Need guidance cutting up a 7 bone standing rib roast


 
DanHoo

DanHoo

TVWBB Olympian
I planned to buy a 3 or 4 bone standing rib roast for Christmas, yet the full 7 bone roast was $3 a pound less so I bought a 23 pounder. ( ouch ) but I consider it a $69 savings in the long run. It is air-drying in the garage fridge and I need some help deciding how to cut this up.

Dinner will be three good appetites with a couple of maybe's so I plan to cook for five and ensure plenty of leftovers.

I've read "first cut" "second cut" rib 12, rib 10, blue 90 hut hut. HIKE

Is the roast better on the larger end or the smaller end?

Should I cut three bones of the roast off the larger end and steak out the rest? I think having some 2 to 3 lb bone-in steaks sounds like some great summer eats.

Should I roast four bones and have some amazing left overs?

I'll probably cut it up Thursday evening so I've got a day to sort this out.20221220_231849.jpg20221220_231907.jpg
 
I don't know how to offer up much good advice other than I would consider 1 bone per person.
But that thing looks huge.
It also looks very very good, I just wanted to get that out there.
Beef ribs confuse me, they seem to come from all over the place.
My purchases we often not the same looking but usually tasted very similar.
But again, it's hard to put your pictures into perspective.....I have that pan and rack myself but they come in a bunch of different sizes.
That's going to be a seriously long cook....how wide is that beautiful piece of meat?
 
Nice chunk of beef!

The larger end meets the chuck and the smaller the New York strip so if you want to cut some nice steaks, yes, they should come from the smaller end.

Looking at that roast, I see a bunch or fine ribeye steaks and short ribs but that's just me :)
 
I've been buying the full bone-in primals from Costco for several years (when I can get them, that is,) and carving them down into 2 and 3 bone roasts. My g/f, a buddy of mine & I ate a 2 bone roast at Thanksgiving, no leftovers and we were not hungry (then again, we're aging, and our appetites aren't what they used to be.) With 2 of us, I'd have had leftovers for hash. A 3 bone should feed 3 to 4, unless you're feeding teenage gents where you'd want 2 bones per. I'm not sure that I have a discerning enough palate to be able to tell one end from the other when it's on the end of a fork.
 
My preference would be to make two roasts, take three ribs of which ever end you’re not planning on having for Christmas and be ready for another “Roast Beast” party!
Typically, my family would start by doing the larger end.
One of the last feasts we had before my brother died was a big one like that, we did the whole thing and there was enough leftover for two sandwiches the following day!
Merry Christmas!
 
Darryl - swazies said:
I don't know how to offer up much good advice other than I would consider 1 bone per person.
But that thing looks huge.
It also looks very very good, I just wanted to get that out there.
Beef ribs confuse me, they seem to come from all over the place.
My purchases we often not the same looking but usually tasted very similar.
But again, it's hard to put your pictures into perspective.....I have that pan and rack myself but they come in a bunch of different sizes.
That's going to be a seriously long cook....how wide is that beautiful piece of meat?
Click to expand...

The pan is a standard Nordic ware half sheet pan, roughly 18 x 13 so it is about 19 inches wide.
 
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this is esoteric but to me, i truly prefer the spinalis grilled over coals. SO, knowing how the spinalis narrows and decreases in thickness, would drive how i cut that whole rack.

specifically:

"If you want the whole spinalis muscle, you have to get it it off of a full rack of prime rib. Few butchers would ever agree to take the spinalis off of the prime rib since only a sucker would buy what remains, and you won’t ever find spinalis packaged by itself at the grocery store. So the easiest way to get one is to purchase a whole prime rib and remove it yourself. There’s a thick line of fat between the spinalis and the eye of the ribeye (longissimus dorsi), making it a breeze to separate along the natural seam. Cleaning off all the fat and silver skin can take some time, but it’s worth the effort.

The spinalis doesn’t have an even thickness throughout. The muscle thins out as it gets closer to the rear of the animal. A whole rack of prime rib contains seven bones (bones six through twelve), so if purchasing, say, a four-bone rack ask for the first four bones (bones six through nine) to get the thickest portion of spinalis."

from this page: https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/bbq-anatomy-101-smoked-spinalis/

i am not suggesting removing the spinalis cap from the whole rack, but i'd do your prime rib cook with the tail end of the rack and make steaks from the front portion.

the flavor of grilled spinalis is to me, the best part of any steak (ribeye or tomahawk). ribeye cap (spinalis) is also referred to as The King Of Steaks. and IIRC, Costco sells a pack of it as Prime grade, and around $17.99# or more.

while i like my guests (most of the time and most of them), i wouldn't serve them the BEST cut of beef that's not direct grilled over coal. and since you're cooking a LAS prime rib, i'd err on the conservative side and cook the read of the rack for them.

They won't know or understand this convo, unless they're foodies, so it doesn't matter what you give them. they'll be very happy with your result(s).

if you have some time to spend and want to go deeper on beef education, this is one of the BEST videos out there on front and rear beef quarters being butchered. i highly recommend serious cooks or those who like to play one in the backyard watch it.

 
Brett-EDH said:
i am not suggesting removing the spinalis cap from the whole rack, but i'd do your prime rib cook with the tail end of the rack and make steaks from the front portion.
Click to expand...

So the tail end is the narrower end? I think I'm going to roast 4 bones, and cut the other into some thick steaks and hide them deep in the freezer.

And I just found this link. It was late last night when I started my search. I should have looked here first.

www.virtualweberbullet.com

Standing Rib Roast Selection & Preparation - The Virtual Weber Bullet

How to select and prepare a standing rib roast for barbecuing on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. Learn terminology, grading, trimming, temps, slicing, yield & more.
www.virtualweberbullet.com www.virtualweberbullet.com
 
You actually can buy the spinalis. Costco sells it and also the actual eye of the rib steaks. Don't shoot me, but I actually far prefer the center of the steak (eye of the rib if you will) compared to the spinalis. In all likelihood come Sunday at my bros house when I get service a piece with that on it, I will likely take it off and give it to my sister in law who will love me for it
 
DanHoo said:
I've read "first cut" "second cut" rib 12, rib 10, blue 90 hut hut. HIKE

Is the roast better on the larger end or the smaller end?
Click to expand...
From my article:

www.virtualweberbullet.com

Standing Rib Roast Selection & Preparation - The Virtual Weber Bullet

How to select and prepare a standing rib roast for barbecuing on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. Learn terminology, grading, trimming, temps, slicing, yield & more.
www.virtualweberbullet.com www.virtualweberbullet.com

Small End Vs. Large End​

Some people prefer a beef rib roast cut from ribs 10-12 (closest to the short loin) because it offers more lean meat and fewer large areas of fat. This roast is called the small end or first cut.

standing-rib-roast-selection-preparation-9.jpg
Small end

Other folks like a roast from ribs 6-8 (closest to the shoulder). This is called the large end. People choose this cut because it contains more fat, more flavor, and more of the spinalis dorsi or ribeye cap—that super-tender, fat-marbled layer on the outer edge of the roast.

standing-rib-roast-selection-preparation-10.jpg
Large end

Beside the amount of lean vs. fat, you can tell the difference between these two roasts by comparing the length of their bones. A small-end roast has longer rib bones than a large-end roast.

So, if you want more lean meat for your money, buy one from the small-end. If you like more fat, purchase one from the large end.

standing-rib-roast-selection-preparation-2.jpg
Whole, USDA Choice beef rib roast with large end and small end indicated
 
DanHoo said:
So the tail end is the narrower end?
Click to expand...
see Chris' post above. the spinalis is the fat cap you want to, IMO, grill. so the asp end will be narrower (less meat) and have less spinalis, less fat cap.

if you look at the rack on a side view, you will see the spinalis/fat cap. if you look at the other end, you will see much less spinalis/fat cap.

mind you, this is just my preference. but i know you like a great grilled steak so i'd opt for better steaks and a roasted rack is just a roasted rack.

now you got me thinking i need to pull those lamb racks i just bought to i can chew that seared fat cap on those.

dang. we've done such a good job reducing red meat at home. ima just going to have to splurge soon and do the red meat.

Costco Business center also sells Cowboy steaks, s to a pack in Cryovac. LMK if you want to take a drive there. I want to walk that
 
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Chris Allingham said:
From my article:


Small End Vs. Large End​

Some people prefer a beef rib roast cut from ribs 10-12 (closest to the short loin) because it offers more lean meat and fewer large areas of fat. This roast is called the small end or first cut.

Other folks like a roast from ribs 6-8 (closest to the shoulder). This is called the large end. People choose this cut because it contains more fat, more flavor, and more of the spinalis dorsi or ribeye cap—that super-tender, fat-marbled layer on the outer edge of the roast.
Click to expand...

Thank you Chris. I wasn't connecting the dots on the numbered ribs to large end vs small end.
 
Brett-EDH said:
this is just my preference. but i know you like a great grilled steak so i'd opt for better steaks and a roasted rack is just a roasted rack.
Click to expand...
Now I get it.

de6ea40ce0e2f239a4e24ca2ff189a21.jpg


Yes, I want some really good steaks out of this.

I think 3 ribs from the first cut / small end will be plenty, likely around 9 lbs.
 
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