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Beef Rib Roast OutdoorsIs there anything more impressive that a big juicy standing beef rib roast? Well it's easy to make outdoors and that I think it tastes better. Let's start by getting the name right. Chances are that gorgeous hunk-o-meat in the butcher case is not a "prime rib" as a lot of people call it. "USDA Prime" grade meat, with web like threads of fat running through the muscles for added flavor, is an expensive grade that is sold primarily to restaurants. Chances are your grocer's meat is "USDA Choice" grade, not prime grade. You and I call it prime rib because that's what we order in the restaurants. But that's OK. Choice grade is going to make you a pretty darn good dinner. You can order prime meat if you wish, and it's a real treat, but bring a wheelbarrow full of cash. Otherwise ask your butcher for "top choice" which is the best looking most marbled choice roast in the house. What your grocer has is more properly called a rib roast. It usually comes in two forms, with the ribs still attached, or boneless. Many people prefer a roast with the ribs attached because gnawing on ribs is fun, because it is a dramatic presentation, and because the curved ribs can act like a built-in roasting rack that the meat can stand on while cooking, hence the name standing rib roast. I like to get mine with the bone on, and then I remove the ribs so I can season the meat on all sides. The bones get in the way of the rub and prevent browning on almost half the surface. I don't know about you, but I like that brown bits on the outside crust. I save the ribs for another meal. They can be smoke roasted just like pork ribs or braised. Another option is to cut the bones off so you can apply the rub to all surfaces and then tie the bones back on with butcher twine. Just cut a length of twine a few inches longer than you need and loop it around the roast between the bones and tie it with a granny knot or square knot. If you get a roast with ribs on, you should make sure the butcher removes the chine for you. That's the end of the rib that was connected to the spine. Most of the time is has already been removed, but if it hasn't it can be a pain to cut through. Having the butcher do this makes carving easier. Even if you are cooking a boneless roast, I recommend you tie it every inch to hold it together and to help make it round which helps it cook more evenly. A typical rib roast weighs two pounds per bone width depending on the size and age of the steer. Allowing for waste (fat and bone), and shrinkage (about 20%), you should buy 1 pound per person, or 1 bone width for two people. That will be more than enough and guarantee leftovers for superb roast beef sandwiches (most roast beef is made from sirloin). If you can, get the small end of the rib rack starting with bone 12 and counting backwards from there. If you need four bones, order bones 12 through 9. Beef Rib Roast RecipeMakes. 3 bones wide is about 6 pounds raw untrimmed, enough for about 6-8 people after trimming and 20% shrinkage. Ingredients Optional. If the price of a rib roast is daunting, a sirloin bottom round will work beautifully. Optional. Add 1/4 cup dry red wine to the broth. Do this 2) Do not pump this flavorful meat with an internal injection as you might a brisket. Flavor only the exterior of the meat with a spice rub or paste like my recipe for Mrs. O'Leary's Cow Crust, a blend of herbs, spices, and oil. The oil dissolves the spices and helps it penetrate the meat's surface and helps with browning and forming a crust. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and pour most of the rub on top of the roast. Spread it around all visible surfaces working it into the meat and down into the cross-hatches in the fat. Turn the roast over and pour the rest on the bottom and work it around. You can cook right away, but if you can let it sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours it will penetrate more. Just put the roast in the drip pan and anything that drips off will be incorporated into the gravy. Do not use Meathead's Memphis Dust or any rub with sugar in it. Lawry's Seasoned Salt is a good choice. It was designed for roasts. Keep the meat in the fridge until you are ready to cook. A lot of recipes say take it out and let it come to room temp, but that takes a long time and can severely alter the cooking time. I say start at fridge temp, about 40F, and then you have a better chance of predicting the cooking time: about 35 minutes per pound at 350F. 3) Set up your cooker for indirect heating and preheat it to 350F. You can cook rib roasts hotter than pork shoulder, ribs, beef brisket, or even beef sirloin. This is tender juicy meat that does not need to be cooked low and slow. If you cook a thick roast like this low and slow, by the time the center reaches the desired doneness, much of the outer layer of meat will be overcooked. At higher temps you can get a more uniform color throughout. On the other hand you don't want to cook it so hot that it burns on the outside before it is done on the inside. A good technique is rotisserie, but only if you have a basket rotisserie like E-Z Que. Do not use a spear type rotisserie. If you put a rotisserie spear through the center of the meat, the metal rod will get hot and cook the meat in the center of the roast. Bad idea. 4) This roast will be moist, but you will still want a bit of gravy, especially if you make my Garlic Mashed Potatoes. And you should. You will need a drip pan larger than the roast. It will go beneath the meat and hold the fixins for the gravy. In a Weber Smokey Mountain or other bullet smokers, you can use the built-in water pan. Just make sure it is scrubbed clean on the inside. If you can't get it clean use a disposable aluminum pan on the lower shelf. On some grills you may need to use a more sturdy baking or roasting pan and place a wire rack on top. Do not put the roast in the pan with the liquid. We are roasting this meat not boiling it. Put the beef broth in the drip pan and add water until it is about 1" deep. Cut the roots off two onions and cut them each into 4 wedges, and add it to the drip pan. Add two peeled carrots chopped into 1" lengths, and a celery stalk, leaves and all, chopped into 1" lengths. 5) Put the drip pan in the cool zone and place the meat on the rack above it. If you want a smoke flavor in the background add just a little bit of hardwood to the hot part of the cooker, about 4-6 ounces max. If you have a meat thermometer with a probe that you can leave in the meat, and you should, insert it now so the tip is dead center. If you don't have a probe you can leave in, you absolutely must have a good instant read meat thermometer to get this meat off properly cooked. Read my Thermometer Buying Guide to learn how they work and which are the best. 6) Now place the meat on the rack or the rotisserie over the drip pan. During the cook check the temp after 90 minutes and then every 15 minutes. Check the drip pan every 30 minutes or so, keeping at least 1/2" in the pan. Do not let it dry out and burn. There is no need to turn the roast unless you are using an offset cooker that has hotspot. Look at the meat and if one side is getting too dark, rotate or turn the meat. Do not leave the lid open for long or you will lose a lot of heat and extend the cooking time significantly. If you have a problem with your cooker, perhaps the gas runs out or the temp just won't stay at 350F, you can bring it inside after about an hour and finish it in the oven. By then all the smoke flavor is in the meat. 7) Most rib roasts are served rare to medium rare in the center. People who prefer it more done can have the end cuts or the exterior parts. Take it off at 125F in the center if you want the meat rare, and 130F if you want it medium rare. Let it rest 20 minutes before cutting. The temp will rise about 5F in that 20 minutes, a phenomenon called carryover. In addition, the water pressure inside the muscle cells will go down a bit and less juice will come gushing out when you slice. If you take it off at 125F it will be rare in the middle and progressively more done as you get closer to the edge. Remove any twine and the bone if you have left it on. 8) Pour the jus through a strainer and taste it. It should be thin and rich. If it is too thin, dump it into a frying pan, turn the heat to high, and reduce it. Taste and add salt if needed, but it shouldn't need it. Set the bones aside for people who want to munch them. Slice about 3/4" thick and serve with gravy on the side. Pour any drippings from the cutting board into the gravy. This page was revised 5/12/2009
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Product Reviews and Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards. Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards are highly recommended products that I have tested personally or that have been tested by reliable sources. Awards are based on features, quality, and value. Rest assured that when I recommend a product, it is really because I like it, not because someone has paid me to say so or because the company is an advertiser or sponsor. I purchase most products I review although occasionally suppliers send me samples.
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