What's the deal with Prime Rib?

willymcnilly · December 2014

A few questions about Prime Rib. I recently cooked a practice run of a 4 or 5 lb prime rib and striploin roast (on separate days)

I cooked them direct at 290 degrees for about 2 hours (flipping occasionally) until both reached 145 internal. Delicious herbed rubbed-crispy crust.

Curiously prime rib is recommended to be cooked to an UNSAFE level of 125-135 max. Personally, I do not like extremely red meat.

The prime rib at 145 internal, tastes not much more interesting than a blade roast would taste like Ie: Acceptable but nothing special roast beef

The striploin roast was much more flavourful and delicious in my opinion.

I recently ate prime rib at a chinese restaurant which was very tender and moist but flavourless and tasted like a crock-pot cook.

Is there any way to cook prime rib to a medium or medium-well done while having it transcend lower cuts?

Or is this cut only validated to be "gourmet" when cooked to the unsafe level of 125 to 135?

Thanks for any discussion.

Tjcoley · December 2014

What grade was the meat. Not all Prime Rib roasts are 'Prime' grade. Especially this time of year where the stores stock up on rib roasts, there are a lot of cheaper cuts.

jls9595 · December 2014

It is safe(and awesome) when cooked to 125-130 internal. The outside gets much hotter to kill any bacteria and since it is not ground beef the inside of the roast has not been in contact with any contaminants.

fairchase · December 2014

Why do you believe beef cooked to 135 to be unsafe ?

theyolksonyou · December 2014

I regularly eat steaks rare to med rare. "I'm not dead yet" in my best Monty Python voice.

willymcnilly · December 2014

Pretty well every source I have read claims 145 as minimum safe temperatures for roasts of pork or beef. Anyway I prefer minimal pink in my roast anyway. Does this invalidate me from loving prime rib? Many people claim that cooking it to 145 will ruin the roast. Does this roast have a different cooking scale than other beef cuts?

BRush00 · December 2014

No - a rib roast does not have anything different about it regarding food safety guidelines. Fresh Beef is Fresh Beef (until it's ground), and "safe" at 145.

Other than the above suggestion, maybe you don't have a "prime" rib roast, I'm not sure what else could be said.

Different cuts of beef do have different flavor profiles however. Tenderloin is tender and fairly mild, while Brisket is more 'beefy' tasting. Perhaps you simply don't rreeeeeaaaaallllly enjoy a rib roast.

What are your thoughts on Rib Eye Steak vs. Striploin?

fishlessman · December 2014

i eat raw beef and raw lamb all the time so cooking it to 120 and eating it has not been a problem for me. i bet the chances of getting sick from eating raw lettuce is greater, lettuce has taken me down a few times, never beef.. raw lamb at room temp is served in alot of places up this way

fairchase · December 2014

More than 1way to do things.
If you like your beef medium to medium well it's fine for you to eat it this way.

Foghorn · December 2014

"Different cuts of beef do have different flavor profiles however. Tenderloin is tender and fairly mild, while Brisket is more 'beefy' tasting. Perhaps you simply don't rreeeeeaaaaallllly enjoy a rib roast.

What are your thoughts on Rib Eye Steak vs. Striploin?"

This is probably the real issue. @willymcnilly is probably just weird - like me. I find prime rib and ribeye steaks to be one of my least favorite cuts of beef. I'll take tenderloin, strips, and most variations of sirloin over a ribeye.

But with that being said, it is still good beef and it is what my friends and family enjoy most so, as is usually the case, I am cooking one for Christmas and will enjoy it very much.

Acn · December 2014

The USDA does promote 145 for steaks/roasts/chops. I personally never cook anything except burgers/brisket/pot roast to or past that; that is just how I prefer my beef.

Why are you hung up on definitely liking prime rib? If you made it and you didn't really like it, and you're hearing that it is much better at lower temps than you like/are comfortable with - then move away from it.

theyolksonyou · December 2014

fairchase said:
More than 1way to do things.
If you like your beef medium to medium well it's fine for you to eat it this way.

I think the problem is he doesn't like it that way. Agree with brush. Maybe just not a prime rib guy. I'm not a big fan myself. It's just so so for me. Therefore, I don't cook it.

TheShaytoon · December 2014

I have to agree with @theyolksonyou , I am not a fan of prime rib, neither is the wifey... I think there are better cuts to have.

Biggreenpharmacist · December 2014

If you are just wanting another option maybe try doing either a slow, indirect cook or even a reverse sear. Both will probably give you more of a "smokey" taste. Also may try a salt rub a few days before to try and impart a little more flavor into the meat.

willymcnilly · December 2014

Thanks for the comments. I guess I'm not a prime rib guy. But because I like barbecue there is something in me that says I want to love everything barbecued. My wife likes everything cooked medium to medium-well, I don't really mind beef medium-rare or even less cooked. My goal as a barbecuer is to figure out how to cook anything in a way that is pleasing to me and my family because I always buy what's on special.

There are multiple claims on the net that you "ruin" prime-rib by cooking it over a certain temperature. So I really was wondering if anybody loves this when it is cooked to medium or medium-well - because I didn't love it although it was fine. I have cooked this cut a few times to various internal temperatures but have never been that impressed with the flavour profile. I bought it because it was on special for $5.99/lb. I'm looking for a cut to impress at a family gathering and I know most of my family likes beef at least medium. It is just strange that other roasts such as the above mentioned striploin roast tasted utterly magnificent at 145 internal. So I was thinking there is something wrong with me or my cooking approach because my general perception was that this was an amazing cut of beef which in my experience is not the case either as steaks or roasts.

Bye for now.

KiterTodd · December 2014

willymcnilly said:

...There are multiple claims on the net that you "ruin" prime-rib by cooking it over a certain temperature. So I really was wondering if anybody loves this when it is cooked to medium or medium-well - because I didn't love it although it was fine. I have cooked this cut a few times to various internal temperatures but have never been that impressed with the flavour profile. ... So I was thinking there is something wrong with me or my cooking approach because my general perception was that this was an amazing cut of beef which in my experience is not the case either as steaks or roasts.

Apologies if I am repeating myself, but with the holidays approaching there seem to be a lot of Prime Rib threads. Which I 100% appreciate because I plan to make it for the first time on the BGE for NYE.

You are not alone. I'd say 60% of the prime rib I have eaten is just plain old flavorless flesh. It may be tender, and is certainly improved by dipping it in au jus with a little horseradish, but isn't always amazing. And, I've had it when it is chewy and just plain bad. BUT, I have eaten INCREDIBLE Prime Rib! There is a restaurant near my house that has it on the brunch buffet every Sunday and I'll go just for the prime rib. Doesn't matter if the piece they give me is well done or rare, it is all incredible from the crust to the center. It can be done.

What I have concluded from other threads and my own taste analysis, is that you have to get the flavor from the outside, into the meat. Most noteable salt. There, I said it. But, garlic and rosemary is a common rub for the outside and that also really helps bring out the flavor. And I'm sure it has a lot to do with the cut of meat, but I hope less so because I'm not paying $20/lbs for a roast...

Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out next year. In the meantime, read several of the prime rib threads on the first two pages here and you'll see lots of tips.

And hold out for that perfect prime rib! It's out there. And a good prime rib is up there with the best steaks I've had.

FATC1TY · December 2014

willymcnilly said:

Pretty well every source I have read claims 145 as minimum safe temperatures for roasts of pork or beef. Anyway I prefer minimal pink in my roast anyway. Does this invalidate me from loving prime rib? Many people claim that cooking it to 145 will ruin the roast. Does this roast have a different cooking scale than other beef cuts?

If no one else will say it, yes, if you like to eat shoe leather, then don't waste your time with prme rib. My family including my little children all eat our steaks and prime rib at 125-128 degrees. No one has gotten sick, it's more flavorful, and since my kids have been one, they demolish the cap of my rib eyes, with minimal teeth!

Perhaps you just don't like prime rib, as I can see it's not a cut for everyone. We rarely eat it, but it's a treat each time, and I splurge on getting the best cut I can at the time. My wife used to eat, and her family still eats everything medium well. I rarely if ever, cook steaks for them on my eggs. I simply can't bring myself to spending the extra money on destroying a good cut. Maybe the strip roast would be better, as you mentioned. The high temp helps it more so.

travisstrick · December 2014

I'm courious what evidence you have that points to beef being unsafe at 120-130? Where is strike when you need him?

DieselkW · December 2014

Prime rib is a cut that is best tasting rare, actually had a rib roast tonight. My wife does not like to have any liquid blood on her rib - I let it rest for about 40 minutes with an internal temp of 130f at the center.
Then I crank the egg up to 500 with an iron grill and lay the roast on its side for 3 minutes, rotate 90 degrees for nice grill marks, then I do the other side the same way.

After resting again for 20 minutes, slice between the bones - and put the rare side of one of the ends back on the hot Egg grill for a minute.

That gives her an internal medium rare with seared sides. I can eat my portion from the middle, properly rested no fluids comes out of it, but it's pink all the way through on both sides.

A 5 lb 4 bone roast will feed us 3 times this way.

yzzi · December 2014

I'd much rather have a ribeye over a prime rib.

KiterTodd · December 2014

Everyone come over my house for brunch on Sunday. We're going to run over to Grillmarks for their prime rib....

What's the deal with Prime Rib?

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