Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

anyone on here own a Yoder?

 

Had to check / see what that was. nope, sure dont. looks beefy as hell though.

 

The best thing to do before cooking a rib roast is to read this article front to back, have a glass of whiskey, then read it again. The science behind what makes a great prime rib is fascinating and really helpful:

https://amazingribs.com/tested-reci...ng-prime-rib-tenderloin-and-other-beef-roasts

A few takeaways:

1) DO remove the bones. That is sound advice from the article. I've cooked bone in, bone separated but tied on, and bone completely removed. The last option gives you wonderful uniform cooking, more crust on the slices of prime rib, and a small rack of beef ribs that you can cook separately and snack on while the roast is doing its thing. You can roll the remaining roast in to a nice, uniform cylinder.

2) Be careful with the trim. There are some big, obvious fat bits on the outside that you benefit from removing, but the cap and the eye of the ribeye are held together pretty tenuously. Get too aggressive and your roast could fall apart.

3) Personally, I'm against injecting or pressing garlic bits and such in to the roast. The inside of the meat is free from bacteria. Jamming a needle in to it will get surface bacteria pressed in to the middle of the meat. Since you're going for medium-rare, you won't cook the inside enough to kill said bacteria. Might be overly cautious, but the meat is so damn flavorful and the crust so heavenly, I don't really feel a need for changing the taste of the inside of the meat anyways.

4) Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, then your choice of herb. Rosemary is pretty nice, but thyme works well, too. That rich, herbal touch is so nice in addition to the salty, peppery, beefy goodness. I'll salt really early if I remember to, then put the rest on just before going on the smoker. I don't fart around with pastes, oils, mustard, or other binders. Just rub it down real nice. It'll stick.

5) I shoot for about 225* on the smoker with pecan and cherry wood in the mix. Not a lot and both are pretty mild woods. The cherry has a similar effect to the herbs. The flavor is rich, but still subtle (if that makes sense). As you're nearing 110* IT, start getting your chimney starter going with some charcoal and wood chunks. You want this to be going already when sear time happens.

6) Pull when the IT is over 115* but less than 120*. Put it in a foil pan, cover lightly, and put in a cooler. The goal is to maintain the temp, not carryover cook. During this time, make sure your chimney is a roaring fire. Place a grate over the top of it and make sure it is hot, too. Like, REALLY hot.

7) Roast goes straight on the grates and it is time to roll, flip, and turn that thing so that no side gets overcooked, but no side is left uncrusted. If you gave yourself some headroom on the IT, you can crust the hell out of ALL of it and still get the thing pulled with an IT of 125*.

8) Place back in the foil pan, tent it with foil (not sealed) and let sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

You should have a B-E-A-UTIFUL medium-rare throughout. If anyone happens to want it cooked a little more, have a cast iron skillet going on medium heat and drop the slice on with some butter. About 30 seconds per side ought to do.

I'm not a big au jus guy, so I don't get fancy, but there should be plenty of juice in your foil pan to hook it up. A little beef juice, horseradish, red wine, Worcestershire, cracked pepper, and whatever else makes a nice dipping sauce.

Best enjoyed with a light bourbon .

 

awesome writeup and tips. I will study for sure. I want one now

 

Followed this almost exactly two Christmases ago (didn’t sear, I don’t know why lol). It was delicious! Think I’ll do it again this year

 

In case anyone here uses Stubbs charcoal. Check your local Lowes

 

Also just saw this bbq guru flash sale

 

Must... resist.....

 

Never cooked a rib roast, kinda scared to try it. Would you cook 1 for me? Pretty please?

 

Come on down!

You can cook, so the skills are already there. Just applying them to a different cut/method. Nothing to worry about, my man!

You'll be a rockstar this Christmas if you knock out a rib roast!

 

You may have talked me into it. Asked wifey what to cook for Xmas, she wanted Alaskan King Crab. Ok, I like.... then, I checked prices NOPE!

 

Oh, what time should I arrive?

 

Picked up a nice 18lb. Wrapped in cheesecloth for some dry aging.

 

It is on sale here all month. At $25 a pound...

 

I bought two roasts tonight. That means one is on standby. Just give me a 3 hour heads up .

 

Gee, is that all?

 

This walked in the door from the Brown Truck. Think I'll let 'er stay.

 

Love when the delivery driver shows up. My bank account not so much but eh.