The Prime Rib (and other beef) Thread

[smokymountainrain]

im always looking for reasons to skip my weekly one hour of church but I thought everyone is supposed to go on Mother's Day? Aren't I supposed to go and pretend like the primary songs are super precious?

Yeah, I was a little surprised I didn't encounter any resistance on this one.

[hostile]

That is my plan. The problem is that I'm serving people that live elsewhere and will show up later. So if it starts cooking too quickly I need to be able to dial down the temps a bit.

im shooting for a 530 carve and serve, so I'm thinking out into the oven at 2, pull around 5, carryover for 30 mins. I'm aiming for around 130-135 on the high end. I prefer more pink but many of the mothers coming over do not.

I would aim for 120-125 in the center. That way you can have the center be perfect and the ends overlooked for those who prefer their meat that way.

[TripletDaddy]

I would aim for 120-125 in the center. That way you can have the center be perfect and the ends overlooked for those who prefer their meat that way.

I've done that before but it was too pink for many. It was perfect for me though. Maybe I will give it another shot at those temps.

[Sizzle]

That is my plan. The problem is that I'm serving people that live elsewhere and will show up later. So if it starts cooking too quickly I need to be able to dial down the temps a bit.

im shooting for a 530 carve and serve, so I'm thinking out into the oven at 2, pull around 5, carryover for 30 mins. I'm aiming for around 130-135 on the high end. I prefer more pink but many of the mothers coming over do not.

Don't worry about my wife. She doesn't mind it it's pink. We'll be there a few before 5:30. TIA.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Sounds like Triple and Moli both over cook meat for the women in their lives, somewhere cowboy is laughing/crying.

[kccougar]

im always looking for reasons to skip my weekly one hour of church but I thought everyone is supposed to go on Mother's Day? Aren't I supposed to go and pretend like the primary songs are super precious?

I was there for the super precious primary numbers but missed Sunday School in order to move the ribs from the smoker to the oven and to get the beans going. I love Mother's Day.

[TripletDaddy]

Sounds like Triple and Moli both over cook meat for the women in their lives, somewhere cowboy is laughing/crying.

I'm still pink regardless but I'm changing it up today. Going back to 125. I'm taking a stand. Then after the dinner I'll go looking for the dope man.

[wuapinmon]

My BiL called me yesterday and said he had to go Vegas for some business, and asked me if I wanted to come along. We went and took care of the errand and then went to the Stratosphere. $10 minimum, ouch, but a quick hot streak left me up $200. I'm going to Costco right now and I'm buying a whole ribeye to cut into steaks for tomorrow. I might even buy Prime if there's any left. For you, cowboy.

[cowboy]

My neighbor passed away Saturday night and he was somewhat of a legend in the beef industry. He was a purebred Angus breeder, and his cattle were in demand all over the country. Most of our herd is comprised of his genetics. Cattlemen are flying in from all over the country for his funeral Friday. Someone donated prime rib for the family dinner afterward, and the ladies in charge of the dinner asked me to cook...for 200 people.

I've never cooked prime rib for 200 people before, let alone 200 people who raise cattle for a living, and it scares the hell out of me. Tick, Drunk Tank, Lebowski, or any of you others who have cooked prime rib for large groups, I'm open to tips. I'm not afraid to cook for large groups, and I'm not afraid of prime rib, but prime rib for large groups is something I've never done.

[Jeff Lebowski]

My neighbor passed away Saturday night and he was somewhat of a legend in the beef industry. He was a purebred Angus breeder, and his cattle were in demand all over the country. Most of our herd is comprised of his genetics. Cattlemen are flying in from all over the country for his funeral Friday. Someone donated prime rib for the family dinner afterward, and the ladies in charge of the dinner asked me to cook...for 200 people.

I've never cooked prime rib for 200 people before, let alone 200 people who raise cattle for a living, and it scares the hell out of me. Tick, Drunk Tank, Lebowski, or any of you others who have cooked prime rib for large groups, I'm open to tips. I'm not afraid to cook for large groups, and I'm not afraid of prime rib, but prime rib for large groups is something I've never done.

Yowza. That does sound scary.

I have done pulled pork, ribs, and chicken for large groups, but never prime rib. Sorry.

[YOhio]

My neighbor passed away Saturday night and he was somewhat of a legend in the beef industry. He was a purebred Angus breeder, and his cattle were in demand all over the country. Most of our herd is comprised of his genetics. Cattlemen are flying in from all over the country for his funeral Friday. Someone donated prime rib for the family dinner afterward, and the ladies in charge of the dinner asked me to cook...for 200 people.

I've never cooked prime rib for 200 people before, let alone 200 people who raise cattle for a living, and it scares the hell out of me. Tick, Drunk Tank, Lebowski, or any of you others who have cooked prime rib for large groups, I'm open to tips. I'm not afraid to cook for large groups, and I'm not afraid of prime rib, but prime rib for large groups is something I've never done.

I'm sorry for your loss, cowboy. Good luck with that cook. I suggest flying in DT and Tick in and put those guys to work on your smoker trailer.

[cowboy]

I'm sorry for your loss, cowboy. Good luck with that cook. I suggest flying in DT and Tick in and put those guys to work on your smoker trailer.

Thanks. I'll admit being surprisingly sad about his passing. Aside from my own father and grandfathers, I admired this guy more than anyone I know. Buying bulls from him was always a two-hour affair, as he'd BS forever, but he was incredibly wise and I always left feeling like I'd been to the top of a mountain and gleaned wisdom from an ancient. He was also hilarious. He died of pancreatic cancer, and as soon as he found out he had a tumor he named it after a pain-in-the-butt neighbor who causes everybody grief. Even as he was dying, he found a way to make us all laugh. I'm really going to miss him.

[Drunk Tank]

Cowboy, sorry for your loss, sounds like he will be greatly missed. What a great honor that they trust you enough to cook for this crowd, but it does sound scary. 200 servings of prime rib is a lot of beef. Is everyone being served at the same time, or will there be a line with a carving station set up? I like carving stations because it allows you a little more time and you can stage when the meat will be done. Serving everyone at once may be a little more tough.

I suggest getting helpers. You cant do it all yourself or you will quickly find yourself in the weeds. Cooking for large groups is easy when you have helpers and set up stages. You need someone to man the smoker (you I assume), you need people to help with the prep, and you need people to help with post cook and serving. Have your first group of helpers prep and season the meat while you are getting the smoker ready/up to temp. Show them how you want it done and give them good instructions. Once the smoker is ready, have them help you get the meat on the smoker. The cook will be on you. Check pit temps, check meat temps, rotate the meat in and out of the hot spot of the smoker if it has one so the meat cooks more even. As the meat is ready to come off, you need to get it off the cooker and hand it over to the next stage where your helpers can foil/rest the meat in prep for carving/serving. You don't need an army of helpers, just a couple who you trust and who can take direction from you.

For the cook, I would try to do a quick sear on the meat and then smoke it, but if that is not an option, then just smoke at a high temp (300-325°) for the duration of the cook. You should still get a nice crust and decent color. With that many roasts, you will want to pay close attention to your temps and if you have any known hot spots in your smoker, maybe try to rotate the meat so they cook more evenly. In the end just remember that this is no different than cooking prime rib for your family, you just have more pieces of meat to look after. Just remember to have fun and in the end, everyone is going to love it!

Hopefully this makes sense, I am trying to type this as I am doing other work...

[Drunk Tank]

I'm sorry for your loss, cowboy. Good luck with that cook. I suggest flying in DT and Tick in and put those guys to work on your smoker trailer.

I like this idea and would be all over it if we weren't already booked this Friday. Business has been pretty good lately.

[cowboy]

I like this idea and would be all over it if we weren't already booked this Friday. Business has been pretty good lately.

I'd be all over it too. A question for you: How do we deal with a fluid meal time? We're expecting them to eat at noon, but if they take longer at the cemetery than expected, it could be 1:00. Do we pull them off at 110, or even 100, and ftc them until people start to arrive, then put a few back in for the well done folks? That's my big question at the moment. I found out this morning I'm singing at the funeral with my three brothers. My youngest brother is very good childhood friends with his grand-daughters and they asked him to sing. He was scared to sing alone, so we got roped into it. I have lots of fairly experienced helpers, though, so I should be able to slip away for the funeral then come strait back while everyone is going to the cemetery. Not too many things scare me, but this does... a lot.