Prime Rib for many hungry folks

bigmikej

I am planning on cooking a large prime rib (or standing rib roast) for about 16 people this coming Thursday night (3/20). I have done some research and found that I can buy a whole boneless rib roast at Costco at anywhere from 14-18 lbs. 1st question is how much do I need for this many hungry people? I figure I will have to trim it some and will lose some weight during dry-aging and cooking. [p]Also, if I can find it for a reasonable price, I am hoping to do a bone-in roast. Costco only sells these during the holidays, so I will have to call a butcher. Any differences between the two in terms of cooking, yield/pound, etc?[p]As far as cooking method, should I sear at high temp, then bring temp back down for low and slow? Or should I low and slow and then sear? Or , should I forego the sear altogether? Let it be said that I would like a nice crust.[p]Finally, please advise on cooking times for rare to med. rare. Also, with a roast this big would it be better to cut it in half?[p]I think that is all of my questions. I hope y'all will let me know your favorite way to do a large prime rib. I look forward to reading your responses![p]Thanks in advance for the help![p]Mike[p]

TRex

bigmikej,[p]I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll share with you my one experience of doing a Prime Rib that turned out great.[p]We bought a 5 lb, 2-bone-in, prime-grade roast. Yeah, it broke the bank, but was well worth it. This beef had been wet-aged, i.e., no dry-aging, but nevertheless it was an absolutely beautiful cut of beef.[p]I seasoned all sides just as I do a steak: lots of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and spicy brown porter style mustard. I brought my Mini up to 800 F and seared all sides. I then transfered the roast to my Medium, which I had sitting at 325 F with an indirect setup (firebricks and drip pan). I put a couple of dry mesquite wood chunks in the mix, inserted to Polder, closed her up, and walked away.[p]About 2 1/2 hours later the Polder read 135, so I pulled the roast out, wrapped in foil, and let it sit for about 15 minutes, during which time the internal temp rose to about 142 or so. (This was on the medium side of medium-rare, per the request of some of the guests to be served.) Sliced and served to 9 hungry people. Now, this was only an appetizer, believe it or not, on Thanksgiving day. I would have probably bought a larger roast if I was going to only serve the roast for dinner to 9 people. Suffice it to say, the 5 lb roast was reduced to bones (well-cleaned) in a matter of minutes.[p]I can't remember the rules on weight loss due to cooking beef, but someone here on the forum can help you. I know there are also some good estimates out there for pounds of meat per individual. I believe there might be an estimate in Bill Wise's (WiseOne) cookbook, as well as some more recipes on Prime Rib: (http://www.nakedwhiz.com/recipes01142003.pdf).[p]I would defintely cut the roast in half if you bought one as big as you are planning. I've heard some people say that three-bone-in is as large a piece as you should cook if you want even cooking throughout.[p]Hope some of this helps. Good luck![p]TRex

Jeff J

<p />bigmikej, I recently did a 4 1/2 lb prime rib. I only seasoned with olive oil and black pepper, hand full of chips, and then cook at 175 till internal of 135, wrapped in foil, plan on about 2 hours a pound. Great taste, very tender, very little smoke. I've never done it how T-REx did but that seems the most commen around here. I would think you would need to split that size of roast in two halves. [p]

Unknown

bigmikej,
The only thing that I might add is that I found a cajun marinade in the grocery store from Tony Charcere (sp definitely off, but it's the cajun guy in every grocery store's seasoning section). I injected the marinade and let it do it's beautiful thing overnight. It was wonderful. I recommend searing at a high temp for a few minutes on each side to seal the juices and get a delicious crust going (I dust mine with McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning). I only have one grill, so after I sear it I just put the top down and cut the air way back. The temp goes down soon enough if you pop the lid a couple of times for a few seconds during the next thirty minutes. I cooked mine around 1.5 hours, but it depends on how well done you want it. I like rare to medium rare, but there are those in my house that like it done more. There will be some on the edges to satisfy everyone.