The 4-hr guideline is for
(EDIT: non-intact) whole muscle meats only, and any meats which do not meet the description of a whole muscle meat should be treated as such.
If I'm understanding the guidelines correctly, then, my interpretation of them leans towards the margin of safest practice, and in keeping with that:
Meats which
are not considered whole muscle meats include:
1) meats which have had the bone removed and the incision/cuts have then been re-closed (to maintain a bulkier/thicker cut of meat);
2) any ground meat product;
3) any injected (
injectable marinade) or punctured (temp probe insertion, or stuffed with garlic cloves) meat product which has been tampered with prior to the outer 1/2" of the meat reaching 140* within 4 hours;
4) any meats which have been filleted of otherwise cut open to insert another food product inside and then re-closed for cooking (such as stuffed pork loin);
So, with a prime rib roast, it would meet the description of a whole muscle meat, provided it is not injected with marinade, a thermometer probe inserted too early, or de-boned and then rolled and tied, or otherwise closing-up of the freshly cut surfaces of meat. If a bone-in beef rib eye, prime rib roast, 7-bone whole beef rib (or however you prefer to reference it as) is de-boned, since the bones are not removed from the interior of the whole roast, and, if this fresh cut from bone removal is left exposed the entire time it is being cooked, it would still be considered a whole muscle meat.
Note: if a cut of meat were deboned (example: pork butt/shoulder), and then left as a butter-flied cut until cooking is completed (which leaves the fresh cuts exposed), this would still be considered a whole muscle meat.
Hope this gives you a better picture of what the whole muscle meat guideline can do for you with low & slow cooking, and keeps you running down the straight and narrow path when your pre-cooked meats can't be considered whole muscle meats.
Eric
