Chef Dave
12-22-2007, 09:49 AM
Prime Rib
http://www.kirbyscny.com/images/uploads/primerib21.jpg
If you'd like to make a prime rib that's every bit as tender as any cut served in a steak house, dry cure your meat 3-4 days in advance of cooking it.
Dry cure is a method of aging the meat under controlled conditions.
Before dry curing my meat, I dry rub the meat with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, Montreal seasoning, salt, and pepper. I then put the meat in a pan, fat side up, and loosely cover it with a perforated plastic lid. If you don't have a perforated plastic lid, use loosely draped and perforated plastic wrap.
Place the prime rib in your refrigerator for 3 days.
The salt will draw out excess moisture. The enzymes present in the meat will begin the slow work of breaking down the protein fibers making the meat more more tender.
When you are ready to cook the prime rib, let it first sit at room temperature for no more than two hours.
Discard any water that was extracted by the salt. Trim and discard any dry leathery patches you find.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Smear the end cuts with herbed butter. Place the prime ribfat side up in a metal pan.
Sear the meat at 450 degrees for just 15 minutes and lower the oven temperature to 325 for the rest of the cooking time. Baste the ends of the prime rib with fat from the roasting pan every 30 minutes.
How long should you cook your prime rib? This will depend upon the weight of the meat.
4 to 5 pounds: about 60 to 70 minutes (including the 15 minutes spent at 450 degrees)
7 to 8.5 pounds: about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours
9 to 10.5 pounds: about 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours
11 to 13.5 pounds: about 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours
Thirty minutes before the estimated end of the roasting time, begin checking the internal temperature of the roast. Use a digital thermometer. (DO NOT RELY ON ESTIMATED COOKING TIMES TO COOK MEAT. ALWAYS USE A THERMOMETER otherwise you run the risk of ruining a very expensive cut of beef).
Internal temperatures for cooked beef:
120-125: rare
130-135: medium rare
140-145: medium
150-155: medium well
160-170: well done
Cook the meat until the internal temperature is 10 degrees below what you actually want. For example, if you're aiming for medium rare (130-135), cook it to 120.
Remove the meat from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes. Carry over cooking i.e. the residue heat from the meat will raise the internal temperature 5-10 degrees.
P.S. Grades of Meat
Be aware that the grade of meat you choose will affect the quality of your meal. The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) grades meat as prime, choice, select, utility, cutter, and canner.
The lower 3 grades, utility, cutter, and canner, are rarely seen in retail stores.
The highest grade, prime, is generally used by restaurants, hotels, and resorts. The grades commonly sold in supermarkets are choice and select. Select is a leaner grade than choice.
http://www.kirbyscny.com/images/uploads/primerib21.jpg
If you'd like to make a prime rib that's every bit as tender as any cut served in a steak house, dry cure your meat 3-4 days in advance of cooking it.
Dry cure is a method of aging the meat under controlled conditions.
Before dry curing my meat, I dry rub the meat with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, Montreal seasoning, salt, and pepper. I then put the meat in a pan, fat side up, and loosely cover it with a perforated plastic lid. If you don't have a perforated plastic lid, use loosely draped and perforated plastic wrap.
Place the prime rib in your refrigerator for 3 days.
The salt will draw out excess moisture. The enzymes present in the meat will begin the slow work of breaking down the protein fibers making the meat more more tender.
When you are ready to cook the prime rib, let it first sit at room temperature for no more than two hours.
Discard any water that was extracted by the salt. Trim and discard any dry leathery patches you find.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Smear the end cuts with herbed butter. Place the prime ribfat side up in a metal pan.
Sear the meat at 450 degrees for just 15 minutes and lower the oven temperature to 325 for the rest of the cooking time. Baste the ends of the prime rib with fat from the roasting pan every 30 minutes.
How long should you cook your prime rib? This will depend upon the weight of the meat.
4 to 5 pounds: about 60 to 70 minutes (including the 15 minutes spent at 450 degrees)
7 to 8.5 pounds: about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours
9 to 10.5 pounds: about 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours
11 to 13.5 pounds: about 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours
Thirty minutes before the estimated end of the roasting time, begin checking the internal temperature of the roast. Use a digital thermometer. (DO NOT RELY ON ESTIMATED COOKING TIMES TO COOK MEAT. ALWAYS USE A THERMOMETER otherwise you run the risk of ruining a very expensive cut of beef).
Internal temperatures for cooked beef:
120-125: rare
130-135: medium rare
140-145: medium
150-155: medium well
160-170: well done
Cook the meat until the internal temperature is 10 degrees below what you actually want. For example, if you're aiming for medium rare (130-135), cook it to 120.
Remove the meat from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes. Carry over cooking i.e. the residue heat from the meat will raise the internal temperature 5-10 degrees.
P.S. Grades of Meat
Be aware that the grade of meat you choose will affect the quality of your meal. The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) grades meat as prime, choice, select, utility, cutter, and canner.
The lower 3 grades, utility, cutter, and canner, are rarely seen in retail stores.
The highest grade, prime, is generally used by restaurants, hotels, and resorts. The grades commonly sold in supermarkets are choice and select. Select is a leaner grade than choice.