Prime Rib question

stevehk1

I am doing a 15 lb. Prime Rib for Christmas Eve but dinner is not at my house.  The party starts at 1:00 but we aren't eating until 6:00.  I know if I pull and FTC it right before we leave it will stay warm but I'm really worried about it overcooking in the cooler as I've experienced with large roasts in the past.  Any suggestions?  Either for temp to pull it and maintain a solid medium or for ways to reheat it?  I'd hate to have to cook it in the oven there!

Thanks!

SmokeyPitt

I suppose you could cook it to the desired temp (5 degrees under to allow for overshoot) then let it rest a bit before you wrap it and put it in the cooler.  If you make sure the temperature has stopped rising I don't think it will continue to cook.  When it is time to serve I think I would put it in a hot oven  (500ish) for 8 minutes or so to form a crust and also warm it up. 

My only concern would be holding it for 5+ hours.  Technically there are safety concerns because assuming you want to keep it under 140 internal temp, the meat will be held in the cooler for all that time in the "danger zone".  

The best solution might be to take your egg to your friends house and cook it there .  

Little Steven

SmokeyPitt said:

I suppose you could cook it to the desired temp (5 degrees under to allow for overshoot) then let it rest a bit before you wrap it and put it in the cooler.  If you make sure the temperature has stopped rising I don't think it will continue to cook.  When it is time to serve I think I would put it in a hot oven  (500ish) for 8 minutes or so to form a crust and also warm it up. 

My only concern would be holding it for 5+ hours.  Technically there are safety concerns because assuming you want to keep it under 140 internal temp, the meat will be held in the cooler for all that time in the "danger zone".  

The best solution might be to take your egg to your friends house and cook it there .  

No it wouldn't be in the danger zone for 5 hours. The surface temp would take at couple of hours minimum to get down to 140* if it did at all. I think it would be ok to cook to rare, ftc and transport and then oven cook to desired temp. If you cook low and slow to the 120 and then put it in a low oven an hour or so before you are ready to eat you would be OK. Restaurants pre cook stuff to below serve temp all the time and finish to order.

SmokeyPitt

Little Steven said:

SmokeyPitt said:

I suppose you could cook it to the desired temp (5 degrees under to allow for overshoot) then let it rest a bit before you wrap it and put it in the cooler.  If you make sure the temperature has stopped rising I don't think it will continue to cook.  When it is time to serve I think I would put it in a hot oven  (500ish) for 8 minutes or so to form a crust and also warm it up. 

My only concern would be holding it for 5+ hours.  Technically there are safety concerns because assuming you want to keep it under 140 internal temp, the meat will be held in the cooler for all that time in the "danger zone".  

The best solution might be to take your egg to your friends house and cook it there .  

No it wouldn't be in the danger zone for 5 hours. The surface temp would take at couple of hours minimum to get down to 140* if it did at all. I think it would be ok to cook to rare, ftc and transport and then oven cook to desired temp. If you cook low and slow to the 120 and then put it in a low oven an hour or so before you are ready to eat you would be OK. Restaurants pre cook stuff to below serve temp all the time and finish to order.

Good point big Steve- I think that sounds like a fine plan.  

Skiddymarker

@SmokeyPitt has it right, IMO. It is one thing to FTC a 200º butt or brisket for hours, chances are after even 5 or 6 hours the temp will still be above a 140º food safe temp. 

If your host has a warming oven that can keep the roast at or close to 140º, that would be OK, most ovens will not go below 170º-200º and that will overcook the roast.

Little Steven

Skiddymarker said:

@SmokeyPitt has it right, IMO. It is one thing to FTC a 200º butt or brisket for hours, chances are after even 5 or 6 hours the temp will still be above a 140º food safe temp. 

If your host has a warming oven that can keep the roast at or close to 140º, that would be OK, most ovens will not go below 170º-200º and that will overcook the roast.

Skiddy, I might have been incomplete in my comment. The surface temp would be at or about 250*, give me an hour to cool to below 140* and I think that is really unlikely. Start danger zone, beef in low oven after three hours, end danger zone. Either remove beef and heat oven for the sear, no danger zone, or continue to slow cook til internal 135* to 145* (OP wants med), remove and rest for an hour or less tented.

Davekatz

I've had good luck with Michael Ruhlman’s grill/roast method.

Sear the roast on all sides on the egg, then move if off someplace cold to stop the cooking for an hour or so, then finish it in the oven.

stevehk1

Thanks for all of the input!  I will often do about a 5 lb Eye Round for sandwiches and such and I will cook them to an internal temp of 115+/- pull them, immediately FTC them and a few hours later (halftime) they will still be too hot to touch.  They are usually medium or a little pastby the time I am slicing them.  Because of the considerable cost of the Prime Rib I would be devastated if that happened.  I like the idea of cooking to rare, letting cool enough to stop cooking then FTC until an hour before dinner and finishing in the oven.  Little Steven, what temp would you recommend I finish it in the oven to get up to 135ish?

Little Steven

It depends on what you really want. Medium can be considered warm red centre or warm pink centre or barely pink. USDA adds like 10* to what a restaurant would/should serve. I consider medium, remove at about 140*. The great thing about doing rib low and slow is that the colour stays redder for higher temps. This is a rib done 200* to 150* internal. The cap and bones were removed prior to the pic.

Little Steven

It depends on what you really want. Medium can be considered warm red centre or warm pink centre or barely pink. USDA adds like 10* to what a restaurant would/should serve. I consider medium, remove at about 140*. The great thing about doing rib low and slow is that the colour stays redder for higher temps. This is a rib done 200* to 150* internal. The cap and bones were removed prior to the pic.

stevehk1

Great info, Thanks Everyone!