i'm a big fan of scalloped potatoes or a potato gratin with Rib Roast and perhaps a simple green vegetable -- green beans, asparagus, broccoli.

For the Oven or the Grill.

Make sure the meat is quality. Ask the butcher for an extra fat cap.
Preheat oven or grill to as high as it can go. My grill gets to 750 degrees.
Place roast in roasting pan, bones down, fat up.
Thoroughly coat all sides of the roast with kosher salt and pepper.
Place lots of thinly sliced garlic and white onion on top of the roast.
Place the extra fat cap on top of the onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
Coat fat cap with salt and pepper.
Place roast in oven or grill for 20-25 minutes at the highest temp.
Put temperature probe into the middle of the roast. Stay away from the bones, and then
Reduce the temp. to about 220-225.
Roast until internal temp reaches 132-135 degrees and remove.
Let rest for about 15 minutes under an aluminum foil tent.
Enjoy!

When you cut into the roast, you should notice that the entire peice throughout will be reddish-pink. There will be very little gray around the outer part of the meat.

I'm doing a whole 7 bone roasr on the 23rd for friends. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Need some help... My husband and I are cooking a standing rib roast for Christmas Eve. We have 2 roasts that are about 10 lbs each and our plan is to cook them side-by-side in the oven (I already checked, they will fit in two pans that I've bought).

We cook a lot in our house, but reading some of the posts here would put us to shame. It sounds like there is some genuine talent on this board!

In any case, we've cooked rib roasts before - but they're usually only about 5 lbs. Can any of you provide input on how long/temp we should cook 2 - 10 lb roasts together? Also, do you have any suggestions on a rub, etc. (looking for a tasty, crispy crust).

I'd love to hear multiple opinions!
Looking forward to your responses.
Happy Holidays!

I would put my starting temperature higher and make sure those roasts are at room temp when they go in. 2 cold roasts would draw a huge amount of initial heat out of the oven.

I like the start in a low oven and then finish hot for a crust. (read Alton Brown's method, but skip the clay pot)

I've been reading about using a blow-torch prior to going into a low oven.
(from the Fat Duck cookbook, IIRC)

mhill - interesting we have diametrically opposite methods to achieve the same goal - that delectable crust/rind on the exterior of the standing rib roast. The Davooda method involves very high heat at the outset, with only residual heat to finish. The blowtorch option you mention beckons me to give it a shot, though

The SOP in the Davooda household is to pre-heat the oven to its highest possible setting (500 degrees F) and cook the kosher salt/fresh ground pepper mix/garlic powder/onion powder-encrusted and room temp roast for one hour - no more and no less - at this max temp. The roast pops/crackles/hisses and practically begs you to open the door to look, but this is verboten. This is a closed-door event.

Then you turn off the oven, leaving the door closed, and allow the roast to cook for a second hour. Remove roast, foil tent for :15 - :20 minutes and carve.

This method produces an awesome rind/crust, end pieces that are medium-well (yes, we have customers for medium-well prime rib in the house) and center pieces that are perfectly rare. Something for everyone at the Davooda table

The rub I use that is a rave at my house is a mixture of medium coarse black pepper, kosher salt, coarse mustard, worcestershire sauce, olive oil, and crushed garlic.
smear it everywhere.
I just roast the darn thing at around 325-350 until the center is about 130 degrees, but I have a variety of eaters.
(ie., not everyone likes it extremely rare)- in fact they argue over the end cuts....

Davooda wrote:mhill - interesting we have diametrically opposite methods to achieve the same goal - that delectable crust/rind on the exterior of the standing rib roast.

here's the AB version
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/dry-aged-standing-rib-roast-with-sage-jus-recipe/index.html

the main reason to do the roast in a low oven is to get a more even coloring all the way thru the meat. While the image below is a 3" porterhouse steak the principal is the same..

I prefer the long and low method, which results in meat that is cooked to equal doneness from edge to edge, with no bullseye effect.

Pre-heat the oven to 250F and let the roast(s) come to room temperature (or at least warm up a bit). Place the seasoned and lightly oiled roasts on a rack on a sheet pan. Place roasts in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 200 F. Let the roasts cook to the desired doneness (I usually shoot for about 130 F internal). Cooked at this temperature, there should be very little carry over, so you don't need to pull them early.

Once the roasts are removed, crank the oven up to 450 F, convection if you have it. Once the oven hits temperature, place the roast back in the oven for about 5-6 minutes to crisp up the exterior (I usually rotate it once during this brief blast). Remove roast from oven and let rest for a while before slicing.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I prefer the long and low method, which results in meat that is cooked to equal doneness from edge to edge, with no bullseye effect.

Pre-heat the oven to 250F and let the roast(s) come to room temperature (or at least warm up a bit). Place the seasoned and lightly oiled roasts on a rack on a sheet pan. Place roasts in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 200 F. Let the roasts cook to the desired doneness (I usually shoot for about 130 F internal). Cooked at this temperature, there should be very little carry over, so you don't need to pull them early.

Once the roasts are removed, crank the oven up to 450 F, convection if you have it. Once the oven hits temperature, place the roast back in the oven for about 5-6 minutes to crisp up the exterior (I usually rotate it once during this brief blast). Remove roast from oven and let rest for a while before slicing.

=R=

I agree on this method, with the added caveat that it takes some faith to stick with the slow coking method when you are used to starting the oven at high temp to sear and then reducing the temp. It doesn't look like the meat is cooking and it takes a long time to reach temp...but it's worth it. This is now my default method for prime rib.

Good call my fellow LTH-ers - and thanks for the additional explanation, mhill.

While I do need the varied levels of final meat temperature from the same rib roast to suit the Davooda clan at table, the low oven method, as described, would produce the results that have so far eluded me with rack of lamb - equal doneness edge to edge. I have been reluctant to experiment with such expensive cuts of meat, but thanks to LTH I don't have to!

Davooda

stevez wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I prefer the long and low method, which results in meat that is cooked to equal doneness from edge to edge, with no bullseye effect.

Pre-heat the oven to 250F and let the roast(s) come to room temperature (or at least warm up a bit). Place the seasoned and lightly oiled roasts on a rack on a sheet pan. Place roasts in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 200 F. Let the roasts cook to the desired doneness (I usually shoot for about 130 F internal). Cooked at this temperature, there should be very little carry over, so you don't need to pull them early.

Once the roasts are removed, crank the oven up to 450 F, convection if you have it. Once the oven hits temperature, place the roast back in the oven for about 5-6 minutes to crisp up the exterior (I usually rotate it once during this brief blast). Remove roast from oven and let rest for a while before slicing.

=R=

I agree on this method, with the added caveat that it takes some faith to stick with the slow coking method when you are used to starting the oven at high temp to sear and then reducing the temp. It doesn't look like the meat is cooking and it takes a long time to reach temp...but it's worth it. This is now my default method for prime rib.

Agreed. You definitely have to have faith the first time out but once you complete it, you can repeat it over and over again with confidence. That said, cooking at 200 F, a huge roast can take up to 6 hours (maybe more) to go from 40 F to 130 F. So, make sure allow plenty of time and try to let the roast sit out of refrigeration for a few hours before the cooking begins.

=R=

I'm in the slower camp. I usually do about 275-300 in the smoker for a few hours (time dependent on size) and then crisp up the outside on the Weber at the end. I've always had really great results, tho' the drippings get a bit smokey for the Yorkshire Pudding.

Serious Eats just covered roasting prime rib and confirms what Ronnie's photos already told us - low and slow, with a final blast in the oven to brown.

-Dan

LTH Rib Roast-ers:

I roasted eight racks of New Zealand lamb (Joy of Cooking mustard/rosemary glaze) last night for one of the Davooda clan Christmas dinners. It was my first time using the low and slow method with a blast from the broiler at the end to "crust-up" the fat cap. They were the best ever - not a single bone escaped intact!

Thanks so much for the new (to me) method!

Davooda

I tried the technique Thomas Keller promotes in Ad Hoc At Home: Run over the outside of the roast with a blowtorch and then put it in a 275 degree oven until done. Otherwise, no separate sear/blast stages. I had my doubts, but it really did produce a great crust and a perfect medium rare/medium center, with no bullseye effect. Try it next time.

dansch wrote:Serious Eats just covered roasting prime rib and confirms what Ronnie's photos already told us - low and slow, with a final blast in the oven to brown.

-Dan

Just tried it that way for the first time yesterday. I'd coated the rib roast in plenty of salt/pepper and let it sit, uncovered, in the fridge for two days. Pulled it out a couple hours before roasting to let it come to room temp. Washed off the excess salt and dried it. Into the oven at 200F. Got a trifle impatient and so raised it to 225 for a while. Took it out at about 132 internal temp...carryover cooking took me to about 137. It rested much longer than I expected or planned (about 45 minutes--someone needs a second oven). Back in for 10 minutes at 500F. Let it cool just a bit and sliced: perfect doneness. Perfect.

(My only question relates to my liberal initial salting. The outside edges stayed saltier than I expected. Should I brine it next time or just use less salt. Or ?)

Gypsy Boy wrote:(My only question relates to my liberal initial salting. The outside edges stayed saltier than I expected. Should I brine it next time or just use less salt. Or ?)

Definitely don't brine it, you'll effectively end up corning it. You might want to try less salt but if it were me, I wouldn't salt it quite as early -- maybe 12-24 hours in advance, at most.

=R=

Gypsy Boy,

I had almost the exact same experience as you. My cooking heat was a little higher due to time constraints. I had to cook at 300, but pulled the 7lb rib roast as it approached 130. I had to let it sit for about 30-40 minutes because of other needs, then back in at 500 for 10 minutes. I actually did this twice: last week and this week. In both cases, a perfectly done roast. I had a little layer of greyness on the first one probably because the oven was inaccurate (at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). In both cases, I noticed the roast went up an additional 10 degrees once out of the oven. If I was at a lower temp, I suspect the rise might be a little less. Perfect for the families because most of them won't abide by deep red. Both of these had a nice color without looking too raw for the average family beef eater. So... my experience was that even a higher temp will give you great results if you are sure to pull the roast before it gets up too high, let it sit for longer than you might think, then blast for a great crust.

Thanks to all the LTHers who have definitely upped my cooking game!

Great forum. Just bought a nearly 10-pounder at Romanian Kosher ($10/pound). The rib roast is the best cut of meat you can get from a kosher butcher, since they don't do shell roast or tenderloin. The king of roasts. I don't have much time to age it, but it's in the fridge uncovered. Romanian doesn't mark their meat as "prime" or "choice" but the marbling looks decent but not extensive. I'm thinking it's choice. But dang it's kosher, it's big, and we're going to enjoy it.

I will be slow-roasting for our New Year's Eve dinner. Now I'm looking for a non-dairy yorkshire pudding recipe. I'll probably just substitute soy milk for the milk.

Happy New Year!

dansch wrote:Serious Eats just covered roasting prime rib and confirms what Ronnie's photos already told us - low and slow, with a final blast in the oven to brown.

I followed this technique for the 7.4 lb Christmas rib roast and it was spectacular. Despite initial protests of "at 200 this thing will take 9 hours to cook" and "it's going to be cold and red in the middle after 3 1/2 hours" from my mom, she was pleasantly surprised that it came out perfect, and even my medium well-preferring dad got the end pieces and was happy.

I especially appreciate that the roast can rest for a while before going back into the oven for the final blast, which definitely helped when trying to have all elements of dinner ready to rock at the same time.

PitaChip wrote:

dansch wrote:Serious Eats just covered roasting prime rib and confirms what Ronnie's photos already told us - low and slow, with a final blast in the oven to brown.

I followed this technique for the 7.4 lb Christmas rib roast and it was spectacular. Despite initial protests of "at 200 this thing will take 9 hours to cook" and "it's going to be cold and red in the middle after 3 1/2 hours" from my mom, she was pleasantly surprised that it came out perfect, and even my medium well-preferring dad got the end pieces and was happy.

I especially appreciate that the roast can rest for a while before going back into the oven for the final blast, which definitely helped when trying to have all elements of dinner ready to rock at the same time.

How long did the 7.4 lb roast take to come up to temp at 200? I'm cooking one that size today.

stevez wrote:
How long did the 7.4 lb roast take to come up to temp at 200? I'm cooking one that size today.

About 3 hours 45 minutes to get it to 125 degrees internally. Serious Eats claimed that because as a rib roast gets bigger, it just gets longer, not actually thicker (unlike, say, a turkey), that any roast between 5 and 12 pounds should take between 3 1/2 and 4 hours. This was the case with ours.

We rested it for about 30 minutes while we finished up the side dishes, then hit it with 500 degrees for about 7 minutes, and it was perfect.

Davooda wrote:The SOP in the Davooda household is to pre-heat the oven to its highest possible setting (500 degrees F) and cook the kosher salt/fresh ground pepper mix/garlic powder/onion powder-encrusted and room temp roast for one hour - no more and no less - at this max temp. The roast pops/crackles/hisses and practically begs you to open the door to look, but this is verboten. This is a closed-door event.

Then you turn off the oven, leaving the door closed, and allow the roast to cook for a second hour. Remove roast, foil tent for :15 - :20 minutes and carve.

This method produces an awesome rind/crust, end pieces that are medium-well (yes, we have customers for medium-well prime rib in the house) and center pieces that are perfectly rare. Something for everyone at the Davooda table

How big a roast do you use with this method? It looks like a winner, especially with rock salt on the outside. Or, more importantly, how big should it be? I'd imagine this process is epic fail with a 2-bone roast.

jsimonsono - just dropped you a PM. Indeed, the roasts I cook in this manner are minimum 10 pounders. The largest was a 16 pounder a few years back. This method is perfect for my family because everyone wants a different finished meat temp. I would be inclined to use the "low oven and blast at the end" method for a smaller roast so as not to risk an entirely well-done roast.

Not that there's anything wrong with that

Davooda

Davooda wrote:jsimonsono - just dropped you a PM. Indeed, the roasts I cook in this manner are minimum 10 pounders. The largest was a 16 pounder a few years back. This method is perfect for my family because everyone wants a different finished meat temp. I would be inclined to use the "low oven and blast at the end" method for a smaller roast so as not to risk an entirely well-done roast.

Not that there's anything wrong with that

Davooda

That's the info I needed. Glad I didn't pick up a 6 pounder from Bobak's yesterday! I may need to order a rib roast from Peoria when I'm ready to try that, $100 is a bit pricy for an experiment. I can see how the larger a roast is wouldn't be a big deal from points posted earlier. I'll keep this in mind, thx for the info...

I've used the long and low method with smaller roasts (even as small as 2.5 pounds) and it works just fine. The only caution is the blast at the end, which I limit to just 4-5 total minutes.

=R=

I'd really, really recommend the procedure I outlined above from Thomas Keller for a small roast.

The process: season liberally, run a blowtorch (bernzomatic for instance) around the entire outside of the roast (you aren't looking to brown the outside here, so only spend a minute or two on this step), and then roast at 250-275 until it gets very close to your target temp. take it out, let it rest, and carve.

as unlikely as it sounds, this creates a really delicious crust and a perfect interior with no bullseye effect. and since you don't do a second blast, you don't risk destroying the small roast. we did this on a 3 pounder for christmas and it worked wonderfully -- the best rib roast I've made.

more on the recipe at the delicious life, including pics and such.

gleam wrote:I'd really, really recommend the procedure I outlined above from Thomas Keller for a small roast.

Looks very good, Ed. In fact, I would have tried it tonight but my blowtorch is empty.

Not at all a rib roast, I had a dreaded tenderloin, about 2.5 pounds, which I decided to cook long and low. Actually, my cooking-impaired wife did this, following the instructions I gave her over the phone. Because the roast was so small, it ended up only needing about 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 135. After that, we (she, that is ) convection-roasted it at 425 F for about 5 minutes, turning it once during that time. I should note that the roast cooled considerably between phase 1 and phase 2 because we had to run out for H1N1 vaccinations. In any event, the results were outstanding . . .


2.5-pound beef tenderloin cooked long and low

As I posted above, this method even works with a small and unforgiving beef tenderloin. As tasty as it was tonight at dinner, I'm looking forward to slicing it thin and making a nice sandwich for lunch tomorrow.

=R=

Interpolating among various results mentioned here, including Ronnie's 2.5 lb tenderloin, I'd guesstimate that my 4 lb cross-rib roast (as they call it here in Québec) will take 2.5hrs+ at 200°F to reach the desired internal 132°. Any dissenting comments from the crew??

Yes, it's for TODG and me for Super Bowl today. We're watching it alone, on Canadian tv, which is a bummer. Because of content, etc. rules, the ads are intercepted and local/national ads are substituted, which means we'll watch the same stupid Bud ad about 30 times during the game. Really, really a downer. Which is why I decided to go Big Time with the eats! Yorkshire pudd, too.

Geo