Smoke A Rib Roast?


 

Rusty James

TVWBB Emerald Member
Hi all,

I have a rib roast that I am planning to thaw out and cook soon. My plan is to cook (smoke?) the roast on the WSM. I thought about using Nick Stellino's coffee rub that we have used on grilled steaks with good success.

I know nothing about beef rib roasts. Is this something that is suited for the low & slow (Minion) cooking method, or should I remove the water pan and cook it like hot & fast chicken? Should I use smoke wood too?
 
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Rusty.
I have cooked rib roasts, (rib of beef in the UK), & I cook them exactly like I would a pork butt. But only take it to an IT of 125F for medium rare, then let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. Delicious!!!
Minion method, +/-250F cook temp, no water. Rub of your choice. Smoke wood is good. I've used cherry & olive. Hope this helps.
 
I do mine slow and low with water in the pan. They don't take near as long since you typically take them to 125-135 depending upon how you like it done.

I take my chefs knife and stab in to the top fat cap, pull on the blade and poke a clove of garlic in the hole. I do the clear across the top side. Usually 3 rows about ever inch or two. The goal is to not go deep in the meat. You want the clove sitting just under the fat cap.

Then season the whole prime with Cavanders Greek seasoning. All sides and to the point the meat is green. Then get fresh rosemary strip the leaves off and crush them. Put the leaves on and wrap the prime with plastic wrap. Let it sit for a day or two in the fridge before smoking.
 
A low and slow rib roast gets you evenly cooked meat throughout. With a high temperature cook the outsides will be more towards will with medium in the middle (a function of the temperature and time). With a low and slow cook, you'll want to sear or reverse sear to get a nice browning on the outside.
 
Thanks for the great advice, y'all.

As far as internal cooking temps, my family doesn't like bloody meat. What temp should I shoot for if I want a medium roast?
 
Rusty.
Shoot for 130F-135F IT. Foil it. Get those coals ripping hot & sear on all sides for a minute each, as Russell suggests, to get a nice wee bit of char on the outside.
Foil again, & let it rest before carving, & you'll be golden.
Let us know how it turns out.
 
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I combine a few different techniques when doing my rib roasts. I like to cut along the bones, but leave them attached like a hinge at one end. I then poke holes to insert the garlic cloves. I season the meat under this flap and slay in a few sprigs of fresh rosemary before closing up the flap. I tie the roast to hold the bones on. I rub the meat with oil and season it well.


I cook on my WSM at 225-250 until 118 degrees, then I pull it. I let it rest tented in foil (temp should rise to 125-130 before finishing for 10 minutes in a 500 degree oven to get a good crust. Let it rest again to redistribute the juices. cut off the twine, slice off the bones at the hinge and then you have a boneless roast that is easy to slice. I usually sneak a bone for myself. You'll end up with a nice medium rare throughout the whole roast with a nice crust full of flavor.

I pulled techniques from myself, the website here, The Weber Big Book of Grilling and Alton Brown to come up with this method.
 
Thanks for the great advice, y'all.

As far as internal cooking temps, my family doesn't like bloody meat. What temp should I shoot for if I want a medium roast?

Make a larger pot of Aju and dip the meat in it while its boiling for a min. It wont really cook the meat but it will flash cook the surface so it doesn't appear to be bloody.
 
This was the one I did last week. All done in the WSM with water and no searing. Smoked at 250-270 with water until an internal temp of 135. The cut meat is the first slice in and it gets a little rarer as you get twards the middle.

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Mother's Day is coming up, so I'll be smoking it this weekend. Forgot to mention, the butcher removed the meat from the bone, and then tied it back on. I could snip the string, season the whole roast, and re-tie it back on again.

Wonder if Nick Stellino's coffee rub would come in handy here.

That's a good lookin' roast, Booker.
 
That's a good lookin' roast, Booker.

It tasted good too.

IF you can look for Culinary Customs Aju Base. It is pretty good to start with then add different stuff. I usually do a sprig of fresh rosemary, 1/2 white onion, dash of white pepper, 5-6 cloves of garlic, and maybe 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of fennel seed. This is for roughly 1/2 gallon of Aju.
 
Well, my roast was hit of the day, but I thought it was a bit dry. I smoked it with a water pan and fully lit coals (no wood), but knowing how the women wouldn't go for red juices, I aimed for an internal temp of 165°. I couldn't get there in time with the water pan, so I removed it and finished the roast over direct coals. The upper side of the meat was reddish pink, but the lower side was gray. The wife didn't like the red color, so I flashed the slices briefly on a hot grill. The meat was indeed tender, but just too dry.

Wished I would have made the Aju, but I was pressed for time.
 
If you have you aju boiling you can dip slices of meat in there for a min or two. It doesn't really cook it much more but it gives the appearance of well done.
 
It tasted good too.

IF you can look for Culinary Customs Aju Base. It is pretty good to start with then add different stuff. I usually do a sprig of fresh rosemary, 1/2 white onion, dash of white pepper, 5-6 cloves of garlic, and maybe 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of fennel seed. This is for roughly 1/2 gallon of Aju.

A google search? I am very much interested in this because it sounds like something you can freeze and use later?
 
Sorry I had it all backwards. Custom Culinary Au Jus base.

Here is their web page. They are geared more towards large scale food service preparation rather than home cooks but some grocery stores do carry their products. It just a 1 lb tub of paste that you add to boiling water. It makes a good Au Jus just how it is but it's is also a great platform to build off of if you have your own recipe.

Any way here is a link to the manufacturer and you can also buy it directly from them as well.
https://shop.customculinary.com/cc/bases/custom-culinary-masters-touch-au-jus-base/#.WRnrEL1OmBY
 
AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG, NO! NO! NO! NO! and HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a crime to cook a PR to well done. Give the ladies some chicken or pot roast and enjoy a nice midrare cut off beef !! Seriously, if you have to do some well done, there are alternative ways to do it without toasting the hell out of the entire loin. As Jbooker noted, slice a nice mid rare to medium piece and steep it in warn au jus to bring it up in temp. Target around 160 for the au jus. Another method is to stand the PR up on it's end for a little while longer during the reverse sear which will take the end cut up to well done. Or, as also mentioned, slice off their pieces and put them on a grill, smoker or oven to bring up to temp.

If you can't find the Au Jus base JBooker mentioned, look for something called Better Than Bullion beef base. Pan of water, add base to taste, drop in a couple of slabs (tbsps) of butter. you should be able to find it or some similar brand in the soup aisle, or where they have chicken stock.
 
Also give her an end cut. It will naturally be more done than one out of the center since its exposed directly to the heat.
 
Ah, well, the wife got wind of some of the comments on this thread and accused y'all of being cannibals, lol. She said she will never eat meat with red juices! :eek:

I think flashing the meat in aju will ease her mind.
 
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Hahha, my condolences. Went on a date once with a girl who freaked over red meat. I could have been nice and sent my steak back to be ruined. Instead, I placed a drink menu on the table to shield her view and proceeded to enjoy my steak.
 
Hahha, my condolences. Went on a date once with a girl who freaked over red meat. I could have been nice and sent my steak back to be ruined. Instead, I placed a drink menu on the table to shield her view and proceeded to enjoy my steak.

I know one woman who says, the "bloodier the better" when it comes to steaks.

Frankly, I used be like my wife until I ordered some sirloin tips at a BBQ restaurant that were cooked less than medium well. I thought they were delicious.

Since I've joined this site, I try to cook my steaks no higher than medium. After they sit for a while, the red juices are not that noticeable to the women here.
 
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