Pray for me! 1st shoat at prime rib is a 15 pounder for parents' 50th anniv tomorrow


 
J

Jamie Mathews

TVWBB Member
I'v ebeen asked to cook for 16 people to celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary. I found a beautiful 15 pound boneless rib roast. My plan is to sear it at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, then cook at 325 degrees in my kettle until medium rare.

I'm scared to death,because I got no consensus in my search to figure out how long this would take. Some guys here said 15-20 minutes per pound (4-5 hours), some guts told me I'd be done within 2 hours! I can handle a range of 30 minutes or so, but 2 hours?!?

I've never cooked anything this big. I've done baby backs, so I know I can maintain my temps that long if I have to (I use a pile of unlit on one side of a firebrick wall, I'll add 10 lit briquettes and play with the vents. I have my trusty Polder probe thermometer. I just have sero confidence about the timning.

In my Weber cookbook by Jamie Purveyence, he has a recipe for a 5 pound boneless that he says would be done in 90 minutes. My roast is 3 times bigger. Some guys have told me that mine won't take any longer (hey, it doesn't twice twice as long to cook 2 burgers as it takes to cookone), others have told me that it will take 15-20 minutes per pound, menaing that size does matter.

i guess I'll plan on giving myself 4.5 hours. If it's done early, I'll take it off and find a way to re-heat.

I don't want to blow this, not for my parents' sake. Unfortunately, i didn't have the chance for a practice run.

I will send updates tomorrow, starting at 7 AM, and hopefully pics.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Wish me luck!
 
My roast is 3 times bigger.
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Not really. Thickness is the key, not weight. At relatively the same thickness the cook time is relatively the same with only some variation due to differing distance between edges and center.

Cook time can vary, additionally, due to differences in starting meat temp (how cold it is when you put it in to cook; I recommend leaving it out for at least 2 hours before cooking) and any variances in actual cooktemps and/or cooking time at the temps you choose; also, one must aloow for perceptual differences in what constitutes 'medium-rare'.
 
Jamie,

I know everyone has their own thoughts, but I cook a rib roast every Christmas day and have used Alton Brown's method since he first shared it, i.e. low and slow to temp, then high heat sear for 10 to 15 minutes. I do it in the oven for ease sake, but I'd do the low and slow part on the WSM in a heartbeat and do the high heat sear in the oven. Still, whatever you do, good luck, and I'll pray for your success.
 
Jamie there is no person alive on earth than can tell you how long something will take, just cook to desired temp according to a chart and everything will be fine.
 
Jamie, I'd be concerned also. Congratulations to your parents!

My serious advice is: have confidence in your ability, be attentive to the meat (don't throw it on then go have a Brewski with the guys), get fresh batteries for that Polder if it uses batteries, and check it against boiling water for accuracy.

Looking forward to some nice pix of the folks and the meal.
 
Off to a rocky start! I have never, ever, not once, had this much trouble getting my Weber kettle to settle at any temp I wanted. Every miniscule tweak I make to the vents, caused a 75 degree swing in the temp. I think I'm finally locked in at 330 degrees, but it took a good hour of frustration and f-words to get there!

I have some lit lump on top of a good pile of unlit. Coupla hickory chunks on there, but prime rib doesn't need much external flavoring IMO. Both my Polder and my Thermapen are gegistering 92 degrees in the thickest part. Hopefully I can just let it sit there for a bit, and not have to fuss with the vents every 30 seconds.

Seasoned with a little kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, with a little EVOO.

It's 8:50 AM my time. Things are looking better...
 
Thanks for the nice post Charles. My parents are one in a billion, just the best, most loving, supportive parents any kid could have ever wanted. Every kid should have parents like mine. Fortunately for me, they live 2 miles away.
 
Most frustrating cook ever. Thermometer says 250 degrees,so I open vents by one zillionth of an inch. Wife sends me to the store to get ice, back 15 minutes later, thermometer says 425 degrees. The Polder and the Thermopen are 10 degrees apart, measuring the roast. Bring them in, give them the ice water test and the boiling water test, both are perfect. Put them back in the roast, now they're 12 degrees apart. Now it starts to rain.

I yell to the heavens "@!#@&^&*#@!%^&@*($@%!!!"

Hope everyone is OK with Big Macs.

I'm ready to dump my 3 grills and all my accessories into the lake, become a vegan, and take up knitting.

Deep breath. Grill is at 320 degrees, both thermometers now are within 4 degrees of each other, average reading is 113 degrees. Smell of hickory and beef in the air, next door neighbor keeps peering in my yard to see what the smell is.

I haven't given up yet. But it's nice knowing that McDonalds is 1 mile away if I mess up...
 
Middle of the roast hit 125 at 10:30, after 3 hours on the grill.

Deared at 600 degrees on my gas grill for 10 minutes, then on th echarcoal grill for exactly 3 hours at avg temp of 300 degrees. This was a 15 pound roast, cooked much faster than I thought.

It's resting in foil for 30 minutes.

I told my family we'd eat at 12:30 or so,so I need to keep it warm, or reheat, without cooking it any more.

I also could not believe the difference in temp if I moved the Thermapen by 2 inches to the right or left from the middle of the roast, swings were 10-15 degrees.

I'll stick to ribs from now on, I think. This was very stressful, and I'm not out of the woods yet.
 
Again, weight is almost immaterial. Thickness is the issue.

Internal temps can vary, especially if cooked relatively quickly. In the future, try an even low cook temp, like 200-225. Sear if necessary at the finish, not the beginning.

Internal temps tend toward stabilization during resting.

Holding at or above finish internal will cook the roast further. How much depends on how long you need to hold it.

I'm hoping your meal went well.
 
They say allis well that ends well. I'm not so sure.

That cook kicked my butt. My Weber 26.75 kettle simply refused to stay between 300 and 350 (not unless it wason the way up to 425 or down to 200).

Took it off at 125. Let it sit on my gas grill, which I got down to about 115 degrees. Perfect when served, pink in the middle, just a faint hint of hickory to complement the natural awesomeness of prime rib.

Many, many thanks to all here. My parents' 50th anniversary was a success, and everyone wanted leftovers.
 
Perfect when served, pink in the middle, just a faint hint of hickory to complement the natural awesomeness of prime rib.
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Right on. You're an expert in your folks eyes and that's what counts today.
Good job, Jamie.
 
Originally posted by Jamie Mathews:
My Weber 26.75 kettle simply refused to stay between 300 and 350 (not unless it wason the way up to 425 or down to 200).
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What do you want? You averaged 312. You're a 300 hitter. Good going.
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Good work, Jamie.

If I may be so bold, I think your anxiety going into the cook (before it even started) set the tone for the cook. I know if I'm really anxious about a cook, every little thing seems far more important than it realy is.

But the proof is in the pudding, and the final result proves that your fears about your own abilities were unmerited.
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In golf they say "doesn't matter how..just how many" In Q it doesn't matter how...just how good. Sounds like you pulled it off..congrats.
 
Way to go Jamie, all that fretting and everything turned out great in the end.

As Kevin suggested try cooking roasts at a lower temp, you will get a nice even doneness throughout the roast.
 
Originally posted by Matt Sanders:
Good work, Jamie.

If I may be so bold, I think your anxiety going into the cook (before it even started) set the tone for the cook. I know if I'm really anxious about a cook, every little thing seems far more important than it realy is.

But the proof is in the pudding, and the final result proves that your fears about your own abilities were unmerited.
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I was actually thinking the same thing last night after my first smoke. Everything just seems to go depending on how you're feeling as you approach it. Jamie, you did great, and if folks are asking for the leftovers, you acheived what you set out to do. Nice work!
 
Wow this post was like an action packed movie.
It had drama, action, humour and a climax too. And just like a movie....when all seemed lost, the hero saves the day.

Good job but where are the pics?
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Originally posted by Dom R:
Wow this post was like an action packed movie.
It had drama, action, humour and a climax too. And just like a movie....when all seemed lost, the hero saves the day.

Good job but where are the pics?
icon_biggrin.gif
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Good synopsis. I haven't uploaded pics yet, my 6 week old is very collicky...
 
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