Smoking a Prime Rib Saturday.....need some help

[Bob LeFever]

I'll be using the minion method on my 18.5. It's a 4.4 lb piece and I'd like it to be medium rare in the middle but medium towards the outside. I have a Maverick 732, so that should help. My problem is....how long should I expect it to take to get the results that I would like? Will be using a foil lined bowl (no water). Thanks for any help.

 

[Daris]

Bob,

I'm new to the WSM. I only have one smoke on the WSM under my belt, but my first smoke was a 4.25 lb bone-in rib roast last weekend. I read somewhere to expect about 20 minutes per lb. I foiled the pan as well. The temp stalled out a little over 350 and I was running a little behind schedule, so I put it on the smoker when the lid temp was 355. It slowly dropped to 325 and stay there for about an hour and a half, and then it dropped to between 300 and 315. The roast was on the grill for about 2 hours total. We pulled it off the WSM at 120 internal temp, and put it under foil for another 30 minutes. It ended up being medium rare, and it was fantastic. I posted some pics in the Photo Gallery. Good luck.

 

[Dave Russell]

Bob, whatever you do, don't do a reverse sear of a prime rib directly over the coals like I did once. If the fat causes any flare-up you'll get that "grilled steak flavor" that personally, I'd rather have when grilling steaks. If you DID decide to do a reverse sear, I'd pull the roast OFF the smoker and push all the coals to one side of the wsm grate before putting the rack down on top of the ring. Then I'd turn as needed for an even sear.

Really though, I'd just cook like Chris did in the link below, and make estimated adjustments for the your roast's lighter weight. He has another cook where he started off high to get a sear, but my wsm is too stubborn and I wouldn't advise trying to get the cooker so hot. The wsm isn't very efficient at 350*+ temps once seasoned, and I'd just as soon use a kettle for cooking that fast.

Hope this helps, and good luck with it. No need to go the slow route since you want both rare and med. slices.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ribroast2.html

 

[Bob Sample]

Like Dave said to get more variety of done cook it at a higher temperature since the ends cook at a faster rate. For a uniform med-rare cook ay lower temps. Check out this link. That's about a 2-3 bone roast so the ends should be medium when the middle is med-rare

 

[Russ Harris]

Its done when its done. Use the food probe on your Maverick and put the tip of the probe in the center of the roast. I like a good medium rare and I usually pull mine off when the internal temp gets between 125 and 130. Let it rest for about 30 minutes under a loose foil "tent". The temp will rise about another 7 to 10 degrees as the meat continues to cook. I've done it with both high heat around 300 to 350 and low and slow in the 225 to 240 range. I prefer low and slow because it gives you a more even medium rare. As far as the actual time, I couldn't tell you. I just put mine on and watch the internal temp. When it hits 125 its done. If you decide to go low and slow I suggest a foiled pan with water. If you decide to go with higher heat then I suggest an empty pan. And of course a pan on the lower grate to catch the drippings for a nice jus. Good smokin