Easter Smoke? Can you smoke a rib roast with the bone in?


 
Ernest Buckley

Ernest Buckley

TVWBB Fan
I`m considering smoking a rib roast for Easter.

(I searched this site but couldn`t find anything so I apologize beforehand if this is a repeat post)

Several questions:
1) I`m looking at smoking a 5-6 bone rib roast for 15 people... Is this enough or should I get something bigger?

2) How long would you suggest I smoke a 5/6 or 7/8? (My crowd prefers food on the medium well side...)

3) What wood would you suggest?

4) Any rubs you would suggest?

Part of my dilemma is that I work on Sunday mornings so I want to do as much prep ahead of time and start the smoke in the morning around 6:30a/7a so its done for 2p-3p.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,
EB
 
I cook smaller boneless rib roasts (rib eye roasts) all the time and have great results. For a bone in rib roast, I would consider a roast that after trimming the exterior fat but still raw is around 3/4 lb to 1 lb per person (figuring in left overs, bone, and cooking shrinkage). In doing the roast, first I would salt and pepper it and then brush on butter (or a good olive oil). I would then brown the roast either in a very hot cast iron frying pan (if you can find on that is large enough) or over a very hot grill. Once you have a suitable crust on all sides but still pretty much raw inside, I would then smoke it with fruit wood (apple, cherry, ...) on the WSM at 250F. I remove it at 138-140F internal temperature for medium rare. Choose the internal temperature you feel appropriate for medium well. Since you are not breaking down collagen like in a brisket, I would think it would take around 2-2.5 hours to get to your goal internal temperature. I would let it rest, lightly tented in heavy duty foil, for an hour before carving.

Should be great.

-- Mache
 
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Absolutely! Chris covers a few different versions of this on the virtualweberbullet portion of this site: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ribroast1.html

His detailed accounts of different ways of doing it should answer your questions. I followed his instructions on the herb crusted version and was quite pleased with the results. Since then, I ended up moving toward doing a hybrid of that version and his technique for smoking & then searing a beef tenderloin. They're both great, but between the two, I highly prefer the tenderloin (especially when I can get a nice tenderloin at a decent price from a Sam's Club or Costco).
 
I do mine at 250F and get the same doneness from right below the surface all the way to the center. When you roast at higher heat (350F with Chris' method), the more shrinkage you see, and the more gradation you have in doneness -from very done nearest the surface to more rare in the center.

-- Mache
 
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Well folks, yesterday was my first time smoking a rib roast. I used Chris Allinghams` recipe/technique. All I can say is wow. Everyone loved it including 3 yr olds.

We ended up purchasing a 4 rib Prime USDA rib roast for 20. The butcher recommended the 4 rib after we told him how many people we were expecting (20) and the other items on the menu.

This was my first time smoking a rib roast and I was a bit nervous knowing we paid $130 for this beauty and knowing I was responsible for the Easter main course… I couldn`t screw this up…

Thanks for the links and suggestions!
 
Congrats on nailing it! And yes, I usually get a bit nervous when I'm the one responsible for not screwing up an expensive slab of beef that will be the main course for a get-together.
 
Yes, it's a bit of a transition going from individual steaks to an entire slab of primal. And really, it's less about the cost and more about not wanting to screw up something that we're about to serve to our friends and family. I get the impression that most of us on here are our own most demanding critics and that our friends and family are much more forgiving of our cooking than we are. The anticipation and hope for great things is a big part of why I enjoy it.
 
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