That is the article that I referenced above. Or rather, that is the cooking component of the more exhaustive complete guide to prime rib and it appears to be a good resource on the topic. He doesn’t really discuss whether a roasting temperature of 250 would work as well as 200, and I’m not sure that roasting under the boiling point of water really makes much difference (or any) in terms of water loss because the water in the meat isn’t boiling when the meat temp is rising only to 110, even if the air around it is 225 degrees. Aside from that though, I agree that the Maillard reaction isn’t really involved at that point, and if so, not in a meaningful way. The Maillard reaction is involved in the final browning process in the 550 degree oven, not during the slow roasting process. (At least if I understand the process correctly).
The higher temp of 250 would have some effect on how much of the outer layer “boils” as compared to a roasting temp of 200. In an extreme example, it’s somewhat akin to dry aging. Compare how juicy the outer layer of meat is when taking it out of the cryovac versus how it is after dry aging. Roasting at 250 will dry out the outer layer faster than roasting at 200, resulting in more gray meat. Not a significant amount more, but I’d rather it be as “pink to the edges” as possible. Budgeting an extra 90mins-2 hours of roasting time typically for me isn’t a showstopper when preparing/cooking all the other stuff to accompany a big prime rib roast.
Did one last night. 5.5lb at 200 for about 4 hours. Pulled at 115 and let rest for 60 min. Hit it for 10 min at 550 to finish. Pink to the edge and pretty rare. Next time I’d probably let it go until the thermometer read 120-122. Still, was delicious!
Yes, I’ve noticed with the low & slow method that the temperature rise during the resting phase is not as pronounced compared to the rise when a roast has been subjected to higher roasting temperatures. Ran into the same issue when I did a smoked New York strip roast in my Traeger. Kept the smoke temp at about 190 degrees, and pulled when the roast hit 118 degrees. Let it rest for an hour in a cooler, then hit it with a sear. Was still a bit too rare in the center, but that was easily remedied with a few more minutes of sear.
That makes sense, I think. At 200, the heat flow through the roast is pretty uniform (think about it, otherwise you wouldn’t get that uniform done-ness across the whole roast), so you won’t get much of a rise during resting. I’d just cook to the internal temp you want, then blast it. Maybe a degree or two less, but that’s probably the accuracy of the average thermometer anyway.
Great thread. I bought a roast and will do the dry age treatement which I’ve never done before, so I had a few questions. Is this the suggested process or is there a better way:
rinse and pat dry beef with paper towels
triple wrap in cheese cloth
put on elevated rack and pop in frig
re wrap the first day and every four days after that
total frig time is 14 -45 days depending on preference and how long you can hold out without cooking
Questions
In 2), do you wrap the ends with cloth or leave it open for air flow. Also, is it better to wrap the cloth lightly or loosely?
For 4) how often do you rewrap as a preferred way? Do you use new cloth or the same one?
For 5) why does This process preserve the beef from spoiling. If I left it under store wrap it surely would be bad in 4-5 days, right?
The meat would not go bad in 4-5 days. As discussed up-thread and in many other threads here you can dry age the meat on a rack and it will be fine, but the exposed outer part of the meat will eventually become unpleasant and need to be removed. I remember a friend’s dad telling me a story years and years ago, before I’d ever heard of “dry aging” about how he used to work as a helper at a butcher shop as a boy and he bought a whole tenderloin and hung it for far too long. He said it was green on the outside, but being an expensive piece of meat he cut off the outer layer and cooked the rest, and that it was the best piece of meat he ate. Similarly there are places doing extremely long aging processes these days, though if you ever eat like a 60+ day aged steak it definitely has a funkier, maybe cheesier flavor (my opinion) and while good, maybe loses a bit of beefiness.
Some great input provided to the OP.
I think Costco prime rocks, we started using it several years back and either do a whole tenderloin or prime rib for Christmas.
In high school I was a cook for steak and ale, they did a real low 180-200 degree oven with no sear, lots of salt/pepper for the crust.
I do an initial sear (on a gas grill) then rub it with salt and pepper and then put in a smoker with a very small amount of oak and cook between 225-250. I do want to try the reverse sear, but don’t want to ruin my salt/pepper crust at least on the grill, so I may try the oven sear next time.
I’m thinking you’ll need about 3.5 hours for a 17 pounder at 225-250.
Popovers are awesome, we used to cook our PR in the conventional way and had plenty of drippings, now we render some beef fat (usually from a whole tenderloin we have trimmed) and use that. The trick is real hot oil and do them last minute so they are really hot and still puffed up.
Good luck and Post Pics when your done!
I am also a fan of the prime grade rib roast. Price is very hard to beat. BTW, you can get some killer deals on it the day after xmas (if any remains).
I use a oven temp of 200f (fat renders at about 140f). Take it out when internal temp hits 120f. I go to 550f for the sear. Works well IMHO.
On a related note, the best thing i have ever done to improve the crust is to raise the roast so the bottom is at least 2 inches above the top of the drip pan. I also use a rack that minimizes the surface area of the rack that actually comes into contact with the roast.
Thanks Jay. That is what I’ve been gravitating towards in terms of temps. How long do you expect to roast a large roast (17#) at 200 in order to hit 120.
Large! You are cooking a dinosaur. I never even came close to cooking on the big. You will be cooking the chuck and loin end which have different flavor profiles.
You may want to consider getting two roasts if you have a preference between the chuck or loin.
I unusually cook an 8# roast (Costco prime grade). I try to get bone-in but am not obsessive about it. I apply the rub the night before its to be put in the oven. Don’t forget to set it out on the counter a couple hours before you start cooking. The nice thing on timing is you can set it out for 90 minutes after cooking but before you plan to sear so you have lots of wiggle room. I cant imagine yours taking more than 5 hours (assuming 200f). BTW, I have started cooking at 170D and I get a slightly better result.
No such option Jay. I purchased the entire roast. It wasn’t even the largest. It may have been the smallest of about five on offer! (Obviously they had smaller roasts as well in another area) The whole, bone-in ranged but were more like 25#. As someone mentioned earlier in this thread, cooking time is anything but directly related to weight, since the difference in weight is essentially a difference in length only. So I assume this one will run like most. I’m going to start it around 11:30 or so with the idea that it will cook until about 4:30, then rest for 60-90 minutes while sides are completed, then sear, then serve.
Convection is a good way to accelerate the internal temperature rise. Good idea with veggies or braises and such, but a bad idea on meats you’re trying to cook to a low internal temp.
Convection is like sous vide with air instead of water.
Bought a costco prime rib and left in the cryovac for 3 weeks. Based on the pack date that gave it a total of 4.5 weeks in the bag. Day before Christmas took out and cut into about a 6 lb roast and took off a little of the thickest fat cap, scored the fat cap, tied the roast and then made a rub of 3 parts salt, 2 parts pepper, 1 part garlic power and 1/2 part dried thyme. Generously rubbed the entire roast and patted it in, placed on a rack uncovered in the fridge. About 9 am, rubbed some canola oil on the exposed surfaces and put into a 200 deg oven. About 2 hours in my oven thermometer decided to act up and start reading crazy numbers. So I had to go old fashioned with the jiggle test and using the probe and touching to my lip. After about 4 hours I finally figured it was about 120 and pulled. Here is the key, I wrapped in butcher paper just like you would do a brisket, then took two pizza stones that had been in the oven with the meat, placed them on a towel, which was in an ice chest, placed the wrapped meat on that covered with the towel, zipped up the chest and left the roast until 4:30. Pulled it out popped it in the oven for 7 minutes at 550 and then 10 minutes in the other oven at 400.
Extraordinary tenderness and flavor, perfectly medium rare edge to edge. Total fat loss minimal and the cutting board had zero juice on it due to the long rest. Wife proclaimed, best she has ever had. First cooked beef I have enjoyed in about a year and a half.
