My first Prime Rib and I'm doing it on the WSM!

[Mark (markx3)]

So tomorrow I'm cooking my very first prime rib. I've never done it on a WSM or ever for that matter! I went to the butcher and bought a 4.2 LB choice rib roast. When I brought it home I rinsed it off with water and dried it with paper towels. I then added a LOT of Montreal steak seasoning. I didn't want to use Worcestershire sauce before because A) I don't really like it. B) The Montreal seasoning has enough salt in it already. C) I thought between the smoke flavor and the seasoning, it would be enough. I thought why over power the flavor of the meat with more seasoning when I'm using lump charcoal and oak wood + Montreal? How much more seasoning do I need? Let the meat speak for it's self was my reasoning.

Tomorrow I'm going to light one chimney full of USA Royal Oak lump and then dump an unlit chimney full over the lit coals and add some oak chunks. I plan on smoking the meat for about 2 hrs and taking it off when my temp gets to med rare. I'll then wrap in foil and let it sit 30 min while we have our salads. Please let me know what you think but I'm basically following the Montreal seasoned Prime Rib recipe.

More pics tomorrow! I'm going to put it on the Q at about 7pm ET tomorrow!

 

[Another Bob B]

Hi Mark - Looks like a great start to me. I think the Worsty Sauce was mostly for creating a moist surface for the Montreal rub to better adhere. Will not be a problem though. Some actually apply yellow prepared mustard for a base. Your application looks great though and I'll bet you have a super cook. Good luck. Will be looking forward to seeing the pics. Bob B

 

[Don Cash]

Looks great so far!!

I did the exact same cook not too long ago. Turned out great. I used the Worcestershire sauce but, like Bob B said, I think it is just to help the rub stick. I'm not a huge fan of it either and I didn't taste it in the finished product.

Here's a link if you want to take a look.

Good luck!

 

[Vince B]

You could always wipe your meat down with a bit of oil for your rub to stick.

 

[Mike R. (Heyworth)]

Sounds like delicious! With that much charcoal, I'm thinking you won't need the full 2 hours though for it get to the med-rare, especially with that long of a rest. You didn't say how you wanted to have it done when you eat it, you may like it more done that I do. But, that being said, 2 full chimneys of lump will give you LOTS of heat, and quickly.

 

[Mark (markx3)]

Thanks everyone for the comments! Yes I'm thinking I should have rubbed it down with EVO before the rub. And I want the roast to come out medium when ready to eat so I was going to take it off at med rare.

How much lump should I use? It's a 4.2 LB roast. I was thinking 2 chimneys full total. How long should I let it rest?

Don, your roast looked awesome and you're way too hard on yourself! I've paid good money for a helluva lot worse looking roast than that!

 

[Mark (markx3)]

I forgot to ask, if I put a pan under the roast on the lower grate, will that catch the drippings that I could use as the au jus sauce? Will I need to do anything to the drippings like drain fat, etc?

Thanks!

 

[Don Cash]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mark (markx3):
How much lump should I use? It's a 4.2 LB roast. I was thinking 2 chimneys full total. How long should I let it rest?...if I put a pan under the roast on the lower grate, will that catch the drippings that I could use as the au jus sauce? Will I need to do anything to the drippings like drain fat, etc? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have a hard time finding good lump. I use K pretty much exclusively so I can't help much on quantity of lump. That being said, I filled the ring half way with unlit and then dumped a full chimney of lit on that (I guess a high heat Minion). I had trouble at first getting temps up to where I wanted them until I used the shim under the lid to boost airflow. Held high heat temps great after that. Since lump burns hotter you may be able to keep up the temps better.

As for the rest, my roast was the same size as yours and I wanted to rest it for 20 minutes or so but my guests were unavoidably late. It ended up resting a lot longer than expected and thus "cooked" past the medium rare I wanted. Not a big deal it was still medium - medium/well, moist and very delicious. I'd pull it 8-10 degrees below your target and rest for 20-30 minutes, tented with foil.

I used a packaged au jus but if you put a pan on the bottom rack it will catch the drippings. May be more trouble than its worth OR it may be the best au jus in the world...only one way to find out.