Rib Roast Appreciation Thread

[Smoothsmoke]

A tad on the rare side.

[TIMMAY]

I have a plate that was suggested to me that it should be properly appreciated...

[HankB]

Posting because I appreciate the help I'm getting here.



This was about 4 hours at around 240°F (18.5 WSM with foiled water pan) which got me an IT of 117°. After resting for a bit I tried to sear on a screaming hot kettle but had almost instant grease fueled flair ups so that didn't last long. My rub of salt, black pepper and coriander did not disappoint.

No plated pix. We were ready to eat and the grilled asparagus was getting cold.

[Gore]

That's beautiful! Thanks! Also, if you can post some details of the cooks (temps, times, etc.), this might be a useful reference.

[Hoss]

Cooked 300 dome on a 22WSM.I prefer to cook a little lower temp but the ham took longer than I planned and the natives were restless.

[landarc]

Humboldt Grass-fed Beef, mostly at 225F, with an herb, garlic n olive oil paste slather


similar to above. 250F. Simply Marvelous sweet & spicy and slather as above

[VA-Dave]

Stunning!!!!!

Landarc -You had me at Humbolt, grass, herb.

Seriously though, great thread folks.

Gore - I saved your pic from the OP as my desktop.

Dave

[Hoss]

Originally Posted by Gore

I really thought there should have been something like this by now, but for some reason my searches couldn't find it. This time of year there are many rib roasts being cooked and people asking advice on how to cook them. I am of the belief that a rib roast is one of the easiest things to cook. We see cooking temps typically range from 225* to 350* with people raving about the results, and I've even seen some posts with cooks going as low as 200* and as high as 425*. All of these posts claim excellent results and I believe them! Basically, you can't mess this up. Well, unless your remote thermometer fails, you fall asleep, your fire goes out or starts burning wildly out of control. But under normal circumstances, you're going to have a great product. I'm going to start this thread by posting some basic information on cooking, what I do, some reference material, and then leave it up to others to post pictures, recipes, etc.

My typical roast is quite simple. I usually cook a four-bone roast, ~7lbs. I take it out of the refrigerator an hour before the cook and let it come up to temp a bit on its own. I trim excess fat off the roast, because nobody in my family really likes to eat fat and when it is trimmed afterward, then the spices go along with it. The last roast I cooked, I trimmed just about the entire fat cap, yes, down to the meat. The results were excellent, but more about that later. I then rub the roast down with EVOO, coat with S&P, Montreal steak spice, Lawry's, parsley, Foil Hat Rub, or any combination of the above -- it doesn't matter, because it's going to be good. I then put the roast in my preheated (~225*) pit (lump with a chunk of oak) on a tray -- the same one in the picture below that I serve with. I cook this indirect on the Oval with diffusers in place. I put in a temperature probe, smack dab in the middle. Roughly 3 1/2 hours later (your times will vary), the IT has climbed to between 120*-130*. I aim for about 125*. I then remove the roast, tent foil, sometimes with a couple layers and cover with a towel. I've let them sit for an hour, but typically rest for 1/2 hour. They stay warm. The IT typically climbs about 10*, sometimes a bit more in this time. When I'm ready to serve, I open the vents on the pit (or use another pit), and bring the temp up to ~600*. I do a very quick sear, just a couple minutes along the cap and bones. The heat is just on the outside and I can slice this when I'm ready. Because of the low cooking temp (and rest), I get a very evenly cooked product. This may or may not be what you want.



I should note that after cooking, I trimmed the bones off for easy slicing!

Now for some background material:

Two great resources on prime rib and reverse searing are given by The Food Lab here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/t...prime-rib.html

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/12/w...m_medium=email

While you will hear a lot about reverse searing on this forum, it is not essential. You can get a great product by just smoking or roasting. I personally like the crusty edge, but that is my preference and it may not be yours.

What's the deal about cooking temperature? They are all over the place. Essentially, this means you can't mess it up. Just about any temperature you pick, you will end up with a great product. That doesn't mean that it will be the same product though. Here is an illustration of the differences in the final product due to different cooking temperatures:



Essentially, it comes down to how even you want it, and especially how done do you like that cap. The cap is juicy and there is nothing wrong with eating it well done. Notice also that Ron_L does not sear his meat.

How about cooking times? Thirdeye has compiled a list of cooking times for roasts. I'm going to cut and paste that here. Hopefully, he'll be able to update this list with new data.



I just want to comment that there are a lot of factors in these times, not only the kind of pit you have, but I believe also, how the roast is trimmed. I have found that my roasts have been cooked consistently in about 3 1/2 hours. The last one I did in which I trimmed all of the fat cooked in only 2 1/2 hours. I am assuming that is because this insulating layer has been removed -- ask any duck, fat is a great insulator. This certainly is an anomaly in the above dataset for a ~ 7lb roast.

Post your comments, pics and recipes, please!

Perfect example of properly cooked med rare Standing Rib Roast.

[VA-Dave]

I agree Hoss.

Notice that there is no internal browning, and yet the red is consistent from the outside to the inside.

Stellar.

Dave

[Gore]

I think this thread is going to keep me awake at night. Bob, that Humbolt beef looks absolutely amazing. You know exactly the bite I want to put in my mouth.

[TIMMAY]

Well... Its been too long so I can't edit my post...

I cooked mine reverse sear style for a medium rare finish. That roast was small, only 3lb. Fired the kettle up to 225 with one chunk of hickory. Rubbed the roast with only S&P. Cooked to an IT of 115 (EXACTLY 115, knowing your meat temp is important...), removed, foiled temporarily while I filled both baskets with blue, and get the kettle as hot as it will go, took maybe 20 min. Roast back on kettle for maybe 10 minutes for a nice sear. Remove, foil and rest in preheated cooler for 30 min. Slice.

If you thought that the meat in my pic was too rare, it was closer to medium. My phone really amplifies red colors in pics.

[dwfisk]

Super thread, I'll be saving this one! I have learned a bunch - actually thought I new how to cook one of these things but wonders never cease.

[Carbon]

Awesome cook and thread!

I'd love to do this this weekend. Which way should the roast sit on the grate? Rib side down?

[TIMMAY]

Rib side down is the way I do it. However I dunno if that is the set rule. It just looks nicer when it comes off the grill.