Thoughts on MAK setup for Prime Rib?

[SoDakSmokerGolfer]

The family has requested prime rib for Christmas dinner... I have seen a number of good recipes posted here and on the web in general but I am wondering on the best advice for the setup of the MAK?

I was thinking of putting the hunk of meat on the upper rack and have the flamezone covered on the side the meat is on (or above) and leave the opposite side uncovered.

Is this way good? Is there a better setup?

 

[TrickyDick]

I have done many many times in an electric oven. I used the roasting equivalent of the reverse-sear. I am planning to do in the MAK this year, but my family is worried about an overly smoky flavor. I am probably going to roast it in a pan and cover with foil at some point during this process to prevent an excessive amount of smoke flavor.

I am just chiming in here so I am sure to see the responses, because I am interested as well. I am thinking the regular grease (non-flamezone) might be better for slow roasting, and then roast to an internal temp of between 108-118 depending on how big my roast is and what doneness I want (probably medium rare), pull, foil, rest while grill heats to 500, then roast uncovered until desired degree of crust is formed, then pull and cover and rest for 15 minutes.

I'd also be interested to hear if anyone has dry-aged their roast before and if so, how...

TD

 

[Kite]

One of the things I have learned about pellet grills is that "too much smoke flavor" is not a problem. I am NOT saying that there is not enough smoke flavor.. actually, I think it is just right. But I don't think you will ever get too much.

 

[FLBentRider]

I do them on the second rack, flame zone covered, on smoke or 200F.

At 115F IT, I FTC until 15 minutes before serving time, then hit it with 500F with in the MAK or oven.

That results in 120-125F = Rare.

 

[FLBentRider]

Check this thread - http://www.pelletsmoking.com/pelletsmoking-com-gallery-10/thanksgiving-rib-roast-5662/

 

[MAK DADDY]

I smoke them with a heavy salt & pepper coating at 250 degrees until 135IT (i like it medium rare, I know don't tell BP), rest for 15 to 20min. Trying to remember timing, I want to say around 15min/lb.
MAKMAZING as Jim would say

 

[Big Poppa]

I have dozens of threads on prime rib...

number one reverse sear is great for the gasser or oven but you are ruining the bark that the smoke and meat and seasonings creates.

Cook no higher than 275...

rest it

do not foil at anytime.....

The reason for the temp is the even cooking and the lessening of the residual continuation cooking....if you rest a prime rib tnat you pull at 135 for a holf hour it will be 145 at the center.

The biggest tip I can give you guys that dont want to search is to presentation slice...Do not slice and put on a serving tray....it dries out gets cold and you cannot portion control.....

 

[TentHunter]

We really like a coating of brown mustard and either: 1) a sprinkling of salt, pepper & rosemary, or 2) Little Louie's w/ black pepper and some rosemary.

I cook pretty much the same as MAK DADDY & BP describe. 250° - 275°, no reverse sear (on these larger cuts it's not really needed).

I may tent it with foil during the rest, but I do NOT wrap in foil. DO NOT slice that roast while the temp is still rising or you will end up with a platter full of juices and the sliced steaks will dry out. Wait for a minimum 30 - 45 minutes to be sure the temp has leveled out and/or starts to drop. Then the muscle will be relaxed and your steaks will be juicy and delicious!

Warning: Once you do a prime rib on your grill, there's no going back! Prime rib in a restaurant will never seem quite as good.

 

[RickB]

Wish I had a dollar for every rib roast I've smoked. Number one you will NOT have to much smoke flavor. Let roast sit at room temp for 1 hour.season to taste. I cook at 225 for approx 20-25 min a pound. Pull at 125-130. The higher temp you cook at the more temp will rise while resting. At 225 you will get about 10 degree bump with a 30 min rest. Tent loosely with foil. Comes out perfect medium rare everytime!

 

[scooter]

• Pull out of the fridge 45 mins ahead and season. I like garlic olive oil, jalapeno season salt, and DSSR. Sriracha sauce (Vietnamese garlic hot sauce) in place of the olive oil is real tempting after how good my Sriracha tritip came out last weekend! Thanks BP for the tip!
• Cook at 225-250 until 140*IT for medium. You'll get a 5-10F push(See image below for pinkness)
• Loosely tent the roast for at least an hour, or better yet, leave the thermometer in the roast during the rest period. Watch the temp rise until it stops, when the temp begins to decrease, you can now carve it without a bloodbath. This is probably the most important step to get right. You've carried the ball to the end zone. Don't fumble it now!
• The juice that is under the roast after resting should be added to your au jus. It will add a delicate smoky flavor to your au jus.

Cooked exactly as described above at 225F. Final IT after resting was 149*. Took 3.5 hours to get to 140IT and another hour loosely tented for the push to stall out at 149IT. This is the pinkness my family likes for rib roasts.

Some notes on the push: The push is pretty much a mass plus energy equation. The bigger the roast and hotter the cooker, the farther the push will take the internal temp of the roast after you pulled it from the cooker. The smaller the roast and lower temp the cooker the push will be smaller.
A cruise liner cruising at 20 knots takes longer to come to a full stop than if it tried to come to a full stop while cruising at 5 knots. A personal yacht takes less distance to come to a full stop than a cruise liner!
The push is a mass plus energy thing.

Some notes on finish temp for doneness: This is really subjective. All of us here know how they like their meat cooked. Some like medium, some medium rare, rare, well etc. What finished temp that is differs from pitmaster to pitmaster. On my scale (a lot of cooks will agree with the following and a lot will disagree) rare is 125F-135F, med/rare is 135F-145F, Medium is 145F-155F, well is 160+. Under 120 and the steer is practically still mooing. My family prefers the finished rested temp of tritips and steaks between 140 and 145 (med/rare). We prefer rib roasts between 145 and 150 (med).

Some notes on resting: This is, in my opinion, where most pitmasters blow their game. They've perfectly seasoned it, smoked it to perfection and have their rib roast up to temp then pulled it and are letting it rest. After 20 mins the family gets restless and their pressure drives the pitmaster to carve it into slices before the push is stopped. At first they see beautiful slices of pink meat and begin high five'ing each other then their excitement begins to subside as the pink ever so slowly gives way to gray before their eyes and there is a puddle of juice (myoglobin which is a protein liquid, it's not blood) all over the cutting board, filling the moat that lines the cutting board and overflowing onto the kitchen counter and down the kitchen cabinets......
It's sad but I see it in forum pictures over and over. Slices of beautiful pink meat sitting in a puddle of juice that I know are well on their way to loosing that pink they worked hard to get.
What's happening when that takes place? Everyone's seen how roasts shrink in size when cooked. They shrink as long as the internal temp is increasing. If you slice up a roast while the temp is increasing, that shrinking action will continue a little more and will literally squeeze the juice right out of the muscle fibers of your meat slices in much the same way as you'd wring out the water from a wash cloth by twisting it. It's basically the same principle.
If left unsliced during the entire resting period (until the internal temp stops increasing) the juices will redistribute inside the roast and a very small amount will end up under the roast. Carve it now and your slices will stay pink all the way until you're reheating them days later for left overs. Guaranteed!
Resist the temptation to carve your roast before it's rested completely! Use a thermometer to determine when the push is complete if necessary.
Remember, like Tenthunter so correctly pointed out, loosely tent it, don't seal it or FTC as the push will carry even further if you insulate the roast in any way.

Some notes on minutes per pound: I've found there's no minutes per lb formula for the rib roasts I've cooked. I've cooked small 5lb'rs and full 17lb'rs and a lot in between. Cooking at 225-250 the whole way they've all reached 140IT somewhere between 3.5 to 4 hours. Maybe a smidge over 4hrs for a full size (7 bone) bone-in roast.
I can't explain it. This seems to be an area where I'd expect the mass plus energy to apply but it just doesn't seem to. It would make sense to me that a 5lb roast should take substantially less time to cook than a 17lb roast but my results have proven to me over and over that it takes 3.5-4 hours to cook a 5lb+ rib roast to 140IT at 225-250 pit temp.

Notes on smoke: As far as I'm concerned, I agree with Kite. You can't oversmoke a rib roast using a pellet cooker. The smoke flavor from a pellet cooker is so mild that the seasonings you place on the roast could overpower what smoke your pellet cooker attempts to place on it.
I love oak, hickory or pecan pellets with a rib roast.

Au jus: Make mirepoix of 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 stalks celery, saute until onions are thoroughly carmelized, deglaze with 1/4 CP sherry, add 3 cups Minor's beef broth (use any good quality beef base) and simmer for 15-20 minutes, strain out mirepoix, pour au jus into a saucepan. Add in roast drippings after the rest period. Broth was 3 CP water to approx 1 TBS Minors beef base.

Horseradish sauce: 1 CP light sour cream, 2 TBS fresh or prepared horseradish, 1 TBS lemon juice, 1/2 TSPN worcestershire sauce, a couple dashes of Tabasco sauce, fresh ground pepper and kosher salt to taste. Mix all together.

 

[cowdog]

• Loosely tent the roast for at least an hour, or better yet, leave the thermometer in the roast during the rest period. Watch the temp rise until it stops, when the temp begins to decrease, you can now carve it without a bloodbath. This is probably the most important step to get right. You've carried the ball to the end zone. Don't fumble it now!

How do you loosely tent?

 

[scooter]

Like this. Covered loosely but not sealed along the edges. You want some of the heat energy that was built up during the cook to escape. If the heat energy is all kept inside the foil the roast will continue to cook longer than you want it to.

 

[Pappymn]

Scooter, your previous longer post was awesome. I always rest what I am cooking. But may have not been resting it quite long enough. The declining temp tip will be deployed soon.

Thanks again

 

[scooter]

Thanks pappy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk while driving one handed!

 

[TrickyDick]

Awesome write up! I'll definitely be monitoring the push or carry over temp increase to determine rest period from now on.
I was concerned about smoke flavor, and had planned to cover the roasting pan with foil during the cook. Now I'm not going to cover it, and am wondering if I even need a roasting pan at all!

What is consensus on flame zone vs standard insert for us MAK owners?

TD

 

[MAK DADDY]

What is consensus on flame zone vs standard insert for us MAK owners?

TD

Don't use the flame zone, that should only be used for high temp direct heat grilling like steaks etc.

 

[Patrick_CT]

Nice write up Scooter!

 

[OLE]

Don't use the flame zone, that should only be used for high temp direct heat grilling like steaks etc.

Using flame zone or a high pit temp will more than likely result in fire... Unfortunately I know this from "learned" experience.

 

[cowdog]

Thank you Scooter, and that write-up was incredibly informative. Fantastic stuff.

 

[RickB]

• 
  Some notes on minutes per pound: I've found there's no minutes per lb formula for the rib roasts I've cooked. I've cooked small 5lb'rs and full 17lb'rs and a lot in between. Cooking at 225-250 the whole way they've all reached 140IT somewhere between 3.5 to 4 hours. Maybe a smidge over 4hrs for a full size (7 bone) bone-in roast.
  I can't explain it. This seems to be an area where I'd expect the mass plus energy to apply but it just doesn't seem to. It would make sense to me that a 5lb roast should take substantially less time to cook than a 17lb roast but my results have proven to me over and over that it takes 3.5-4 hours to cook a 5lb+ rib roast to 140IT at 225-250 pit temp.
  r.

• 
  
  If you think about it a little it really is quite simple. It is the thickness of the meat which determines the cook time not the length of the roast. If you have a 7 bone roast the thickness is the same as if yo u cut a 5 bone roast out of it. They will cook the same give or take a few minutes allowing for heat penetration from the end cuts.