Trying out Christmas meal.

[Wasi]

I would like to do a prime rib for Christmas but with the amount of people and the cost of the meat it might get a little to expensive so I was looking at cheaper alternative meats to smoke. I found a bone in Ribeye roast on sale for $4.99 a pound and decided to smoke it like a prime rib. I seasoned it with soy sauce, worcester sauce, salt, pepper, then a compound butter with minced garlic, oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage. I smoked it with hickory and cherry at 250 for about 4 hours until it reached 135 internal.

 

[TNJAKE]

Looks tasty to me......FYI a ribeye roast is a prime rib. Doesn't become a ribeye steak until it is cut and trimmed

 

[MJB05615]

Looks good from here. Nice color and seems perfectly cooked. I agree with Jake, Rib Roast, Rib Eye Roast, etc all the same cut of meat. I think "Prime" Rib refers to the classification like Choice, Prime, etc. I once asked the butcher at Kroger if they had any Prime Rib, he said no. I then asked him if they had Rib Roast, and he said yes, how many did I need. Stay safe. BTW- $4.99/lb is a great price!

 

[MJB05615]

I always prefer bone in because it will be juicier than boneless.

 

[JLeonard]

Looks darn good. I have a daughter in law that has requested this for christmas dinner.
Jim

 

[SmokinAl]

As said above you bought a Prime rib roast. I would suggest the next one you buy you ask to have the 4 bones from the chuck side. It has the largest rib cap on it & that is just melt in your mouth meat! But I have to say that yours looks delicious!
Al

 

[tx smoker]

I think "Prime" Rib refers to the classification like Choice, Prime, etc.

There are a couple of different aspects to this. The term "prime rib" was coined during the Industrial Revolution. More people were working, income had increased, and more people were able to buy "prime" cuts of meat. Being that the rib roast is about the best, it developed the name "prime rib". The USDA or some other government entity came along and in their infinite wisdom decreed that for it to be considered "prime rib" it must carry the designation of "USDA Prime or Better". There are also those that state for it to be prime rib, there are not bones attached to it. If it has the bones, it is considered a standing rib roast. Same piece of meat, just with the bones still on.

I would suggest the next one you buy you ask to have the 4 bones from the chuck side

Al makes a good point here. The full prime rib section is comprised of 7 bones: ribs 6 through 12. These are at the rear section of the rib cage with them getting larger and more meaty as they go. You'll also note that there are several different ways the roasts are prepared prior to sale. The 103 section is the full 7 bone section straight off the animal and is basically untouched. Then you have a 107, which is usually 4 bones and has been somewhat trimmed but still retains some of the fat cap. Then you have the 109 cut. This is what you'll typically see in the stores. It is trimmed, pretty, and ready to cook with a minimal amount of fat left intact. After than you have the 109E which is for Export. This is trimmed down to pretty much nothing but meat...fully trimmed prior to export. I'm sure I'm missing some of the finer details but this covers the high points. Disclaimer: my info about the coining of the term prime rib came from a very knowledgeable and highly respected member of the forum. I did a bit of research on it myself and everything that was stated to me by him aligned with what I determined from my research.

Bottom line, everybody that has replied is correct. It's just a matter of how you wish to apply the name but at the end of the day, you're cooking the same cut of meat.

Robert

 

[HalfSmoked]

All outstanding info here and to me as long as its not over cooked I'm good with any cut mention above.

Warren

 

[Inscrutable]

You learn something here and you get hungry!
In college it just made me thirsty

 

[tx smoker]

All outstanding info here and to me as long as its not over cooked I'm good with any cut mention above.

This is wisdom which is undeniable!!

Robert

 

[MJB05615]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info Robert, I never knew the section numbers, etc. I always ask them to cut X amount of ribs from the larger side. Then I have them cut off the bones and tie them back on because I'm lazy, lol.

 

[tx smoker]

Thanks for the info Robert, I never knew the section numbers, etc

You are very welcome sir. I learned it here so it's only fair to share. Just to add some visuals to the number designations I'll pop a few pics out there.

This is a full 7-bone 103 sub primal rib section. Straight off the animal and right out of the package

This would be considered a 7-bone 107 cut French trimmed. Some of the fat removed and bones trimmed but left full length

This is a 7-bone 107 cut from a grocery store. Ribs cut back and a lot of the fat trimmed from the roast but some still intact. Please note the roast being larger on the left than the right. This is what SmokinAl was referencing in his earlier reply.

I thought I had a picture of a 109 cut, and I do, but it's still in the packaging so you really can't see the roast. Basically it would be 4-bone section from the above roast that was trimmed down a little more, prettied up, and looking gorgeous in the grocer's cooler.

Robert

 

[MJB05615]

Thanks Robert, now I'm hungry. That's some excellent looking meat. The top picture looks more like what I see at the Grocery store. We usually get 3 or 4 Ribs.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

$4.99 is a great price. I did one about the same on Christmas last year. Frenched the ribs off the back and then tied the roast back up uniformly. This way I got a slab of beef ribs to smoke at a later date and a rib roast. Smoke to 115 then a quick sear on a hot grill. Carryover temp to 125. Perfect medium rare.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Thanks for the like MJB05615 it is appreciated.

Warren

 

[HalfSmoked]

Thanks for the Robert it is appreciated.

Warren

 

[Bearcarver]

Wasi,
Your Roast looks Great !! Like
That's the important thing---It doesn't matter if it's called a Prime Rib, Ribeye Roast, or Standing Rib Roast, it's all the same hunk of Beef!!!
Slice it & some call it a Rib Steak.
Remove the Bone & they call it a Ribeye.
And if they get fancy some will call it a Delmonico steak.

It's all the same---Names don't matter---Make it like the one you did and they'll all call it the same thing----"Great !!!"

Bear