rest for 30 minutes, and then pop it in a very hot oven for a sear at the end. Frankly, I have no preference for either the pre- or post-sear, but I find the pre-sear to be easier.
I would never cook a prime rib to 150, either before or after the rest. WAY too well done for a prime rib / rib roast. Even taking out at 140 and letting it rise to 150 is too well done for a prime rib, IMHO, of course.
The hotter your oven, the more the meat will come up during the rest. Normally, at usual temps, the internal temp will rise by about 10 degrees during the 30-45 minute rest. So, you always want to remove the meat below your desired temp of doneness.
I just made my first rib roast this weekend. I went with the method I found online- Roast at 325 for an hour, let sit in closed oven for 3 hours, then turn back on for about and 30 minutes until the internal temp hits 120 again. Turned out great.
Agreed. But I guess if you’re paying for it, do what you want with your meat. Somewhere around 125F final temp is just right for me and where I cook if I’m paying. If anyone wants it more well, I’ll finish it off, sliced, on a cast iron pan.
As far as seasoning, a prime rib doesn’t demand a complicated rub. Rub olive oil on, and then liberally sprinkle on salt (coarse ground), black pepper and garlic powder. That’s it.
You can also add a little ground coffee, too, which adds a nice compliment to beef. I haven’t used a coffee rub on prime rib, but I have used it on other beef (steaks, burgers, top round roasts, etc.), and it adds a richness.
Season with cracked salt, pepper and fresh crushed garlic. I cook it low and slow at 250 degrees until the internal temp is 120-125 degrees, then I take it out and let it rest 30 minutes. Meanwhile I raise the heat in the oven to 450 degrees. I pop it back in for 7-8 minutes to brown. Shoot for an internal temp of 130 degrees. No need to let it rest again. Perfect rare prime rib.
In the past I tried doing it the opposite way (high in the beginning and slow at the end). I found that left me with a well done “strap” at the edge and pink in the center. They way I do it now, it’s pink from the center to the edge and absolutely perfect.
Start with a 24 hour dry brine. Rinse, then a beef rub (no more salt in the rub). Sit overnight, then cook at 200 until 115. Finish under the broiler, turning frequently, about 10-12 minutes total. Medium rare end-to-end.
Never heard of it. Can you link to an example? There’s some minor debate on whether pre- or post-searing is better. There is the bit about how searing does not “seal in the juices” (it does not), but that advice does not say not to sear the meat. The searing is done for flavor via something called the Maillard reaction, aka “browning,” sometimes mistakenly called “caramelization.”
Exactly right. Sealing in the juices is a myth. Browning the exterior (the maillard reaction mentioned above) adds flavor.
Edit: The only thing that comes to mind is recent reports that grilling and browning meat may create a slight health risk. I’m not giving up flavor for the supposed health benefit.
