Prime Rib

[zueth]

For Prime Rib everybody talks about the perfect way to cook it is slow and low, so the Bradley seems like a perfect match.  Has anybody done prime rib, if so how did they turn out?  I was thinking of cooking at 200 until IT of 130 and applying 2 hours of smoke with Oak.

[Ka Honu]

A 200^o oven or smoker is perfect and two hours of oak sounds good (I might use a little less because SWMBO likes it with a "lighter touch").  I'd go for an IT about 10^o below what you want for a final and rest it in foil (or FTC) for anywhere between 20 and 90 minutes.  Then I'd sear it for 5-7 minutes in a hot (500^o) oven (or grill) to create a "crust."  The rest before searing means you can slice it right after the sear - no need to rest again. It also gives you some flexibility on serving time.

[zueth]

A 200^o oven or smoker is perfect and two hours of oak sounds good (I might use a little less because SWMBO likes it with a "lighter touch").  I'd go for an IT about 10^o below what you want for a final and rest it in foil (or FTC) for anywhere between 20 and 90 minutes.  Then I'd sear it for 5-7 minutes in a hot (500^o) oven (or grill) to create a "crust."  The rest before searing means you can slice it right after the sear - no need to rest again. It also gives you some flexibility on serving time.

That sounds like a great reason to use the SRG grill to sear the meat.  So probably only take it to about 120 or 125. Does anybody cook at lower heat with any success.

[OldHickory]

Ka Honu nailed it.  I have cooked many Prime Rib roasts in the Bradley, just that way--after the rest (FTC) then sear in 500* oven using a cast iron skillet.  I have never had a bad one with this method, and of course I smoked with HICKORY.

[hal4uk]

[at the risk of a smackdown...]

First, there are a couple of reasons for the low temp.  200° (or even lower) will produce a more tender roast, but more importantly, it will give you an evenly cooked roast.  Cooking at higher temps (like the stupid recipes on the web that recommend 350°) will cause the outer part of the roast to be well done and leave you with a pink center.  Now, the reason this is particularly blasphemous (and the reason I focus stongly on the low temp) is that the very best, most flavorful, and most tender part of the roast is the outside cap on the top.  Overcooking this should be against the law.

That said... before I cook my roast, I coat it with Lea & Perrins (for flavor, but also color) and then rub spices on.  Salt, black pepper and garlic are all you really need, but mixing with some paprika or even some cajun seasoning if you like will also help develop a nice color.  The reason this is important (color) is that if you do the "final hot sear", it needs to be very brief.  The color is more important than a "crust", and here's why...  Refer back to the first paragraph.  Developing a deep crust can overcook the "money part" --- the outer top cap.  If you use a grill, it will work better, because you can sear quickly, top side up (bottom sitting on hot rack), and don't turn it...  You'll get a better crust on the bottom, but preserve the cap. 

I recommend trying to get the tip of the probe in the dead center, and pull it at 122°-123°.
There are a few different ways to bring a slice up to medium (or God forbid, MW or W) for any Golden Corral aficionados that come to dinner.

Awrighten.




   

[KyNola]

What Hal said.

[Ka Honu]

Another reason to slow roast:  Far less shrinkage.  Typical weight loss on a roast done at 350^o is somewhere around 15-20%. This is caused by heating the juices and watching them evaporate and dry out your roast which then shrinks accordingly.  Bad. 

You'll note that delicatessens make or buy slow roasted beef for both the appearance & consistency (e.g., medium rare all the way across the slice) and the smaller weight loss (since they sell their meat by the pound).

[SiFumar]

I agree with Hal...the outer cap is the money part!  My butcher shop sells prime wet aged caps as steaks.  OMG they are good!

[FLBentRider]

I would agree more than 100% with Hal if that was possible.

[zueth]

Thanks for the info, for the sear sounds like you just want to sear the bottom and not the top.  So the SRG would work good for that or I like the idea of the cast iron as well, doesn't seem like it would need more than 4-5 minutes.

I want Medium Rare, so the temp of 122 with it increasing while resting in FTC to 130 sounds about right.  Should a 1 hour FTC cover it or is that too long.

I plan on slicing thick slices about 1/2 inch or so and what to serve with a horseradish sauce and mashed potatoes.

Anybody have a good horseradish sauce recipe?

[zueth]

[at the risk of a smackdown...]

First, there are a couple of reasons for the low temp.  200° (or even lower) will produce a more tender roast, but more importantly, it will give you an evenly cooked roast.  Cooking at higher temps (like the stupid recipes on the web that recommend 350°) will cause the outer part of the roast to be well done and leave you with a pink center.  Now, the reason this is particularly blasphemous (and the reason I focus stongly on the low temp) is that the very best, most flavorful, and most tender part of the roast is the outside cap on the top.  Overcooking this should be against the law.

That said... before I cook my roast, I coat it with Lea & Perrins (for flavor, but also color) and then rub spices on.  Salt, black pepper and garlic are all you really need, but mixing with some paprika or even some cajun seasoning if you like will also help develop a nice color.  The reason this is important (color) is that if you do the "final hot sear", it needs to be very brief.  The color is more important than a "crust", and here's why...  Refer back to the first paragraph.  Developing a deep crust can overcook the "money part" --- the outer top cap.  If you use a grill, it will work better, because you can sear quickly, top side up (bottom sitting on hot rack), and don't turn it...  You'll get a better crust on the bottom, but preserve the cap. 

I recommend trying to get the tip of the probe in the dead center, and pull it at 122°-123°.
There are a few different ways to bring a slice up to medium (or God forbid, MW or W) for any Golden Corral aficionados that come to dinner.

Awrighten.

Hal thanks for the insight, if time is not a issue would you recommend cooking at a lower temp?

I was reading a cooks illustrated recipe and they recommend searing on a cast iron then roasting in the oven at 200 and when the meat hits 110 to turn it off, then wait till the meat hits 120 for rare and 125 for medium rare.  Then remove and tent loosely with aluminum foil for 30 minutes up to 60 minutes.  Then they broil the cap for 2 to 8 minutes to get the top brown and crisp.

The reasoning behind that was that normally ovens do not go below 200, but as we know the Bradley will go below 200.....

[Ka Honu]

Ideally, you would cook it at the final IT you wanted until it got there - the theory behind sous vide cooking.  Of course there's no browning but that's another issue.  Using an oven or smoker, I think you eventually reach a point of diminishing returns.  I've used a 170^o oven (the lowest mine will go) and didn't find the result appreciably better than 200^o (plus the cook seemed to go on forever).

I sear at the end instead of the beginning of the cook for several reasons...
     ♦ You lose a bit less juice (the outside of the roast is already cooked relatively dry so you don't have to heat dry it at high temp before it will brown)
     ♦ You heat the oven/grill/pan for searing without the beef in it rather than trying to cool down to roasting temp while the meat is in it (and therefore spending more time cooking at a higher temp)
     ♦ The resting period gives you more flexibility in serving time since you can rest the meat for up to 90 minutes and have the sear do a certain amount of reheating to produce a ready-to-carve roast.
     

[zueth]

Ideally, you would cook it at the final IT you wanted until it got there - the theory behind sous vide cooking.  Of course there's no browning but that's another issue.  Using an oven or smoker, I think you eventually reach a point of diminishing returns.  I've used a 170^o oven (the lowest mine will go) and didn't find the result appreciably better than 200^o (plus the cook seemed to go on forever).

I sear at the end instead of the beginning of the cook for several reasons...
     ♦ You lose a bit less juice (the outside of the roast is already cooked relatively dry so you don't have to heat dry it at high temp before it will brown)
     ♦ You heat the oven/grill/pan for searing without the beef in it rather than trying to cool down to roasting temp while the meat is in it (and therefore spending more time cooking at a higher temp)
     ♦ The resting period gives you more flexibility in serving time since you can rest the meat for up to 90 minutes and have the sear do a certain amount of reheating to produce a ready-to-carve roast.
     

Thanks.

[hal4uk]

[at the risk of a smackdown...]

First, there are a couple of reasons for the low temp.  200° (or even lower) will produce a more tender roast, but more importantly, it will give you an evenly cooked roast.  Cooking at higher temps (like the stupid recipes on the web that recommend 350°) will cause the outer part of the roast to be well done and leave you with a pink center.  Now, the reason this is particularly blasphemous (and the reason I focus stongly on the low temp) is that the very best, most flavorful, and most tender part of the roast is the outside cap on the top.  Overcooking this should be against the law.

That said... before I cook my roast, I coat it with Lea & Perrins (for flavor, but also color) and then rub spices on.  Salt, black pepper and garlic are all you really need, but mixing with some paprika or even some cajun seasoning if you like will also help develop a nice color.  The reason this is important (color) is that if you do the "final hot sear", it needs to be very brief.  The color is more important than a "crust", and here's why...  Refer back to the first paragraph.  Developing a deep crust can overcook the "money part" --- the outer top cap.  If you use a grill, it will work better, because you can sear quickly, top side up (bottom sitting on hot rack), and don't turn it...  You'll get a better crust on the bottom, but preserve the cap. 

I recommend trying to get the tip of the probe in the dead center, and pull it at 122°-123°.
There are a few different ways to bring a slice up to medium (or God forbid, MW or W) for any Golden Corral aficionados that come to dinner.

Awrighten.

Hal thanks for the insight, if time is not a issue would you recommend cooking at a lower temp?

I was reading a cooks illustrated recipe and they recommend searing on a cast iron then roasting in the oven at 200 and when the meat hits 110 to turn it off, then wait till the meat hits 120 for rare and 125 for medium rare.  Then remove and tent loosely with aluminum foil for 30 minutes up to 60 minutes.  Then they broil the cap for 2 to 8 minutes to get the top brown and crisp.

The reasoning behind that was that normally ovens do not go below 200, but as we know the Bradley will go below 200.....

If you have plenty of time, you might try 190°, but like Ka Honu said, much less than 200° ain't gonna gain you very much for the time/effort.  If you're not real sure of the cooker temp, I might err on the side of 195° instead of 205°, but that's about it.  There's a lot of magic happening between 80° and 122° (Cook's Illustrated has studied THAT)... So, prolonging that temp frame is very advantageous, but there's no real gain to a "forever" cook. 

Bottom line (the most important thing to grasp)... 200° rocks.  350° is just stupid.  Google "Prime rib roast recipe" and you'll find THOUSANDS of people who disagree with me (the 350° crowd).  However, I'm right, they're wrong, and it's your roast.
Awrighten.
 

[FLBentRider]

Bottom line (the most important thing to grasp)... 200° rocks.  350° is just stupid.  Google "Prime rib roast recipe" and you'll find THOUSANDS of people who disagree with me (the 350° crowd).  However, I'm right, they're wrong, and it's your roast.

Amen Brother! Testify!

Hal and the turtle are wise in these ways.