indirect searing of prime rib?

KYJeff

Hi,  I'm looking for advice on searing off a prime rib.  I have the internal temp dialed in.  I put the CI grates on direct and let the egg heat up wide open.  I was under the impression you could not get to hot for searing, I'm finding that not to be the case.  My Prime Rib crust is more close to burnt than seared or a very thinly seared because I have to pull it before it burns.  I use the adjustable rig woo combo.  Has anyone left it on indirect and cranked up the temp to sear?  Open to any and all advice.  thanks 

Jeff

JustineCaseyFeldown

if what you are looking for is a mahogany crust, then you can go slow and cook it long at 220-250 max. 

you can give that a head start by drying it uncovered in the fridge overnight minimum (or as long as you have the courage for, for the maximum).

fat doesn't so much sear as it blackens.  if you have ever watched a hard-won crust pull away from a roast as you tried to roll it on the grate for a sear, well, that just svcks.  or had flames shoot up as you manhandle the roast on the grid...  nah

prime rib can be the easiest cook on the egg.  no different than chicken.

if you go slower, you will give the fat more time to render and crisp up, and a gentler cross section of 'done-ness' through the meat too.



no sear for this one, and although you can't see the far side (fat cap), you can see the bottom left edge is nice and crisp.  good color too, with minimal smoke.

this was aged, but even a day or two uncovered will transform the fat from watery jello to crisper and more crusty.  the longer it dries the better.  which is another bit of the logic behind slow-roasting

no need to tie them if bone-in.  i did thinking it might relax a bit, but it didn't

fishlessman

most recipes ive seen say searing are really just roasting at a higher temp, say 450 for color, then dropping temps to slow roast. theres just way to much fat dripping for a high temp sear

KYJeff

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

if what you are looking for is a mahogany crust, then you can go slow and cook it long at 220-250 max. 

you can give that a head start by drying it uncovered in the fridge overnight minimum (or as long as you have the courage for, for the maximum).

fat doesn't so much sear as it blackens.  if you have ever watched a hard-won crust pull away from a roast as you tried to roll it on the grate for a sear, well, that just svcks.  or had flames shoot up as you manhandle the roast on the grid...  nah

prime rib can be the easiest cook on the egg.  no different than chicken.

if you go slower, you will give the fat more time to render and crisp up, and a gentler cross section of 'done-ness' through the meat too.



no sear for this one, and although you can't see the far side (fat cap), you can see the bottom left edge is nice and crisp.  good color too, with minimal smoke.

this was aged, but even a day or two uncovered will transform the fat from watery jello to crisper and more crusty.  the longer it dries the better.  which is another bit of the logic behind slow-roasting

no need to tie them if bone-in.  i did thinking it might relax a bit, but it didn't

This looks great!  I salt and leave uncovered overnight.  I haven't thought of 2 or 3 nights.  I will definitely try it.  You're right on the fat just blackening as well, I never really thought of it I guess.  Thanks for the advice! 

Foghorn

Yeah, to pile on, I quit searing them a while ago.  Had some real fiery situations with the fat dripping, etc.  And they get a good crust anyway.  As was asked in the original post, letting the temp rise some toward the end of the cook (up to 350 or even 400) can also be helpful - the risk of that is the internal temperature can rise pretty fast at those temps and get away from you, and the rise after you take it off can approach 10 degrees.  I like to open up the vents (not completely - just to a setting that I know would eventually get me to 350 or so) when the internal temp hits around 100 and take it off when it hits 115-118.  This part of the cook doesn't take long.

smokeyw

I always do a reverse sear on mine after I hit my internal temp of 120. I just like the caramelized exterior. I don't cook above 225 because I want the meat to be basically the same doneness from the outside to the middle. I find that when you cook at higher temps the meat near the outside will be grey and overcooked and the center will be pink and juicy.

JustineCaseyFeldown

smokeyw said:

I always do a reverse sear on mine after I hit my internal temp of 120. I just like the caramelized exterior. I don't cook above 225 because I want the meat to be basically the same doneness from the outside to the middle. I find that when you cook at higher temps the meat near the outside will be grey and overcooked and the center will be pink and juicy.

i get a carmelized exterior without searing, fwiw.  sugar will brown at those temps.

but it's all six of one, half dozen of the other.

can sear first too. 

as fishless said, the 'old' way was to toss it into a 500 degree oven (indirect in our case) and immediately power down to 225-250.  harder to do with a bge, hence the reverse sear that is pretty popular

Hans61

Steaks and chops are good to sear because you get to taste seared crust with every bite. Roasts on the other hand lose in the cost to benefit analysis for searing, because after slicing each piece will only have a very little bit of sear.

does that make sense? 

smokeyw

Hans61 said:

Steaks and chops are good to sear because you get to taste seared crust with every bite. Roasts on the other hand lose in the cost to benefit analysis for searing, because after slicing each piece will only have a very little bit of sear.

does that make sense? 

I find that I don't need to reverse sear steaks and chops. I typically cut them 2" thick and cook at about 550. The outside is seared perfectly and the center is medium rare the way I like it. 

Wowens

Great thread!  I did my first Standing Rib Roast last Christmas, and I did the reverse sear, but I had fire shooting up all over the place, and it was a little crazy.  
I think I'll skip the sear this year.

fishlessman

Wowens said:

Great thread!  I did my first Standing Rib Roast last Christmas, and I did the reverse sear, but I had fire shooting up all over the place, and it was a little crazy.  
I think I'll skip the sear this year.

thats the major problem with reverse sear on a prime rib, the liquidy fat pours everywhere on a reverse sear, especially the prime verse choice, i stick with a good choice cut

jeroldharter

For the sear, remove the roast from the egg and tent in foil. Then open up the vent and fully open the daisy wheel. Put the grate in a low position over the coals. When the fire is hot, e.g. 500 degrees, put the roast back on the grate of the open egg. Sear each side for a minimal time such as 60 seconds. If you get flare-ups then use tongs to roll the roast to a new part of the grate or even briefly remove the meat. I have never had issues with flare ups.

If you do have problems with flare ups, you could try using a blow torch. Don't use one of the little creme brûlée kitchen torches - get a proper blow torch and sear of the roast. If the weather is cold, you should do that inside under a well ventilated hood so the meat does not cool off.

KYJeff

Sorry,  I got distracted by work and forgot to check back on this.  Some great advice here, I appreciate it.  I've had a bone in roast salted and uncovered for 3 nights in the fridge.  The salt is not penetrating the fat, maybe I dried it to well?  I'll post some pictures of how the cook turns out.  

tgs2401

I did my first one a few days ago. Low and slow at 250 till 115 internal. Pulled the place setter and brought it up to 500 and seared all the sides for about 90 seconds each. Turned out great!