# Prime Rib finished faster than expected



## zenthoef (Dec 24, 2014)

For Christmas eve dinner, i cooked a 20lbs, 7 bone prime rib roast. It was cold when i put it in the oven and i thought it would take 14 to 16 hours to cook at 210F, but it only took 5 hours! It came out perfectly with a nice medium rare throughout the entire prime rib, but of course my guests won't be here for another 12 hours. So even though it is perfect, I am not certain of how I should serve it.

Once I took it out of the oven, I covered it in foil, let it sit for 30 min and then stuck it in the fridge to cool. This brings me to my question: how should i serve it? I have considered cold beef au jus sandwiches, but that just isn't as good as straight up prime rib.

What would be ideal is to heat it back up, but I'm afraid i will ruin it by heating it again. Should I avoid heating it up, or could I bring it up to room temp and then heat it up to 110F or so with the oven set to 200F?


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## RPCookin (Dec 24, 2014)

Bring it back to near room temperature, then place in a hot (500 degree) oven for about 10 minutes.  The center may still not be really hot, but that will give it a good crust and get the interior back to about room temp or a bit more without overcooking.  I'm not sure just how much more you can do.  

Why did you think it would take 14 hours to cook?  Even in a smoker at no more than 220 it would only take about 5 hours.


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## zenthoef (Dec 24, 2014)

I thought it would take longer to cook because I did an 8 lbs prime rib last weekend. After 4 hours it wasn't even close to done and I had ot turn up the temp to hurry it along. Seeing as how this one was twice as big I figured it would probably at least take 10 hours. 

That and a guy at my work has cooked prime rib for years (and he comes from a cattle ranching family) told me about how he does it and I followed his method pretty closely.


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## RPCookin (Dec 24, 2014)

zenthoef said:


> I thought it would take longer to cook because I did an 8 lbs prime rib last weekend. After 4 hours it wasn't even close to done and I had ot turn up the temp to hurry it along. Seeing as how this one was twice as big I figured it would probably at least take 10 hours.
> 
> That and a guy at my work has cooked prime rib for years (and he comes from a cattle ranching family) told me about how he does it and I followed his method pretty closely.



Look in on the beef section of the Smoking Meat forum.  

There are about a dozen threads on cooking or smoking a rib roast.  You might join up and ask your question there.  Those guys really know meat.


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## CraigC (Dec 24, 2014)

Something isn't right. I use a method of 500F for 5 minutes then 200F for 1 hour per pound. I can't believe that an extra 10F could make that big a difference. We are talking about 1, 20 pound roast, right?


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## zenthoef (Dec 24, 2014)

We are talking about 1 20 lbs roast and I agree something isn't right. I was shocked when my oven started beeping at 4 in the morning. I didn't believe it so I even chekced it with another meat thermoeter in 3 different places and got the same result. I sliced it on one end and it was defintiely done.


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## roadfix (Dec 24, 2014)

I've wrapped the finished (or almost finished) rib roast in foil and towel, and placed it in a small igloo cooler for several hours before serving.   The roast will stay very warm until carving.
Actually, the roast will continue to cook while resting in the cooler so take that into account.

My last roast I did over the weekend was a 7 pound NY roast.  I roasted it in the oven for 45 min at 450F, then immediately wrapped and stuck it in the igloo cooler for 2 hours before serving.  Perfect med rare.


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## CraigC (Dec 24, 2014)

zenthoef said:


> We are talking about 1 20 lbs roast and I agree something isn't right. I was shocked when my oven started beeping at 4 in the morning. I didn't believe it so I even chekced it with another meat thermoeter in 3 different places and got the same result. I sliced it on one end and it was defintiely done.



Even using "convection roast", that doesn't seem to be enough time. I'd be checking my oven temp with another thermometer. Does altitude affect cooking meat like it can with baking?


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## zenthoef (Dec 24, 2014)

CraigC said:


> Even using "convection roast", that doesn't seem to be enough time. I'd be checking my oven temp with another thermometer. Does altitude affect cooking meat like it can with baking?



From what I can tell altitude doesn't affect roasting. I will check the temperature of my oven when I heat it up with another thermometer. That is a good idea.


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## RPCookin (Dec 24, 2014)

CraigC said:


> Even using "convection roast", that doesn't seem to be enough time. I'd be checking my oven temp with another thermometer. Does altitude affect cooking meat like it can with baking?



No, altitude does not affect roasting or grilling.  Those are strictly based on heat.  Baking is affected by atmospheric pressure, and water boils at a lower temperature too, so anything that produces a gas or that depends on boiling has to be adjusted. In Denver water boils at 206°.


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## dcSaute (Dec 24, 2014)

the situation is perfectly understandable.
the theory of "hours per pound" only works in a narrow range.  

outrageous example follows:

you have a three bone standing rib roast.  weights about 10 pounds.  it's about 25 inches in circumference and 8 inches long

you have a thirty five bone standing rib roast.  weighs about 120 pounds.  it's about 25 inches in circumference and 93.6 inches long.

you stick dozens of thermal measuring devices in each and put them in the oven.

they both are done at (essentially) the same time.

why?

because heat 'penetrates' into a roast through the surface - not the mass aka pounds.

so for the same surface area, the heat has to penetrate the same meat thickness "skin to center" on the 10 pounder as the 120 pounder.

the ration of "ends area" to "sides area" will affect small roasts, on a 35 bone long roast, not so much.

and this is why the NASA Rocket Thermodynamic Experts invented "the thermometer"


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## Andy M. (Dec 24, 2014)

dcSaute said:


> the situation is perfectly understandable.
> the theory of "hours per pound" only works in a narrow range.
> 
> outrageous example follows:
> ...




Could you post a photo of the steer a 35 rib roast came from.


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## Kayelle (Dec 24, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Could you post a photo of the steer a 35 rib roast came from.



 I was thinking the same but you said it better.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 24, 2014)

Hol-eeeee Cow!


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## Dawgluver (Dec 24, 2014)

Now, I can run a chain saw and a band saw with the best, but can't imagine running a whole cow through it...

Hm.  Maybe a scroll saw or a Dremel with attachments?


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## salt and pepper (Dec 24, 2014)

roadfix said:


> I've wrapped the finished (or almost finished) rib roast in foil and towel, and placed it in a small igloo cooler for several hours before serving.   The roast will stay very warm until carving.
> Actually, the roast will continue to cook while resting in the cooler so take that into account.
> 
> My last roast I did over the weekend was a 7 pound NY roast.  I roasted it in the oven for 45 min at 450F, then immediately wrapped and stuck it in the igloo cooler for 2 hours before serving.  Perfect med rare.




     That's how I would do it...


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## zenthoef (Dec 25, 2014)

dcSaute said:


> the situation is perfectly understandable.
> the theory of "hours per pound" only works in a narrow range.
> 
> outrageous example follows:
> ...



This makes a lot of sense. Yesterday, I realized the time per pound rule probably is not linear. For me, its a lesson learned! Next year's prime rib will go a lot more smoothly. 

As for the reheat it went pretty well. I reheated it between 225-250 for about 2.5 hours. I didn't use plastic, just covered it in aluminum foil, and it came out great!

I didn't get a picture of it warmed up, but I took this picture of it this morning after I cut a slice off for breakfast. You can see that after the reheat it still looks nice and red!


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## RPCookin (Dec 25, 2014)

zenthoef said:


> This makes a lot of sense. Yesterday, I realized the time per pound rule probably is not linear. For me, its a lesson learned! Next year's prime rib will go a lot more smoothly.
> 
> As for the reheat it went pretty well. I reheated it between 225-250 for about 2.5 hours. I didn't use plastic, just covered it in aluminum foil, and it came out great!
> 
> I didn't get a picture of it warmed up, but I took this picture of it this morning after I cut a slice off for breakfast. You can see that after the reheat it still looks nice and red!



Congrats... glad it worked out in the end.  No matter how many times I've done it, I'm always apprehensive when I cook an expensive piece of meat.


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## Steve Kroll (Dec 26, 2014)

When I lived in Las Vegas, I had a restaurant owner buddy tell me that they cooked up all their prime rib ahead of time. It was cooked to rare and refrigerated. When someone came in and ordered it, the chef would cut a slice off and heat it up to the desired degree of doneness in a pot of warmed au jus on the stove. Apparently this is the way many restaurants handle prime rib.


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## CharlieD (Dec 26, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> When I lived in Las Vegas, I had a restaurant owner buddy tell me that they cooked up all their prime rib ahead of time. It was cooked to rare and refrigerated. When someone came in and ordered it, the chef would cut a slice off and heat it up to the desired degree of doneness in a pot of warmed au jus on the stove. Apparently this is the way many restaurants handle prime rib.




Interesting, Steve, how do they manage not to overcook? And what if person doesn't like the sauce?


Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking


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## Dawgluver (Dec 26, 2014)

That is interesting, Steve.  I didn't know that.  Maybe what happens in Vegas DOES stay in Vegas.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 26, 2014)

I spent the evening Tuesday reading this looonnnnggggg post with a few hundred questions and answers about cooking prime rib/standing rib roast so I wouldn't mess up my first one. They said to reheat it, put a slice in a plastic bag in a saucepan of hot but not boiling water and let it heat to the desired temperature. Like sous vide, it won't overcook. 

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/38/Prime-Rib-or-Standing-Rib-Roast


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## Steve Kroll (Dec 26, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> Interesting, Steve, how do they manage not to overcook? And what if person doesn't like the sauce?


The sauce, which is more like a broth, doesn't add much flavor on its own. And it's not boiling when they add the beef - really just kept on a warming burner, so the meat is gently heated through, but not cooked.

By the way, it's interesting to note that there are restaurants that use a similar technique with pasta. It's partly cooked ahead of time and all they really do is submerge it into boiling water for a few minutes to finish the cooking.


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## RPCookin (Dec 26, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> Interesting, Steve, how do they manage not to overcook? And what if person doesn't like the sauce?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking



I don't think I've ever had prime rib in a restaurant where it _wasn't_ served with au jus.  I don't quite understand why you would question it.  It is often recommended in "how to" blogs to use this method when you have just one or two guests who like the roast more well done than the rest do.  Cook it to the "proper" doneness for the rest, then just do a slice for each those others in the au jus.  

For the restaurant - Since "normal" is medium rare, doing the entire cut rare gives the leeway to reheat it in the juice to medium rare and serve a perfect cut every time, as well as to be able to make it more done if the occasional customer wants it done incorrectly.  

I've known a couple of places which didn't give a choice.  The chef cooked steaks medium rare because that is the proper way to do it, and if you didn't like your beef done that way, then you could order the chicken.  I've also been in restaurants where there was no salt and pepper on the table.  The food was properly seasoned while cooking, so nothing additional was needed.  The dishes were intended to taste a certain way and no amateur alterations were allowed.  As a person who usually adds salt or pepper to many foods, I had no problem eating in such places, because the food WAS properly seasoned.  That was actually a pleasant change from the typical under-seasoned food that is so often served.


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## CharlieD (Dec 28, 2014)

RPCookin said:


> I don't think I've ever had prime rib in a restaurant where it _wasn't_ served with au jus.  I don't quite understand why you would question.




Did you mean without? I am not big beef fan and rarely if ever order it and then I am very particular how it is done and served. Also I do not like with anything i.e. Au jus. That is why  I was asking, not questioning. 


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## CWS4322 (Dec 28, 2014)

I cooked a roast using this method last night. It is perfect (except for those who want it well-done). Slices are going on the 3rd round of smorgasbord this afternoon.


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