Conference turris::cooks

Prime Rib of Beef is a 'standing rib roast'.

When I go to the butcher a ask for:

	"the first four ribs. loosen the chine bone and leave about
	1/2 inch on suet on the top."

Place in roasting pan standing on ribs [hence no need for a rack].
Lightly salt and pepper to taste.  Roast at 325 for 20 min/lb plus
10-20 minutes.  DO NOT BASTE - thats why the butcher left the suet
on.

To serve as in restaurants, carefully carve rib-width slabs.  Serve with
au jus [drain fat off and augment pan drippings w/au jus mix]

***NOTE:  the suet you drain off after roasting is perfect for making
Yorkshire pudding. [Heat approx. 1/4 cup of drippings in 9x9 pan.  pour in batter made of 1 cup
er made of 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 2 eggs & 1/2 tsp salt.  Bake at 450 for
30-35 minutes]  I always make the pudding because I grew up timing the
amount of time one should let the roas sit covered before carving by the
amount of time it took to bake the pudding.  

NOTE 2:  My cooking time is for rare to medium rare. Adjust accordingly.

NOTE 3:  I have done this with a 2-rib roast, but a two-ribber often falls
	over and the oven needs cleaning.

Good luck,

AnnieJ

YOU CAN GO TO JUST ABOUT ANY FOOD MARKET THAT SELLS MEAT AND BY A RIB
ROAST - EITHER SMALL OR LARGE END.  HOW DO YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE?
JUST CHECK THE PRICE.  IF YOU HAVE VISIONS OF COOKING PRIME RIB "JUST
LIKE YOU GET IN THE RESTAURANT" YOU WILL MOST LIKELY BE SEVERELY
DISAPPOINTED.  BY THAT I MEAN PINK IN THE MIDDLE - MY FAVORITE.  THE
ONLY WAY YOU CAN REALLY GET IT THAT WAY IS TO BUY A ROAST WITH ABOUT
FIVE OR SIX RIBS, THEN THE ONES IN THE MIDDLE WILL BE THAT WAY.  AND
OF COURSE YOU WILL PRACTICALLY NEED A LOAN TO GET ONE THAT LARGE.
MY ONLY REASON FOR EVER GOING OUT TO EAT IS TO GET PRIME RIB.  LAST TIME
I HAD IT WAS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO AT LE BIFTHIQUE (OFF RTE 93 IN ANDOVER-
THE OLD VALLES)  IT COST 9.95 FOR A 24 OUNCE CUT AND WAS ABSOLUTELY
SPECTACULAR.  I WOULD SUGGEST YOU GO THAT ROUTE

RICK

       Keep in mind that 'prime rib' does not refer to the grade of beef,
       but only to the location from which the beef was cut. A prime rib
       purchased in a supermarket will almost always be USDA grade
       Choice, whereas many restaurants will serve a prime rib that is
       USDA prime.  The major difference between choice and prime is that
       prime has more marbling (fat content in the beef), which tends to
       make it juicier, tastier, and more tender (more cholesterol
       and calories, too).
       
       As for cooking, .1 knows what she's talking about.  I'd follow her
       directions, although it would be worth your while to buy a
       reliable meat thermometer to make certain that you don't overcook
       the roast.
       
       --Don 

Re .1,.3:

The recipe is okay, but I would make the following alterations.

Let the roast approach room temperature before roasting in a preheated
(325 F) oven.  Lioghtly moisten all exposed surfaces with garlic juice
or oil (not too much; note "lightly").

For beginners, I suggest a meat thermometer, placed to the center of the meat.

Let stand about 10 minutes before cooking.

Some supermarket butchers will get USDA Prime on special order.  Some
restaurants, however, don't use USDA Prime; some even use _lower_ grades
than USDA Choice, beliueve it or not!

Re .0:

There's a good recipe for Prime Rib (Standing Rib or "beef rib") in the
best basic book, _The Joy of Cooking_

Apollonius

     re: .10
 
     I definitely agree that a rib roast is the finest cut for
     roasting. The first few ribs are also known in meat market
     lingo as the "small end" --- as opposed to the "large end"
     which is fattier and less appealing --- and come from a part
     of the beef that becomes the sirloin.  A neat trick, and great
     help at carving time is to have the butcher (or you can do it
     yourself) cut the meat from the ribs (as for a boneless rib
     roast) then tie it back on with butchers twine.  This gives
     you all the conveniences mentioned in the previous note 
     (including the superior flavor of cooking the roast with the 
     bones attached) but it facilitates carving, since you just have
     to snip the twine and you have a boneless roast to slice.

     Brian

    Just want to report success with a cooking method that requires
    no thermometer . . . just an act of faith.
    
    First, make sure roast is at room temperature.  Preheat oven to
    500 degrees.  Put your roast in a suitable pan on a rack and place
    it in the oven.  Leave it a 500 for exactly 15 minutes per rib.
     Once that time expires, turn off the oven and don't open the door
    for two or three or even four hours.
    
    I took a chance on this for Thanksgiving (yes, Thanksgiving!!) and
    the result was absolutely supurb.

    All of the roasts I've ever made, (many, many) were done in the
    recommended way, 20 min. per lb. at 350 degrees for a nice rare
    roast. If you know your oven is a little hotter or cooler than the
    settings indicate you can add or delete a few min. per lb.
    The only seasoning I use on my roasts is a little salt.
    The au jus is just the natural pan drippings from the roast. A few
    times I've had to add a little beef broth to it to stretch it out,
    but you can get by with adding a little water to the pan after you
    take the roast out, and with the pan on one of the burners scrape
    all the flavor from the bottom of the pan into your au jus.
    If you want to try something a little different you can add a can
    of sliced mushrooms to your au jus.
    Oh, btw you want to cook you roast on a rack in the bottom of your
    pan with the fat side up. If you've picked a roast with nice marbeling
    in it you won't have to worry about it being tender. If you don't,
    the only thing you might try is adding tenderizing salt to it.(I've
    never done this) Anyway good luck with your roast hope I helped
    a little.

    I made my first prime rib roast a few weeks ago after we had one
    at my husband's grandmother's.  She just sprinkles it with lots
    of garlic powder (can't have too much garlic) and some pepper and
    roasts at 325 for about 25 minutes per pound for a medium roast.
    When I cooked it, I used a meat thermometer to be sure that I took
    it out of the oven in time without overcooking, especially since
    I know that my oven cooks a bit hot.
    
    Cathy

Buy an oen thermometer, one that hangs from an oven rack and tells you what
temperature you REALLY have, and verify the correct oven temp.  

ASK your butcher....I've had really good success with my quality cuts of
meat by asking my butcher (I assume you are buying from a butcher and
not one of the cello wrapped jobs from the supermarket).

Finally, I would rub the roast with garlic puree and/or place slivers
of garlic in slits in the fat of the meat, season with lemon and pepper
seasoning, and roast in a rack, fat side up - temperature approx. 350
for approx 18 - 20 minutes/pound...check a good cookbook for time to be sure,
and DO USE A MEAT THERMOMETER to make sure you don't overcook...remember
to make allowances for the time the meat will "continue to cook" once
removed from the oven.

    If the Rib does not contain sufficient fat to ensure that it remains
    tender during cooking you can add about a cupful of water to the
    pan before you put it in the oven.
    

    I did something similar last holiday season (I should have checked
    for the note # first, sorry!), but I called a butcher, told him
    I wanted a small-end standing rib roast to go with Yorkshire pudding,
    and he knew just what I wanted (even though I didn't!)  He also
    separated the meat from the rib rack and tied it back together for
    roasting - made it much easier to cut and serve.  I was at first
    appalled at the price, but am very glad I did it.  Suggestions for
    sides: spinach salad, sweet and sour onions, scalloped potatoes,
    steamed veggies, rice pilaf... Gad, I can smell it roasting from
    here!

    Well, now that I know how to cook one, I'd like to know how to size
    one.  I will be having about 10 people over for Christmas dinner,
    and I don't know how big a roast I should buy.  Any ideas how many
    pounds of roast I will need?

    
    As a chef with a gourmet catering service in southern New Hampshire,
    I would do everything suggested in prior notes ... with one exception.
    
    Depending on the size on the roast rib, I would put the roast into
    the oven to start at about 425 - 450 ... a good FLAME ON __HOT__
    FLAME OFF oven.
    
    This tends to sear the outside of the roast and seal the good juices
    in.  I have used this method repeatedly for myself and my clients.
    
    When sizing, also take into account carving ... I figure one rib
    per person ... this is a bit heavy ... but then again you could
    serve a Yorkshire Pudding with the meat .... a Caesar Salad prepared
    tableside prior to serving the roast ... and a nice light but elegant
    dessert .... champagne and sherbert with shredded white chocolate
    is wonderful.
    
    Bon Appetit!
    
    /phil/
    

    While we're on the subject....
    
    I think I remember reading somewhere that the large-end rib roast
    is, in fact, more flavorful and tender than the small-end.  Does
    anyone know?
    

    nononoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
    
    Always start at the small end.  If you have prime-rib it IS tender,
    that's part of why you pay top dollar.
    
    Annie J

    Well, I made my first prime rib on christmas....I read every note
    I could find on prime rib and ended up taking my butcher's recipe.
    
    It couldn't have turned out better if I tried....Here's the recipe:
    
    5 1/2 lbs of Prime Rib (small end)
    1 can beef broth + 1 1/2 cans water
    8 carrots - cut in small pieces
    3 celery stocks - cut in small pieces
    crushed shallots
    garlic salt
    2 8 oz cans mushrooms
    black pepper
    
    The day before I rubbed the meat with shallots, garlic salt, pepper,
    and a little meat tenderizer...put back in fridge.
    
    Xmas morning took out the meat and let it stand at room temperature
    for about 4 hrs.  Put everything in pan (carrots, mushrooms, etc.)
    and put meat in center (not on top of vegies).  Cooked it for 2
    1/2 hours at 325 and came out perfect...I figure this is about 25
    min per pound. 
    
    Thickened the au jus with a little flour & water and worceshire
    sauce and served with yorkshire pudding made with wheat flour...yum!

    hope your's turns out as well.
    
    NOTE:  I should mention that I am at about 6500 feet above sea level.
           May want to lower cooking temp by 25 degrees.
    
    Kristen

    re .5
    
    Yes, I cook my prime rib this way also.  The suggestion came out
    one of my Julia Child cookbooks, she said it came from Craig Claibourne
    and she was afraid to try it.  I wasn't though and it does perfectly.
    Even with 2-rib roasts you get medium-rare slices in the center.
    
    helen