The Prime Rib (and other beef) Thread

[Jeff Lebowski]

Here are the 3 roasts I cooked. They turned out pretty good. Two were served at 135° and the other between 140-145°. Everyone thought the taste was excellent. I think I could have gotten a little better sear on the outside, but overall was pretty good. I must say that dry aging them in the fridge for a few days really made a difference. I think I may go longer next time.

I don't know what you are talking about. They look fabulous.

[Green Monstah]

So, here was the final product (a little apple dressing with gravy and cranberry in the garden salad to tie it in to the holidays). The marbling in my prime rib was not as good as I'd hoped. The smoke and rub flavor was really nice on the outside. The meat was very moist. Last night we got together with a bunch of friends and I served the leftovers to friends. Even after 20 hours in the fridge and being reheated in the oven, it was still a pretty big hit.

If I were to do over, I think I'd sear it a little more. My kids were pretty freaked out by the redness/pinkness of the meat. Thanks for all of the ideas in this thread. I'm not supposed to eat red meat, so I won't be doing a lot of prime rib, but it's nice to have another cut added to my repetoire.

[YOhio]

When I untied it to trim off the rib bones, I discovered a whole layer of garlic:


.

The feast looks fantastic, but I have to admit to being a bit grossed out by this shot. Especially knowing that you weren't expecting the garlic. It reminds me of spider eggs or maggots. I don't think I'll ever buy preseasoned prime rib from Costco.

[hostile]

No leftovers this year
Next time remember to buy a bigger roast.

[TripletDaddy]

I didnt take pics but my leftovers:

1. Day 1: steak and eggs for breakfast
2. Day 2: french dip sandwich for X-mas evening snack. Havarti cheese, no caramelized onions (sounds like a great idea, though)

[Jeff Lebowski]

This epic thread deserves some leftover stories. I bought some fresh rolls today and used a couple of Mayan Sweets from Costco to make caramelized onions. I sliced the leftover prime rib and we made french dip sandwiches. Also used the leftover horseradish sauce and Edam cheese. The sandwiches were outstanding.

[Viking]

This thread makes me exceedingly happy. We had a 20-lb prime rib that my mother cooked, and it fed 12 adults & 8 kids with probably 5 good sized pieces remaining. She did it without a thermometer like she always does, and it turned out perfect.

I think it is worth noting that the primal rib and the loin are the two most valuable and tasty parts of a beef. Still, even at $10/lb, you pay less in the grocery store for an 8 oz. piece of prime rib than you do for a 5 oz. hamburger in most fast food joints. Even on a pretty tight budget, you can still afford a nice meal if you can spend some time to cook it yourself.

Right now the packers have a short-term supply glut so there has been a lot of sales on beef. Take advantage of it and fill your freezer because, barring a sudden loss of export demand, supplies will become very tight going into early to mid summer, and rib steaks will be looking at $12/lb or more in the grocery store.

Finally, a few of y'all have some real cooking talent. I'm no stranger to cooking beef and you've made me feel like a novice, but it's worth it to glean the ideas you've shared here. Special thanks to hostile, Drunk Tank, DDD, Lebowski, and others for posting pics and being secure enough in your manhood to admit pleasure in cooking.

Cowboy is the best. He can combine fantastic eating with sound investment advice.

He lives the life I've always dreamed to have, just that I want my number in the bank first.

[cowboy]

This thread makes me exceedingly happy. We had a 20-lb prime rib that my mother cooked, and it fed 12 adults & 8 kids with probably 5 good sized pieces remaining. She did it without a thermometer like she always does, and it turned out perfect.

I think it is worth noting that the primal rib and the loin are the two most valuable and tasty parts of a beef. Still, even at $10/lb, you pay less in the grocery store for an 8 oz. piece of prime rib than you do for a 5 oz. hamburger in most fast food joints. Even on a pretty tight budget, you can still afford a nice meal if you can spend some time to cook it yourself.

Right now the packers have a short-term supply glut so there has been a lot of sales on beef. Take advantage of it and fill your freezer because, barring a sudden loss of export demand, supplies will become very tight going into early to mid summer, and rib steaks will be looking at $12/lb or more in the grocery store.

Finally, a few of y'all have some real cooking talent. I'm no stranger to cooking beef and you've made me feel like a novice, but it's worth it to glean the ideas you've shared here. Special thanks to hostile, Drunk Tank, DDD, Lebowski, and others for posting pics and being secure enough in your manhood to admit pleasure in cooking.

[Drunk Tank]

Here are the 3 roasts I cooked. They turned out pretty good. Two were served at 135° and the other between 140-145°. Everyone thought the taste was excellent. I think I could have gotten a little better sear on the outside, but overall was pretty good. I must say that dry aging them in the fridge for a few days really made a difference. I think I may go longer next time.











I still have 1 1/4 roasts left. I am going to break out the meat sliced tomorrow and they will make great roast beef sandwiches. Also, I have to say that today I really missed my Traeger. It was tough fitting all three roasts in the egg.

[wuapinmon]

My sister gave me a year-long subscription to Cook's Illustrated for X-mas. That's the gift that keeps on giving.

[Jeff Lebowski]

That looks fantastic JeffLebowski. Also, glad you liked the creamed corn. It is really good. But wait until corn is in season. Go buy some ears of sweet corn and cut it straight off the the cob. Makes a huge difference.

Yeah, that sounds fabulous. Can't wait to try it that way.

Do you remember the temp at carving? Was it 140 or 145? Also, how long did you let it rest? 30 mins?

I let it sit about 30 minutes and it rose exactly five degrees. So it was about 145 when I carved it.

[hostile]

That looks fantastic JeffLebowski. Also, glad you liked the creamed corn. It is really good. But wait until corn is in season. Go buy some ears of sweet corn and cut it straight off the the cob. Makes a huge difference.

Do you remember the temp at carving? Was it 140 or 145? Also, how long did you let it rest? 30 mins?

Agreed - looks great, color looks perfect. I saw those preseasoned roasts at Costco as well, but didn't realize they had garlic stuffed inside. It looks like your roast is laying a tiny egg. The flavor has to be amazing.

The best thing about this, or any other holiday where I don't have to work (much), is having time to cook. Like you JL, I love it.

[TripletDaddy]

That looks fantastic JeffLebowski. Also, glad you liked the creamed corn. It is really good. But wait until corn is in season. Go buy some ears of sweet corn and cut it straight off the the cob. Makes a huge difference.

Do you remember the temp at carving? Was it 140 or 145? Also, how long did you let it rest? 30 mins?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Well, I am a little embarrassed to post after hostile, who appears to be a master at this, but here goes nothing.

First of all, I have to give a shout-out for DDD's creamed corn recipe. I have had some excellent creamed corn a couple of restaurants lately (including The Oceaniare in SD) so I have been wanting to give this a shot. This recipe was very easy to make and was a huge hit with the family. I did the freshly-grated parmesan twist at the end under the broiler. Here it is coming out. Outstanding side dish.



Here is the roast just after coming out of the oven.



This was one of the pre-seasoned, pre-tied roasts from Costco. After setting it on the table, I discovered some garlic cloves peeking out:



When I untied it to trim off the rib bones, I discovered a whole layer of garlic:



Here is the finished product, on the plate:



Flavor was outstanding and the meat was amazingly tender. I bought it on Weds and the expiration date was 12/26 so I was a little nervous, but it worked out beautifully.

how did 140-145 rest treat you and yours? I was freaking out, thinking that I had just massacred a prime roast. But it was still pink and very juicy. Again, next time I think I would stick to a strict 140, but I was surprised by 145.

I think it was just about right for my family. It was a perfect medium. As you can see, still a fair amount of pink in the middle. Next time I think I might cut back five degrees or so because you can satisfy those who like it more well done by giving them an end piece.

We decided to give our arteries a break and forego dessert today.

What a blast. I love to cook.

[hostile]

Love that. looks great. Do you mind posting the recipe for the sprouts? Those look great and might be a fun way of introducing the Puffy Check to an often-maligned vegetable.

The gru pops are the way to go. Next time try some of my gru glaze to add some love to those babies. Also, not to get picky, but I wonder if there is something else to add to the batter to give the popover just a tad more flavor? I need some help. I don't know if I should add more salt or something else, but I think there is some tinkering I can do with those.

If you don't mind my asking, on the plating and presentation, what are you serving in the X-mas mugs? Is that for nog?

Sprouts are really easy and my kids love them. I used 4# of sprouts and had leftovers for 14 so I would figure about 1#/5-6 people. Cut off the ends and peel of the outer leaves and then cut them in half. Mix olive oil, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you want (I use thyme, occasionally garlic) in a large bowl and then toss the sprouts until they are well coated. I added some thinly sliced shallots today but the flavor of the roasted sprouts really can stand alone.

Heat the oven with cookie sheet(s) up to 500. You'll need 1 sheet pan for every 2 pounds. Once heated take out the pan, spread the sprouts so they are only a single layer, and put back in the oven. Roast until the sprouts are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. I stir the sprouts every 5 minutes or so until they are done. There will be some black edges and leaves - don't worry.

When they are done add additional salt and pepper to taste. You can add other stuff if you want to give some variety. Today I added some roasted pine nuts and a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar. In the past I have added bacon, pancetta, or roasted walnuts. You can top them with a mixture of Panko bread crumbs and parmesan as well.

I think the options for the popovers would be to use olive oil in the pans instead of Pam. Bacon grease or duck fat might work as well for the savory side of things. For the sweet you could try nutmeg or cinnamon. I think having a sauce available is a great idea, but I didn't do it this time.

We put sparkling Martinelli's in the mugs - the kids like it and it gives us a chance to use the mugs.