The Questions
Dick McEachern
SeaMark Smith
The Answers
Jim Klein
David Scheidt
Lois
Shelley
Robin Welch
The Questions
Dick McEachern
We are having a boneless beef rib roast for Christmas dinner. Our preference is medium rare. So how many minutes per pound do I leave it in the oven? I plan to use a roasting rack with onions, potatoes, carrots and (added later) mushrooms in the bottom of the pan. It's going to get rubbed with Penzey's prime rib mixture, and gravy will be made from the drippings.
SeaMark Smith
Now look, guys, this is really serious business, so let's not make light of this. . . My wife has a four rib standing crown rib roast for Christmas Day and, lets just say, she doesn't do this every day! So, let me see if I have the right of this. . .Pre-warmed oven (with rack) to 425 to 500 and roast for 25 minutes or so. . .then low heat or no heat for several hours. Maintain an internal temperature of 115 to 125. Take out and let cool for 1/2 hour. Open a great bottle of wine and a second one if the roast is ruined!
The Answers
Jim Klein
You must use a meat thermometer. YOU MUST!
They make thermometers you can stick in the beast, run a cable out of the oven, and leave the indicator on the counter. They also make a wireless version of the same item.
Somewhere between 110 and 125 - internal temperature - you will find the done-ness you want. But, there's no way to tell ahead of time. So, pick a number and stick with it. I'd suggest 125 for beef the way you want it. We cook it a bit rarer.
If you use the low temperature method - which I recommend - remember to blast it at 425 for 15 minutes at the end to get that nice brown crust.
Also, you must let the beef rest for a half hour after you take it out of the oven. Tent it with foil or an upside down roasting pan, and let it sit.
The reason is the meat will look too rare in the middle and too well done on the outside if you don't. This is crucial.
Then, put the Yorkshire pudding in the oven and ring the bell.
In thirty minutes, Vittles is up.
When Lissuns are in town, we usually do a whole roast filet on the outside grill, cause it's quicker. That we cook to only 110 degrees, 'cause everybody likes it rare. Again let it rest before carving. Let everything rest.
Get it at Costco. Good price, and good beef. Real prime beef is at least twice the price and barely worth it.
Remember, let it dry age in your fridge for a week or three next time. It's much tenderer and juicier. Dry aging removes a lot of moisture from the beef. Just trim off the ugly bits, flavor and oil, and roast away.
David Scheidt
Indeed! Use a meat thermometer! Medium rare beef is about 145F. You can one that has a probe that is put in the roast, with a display that's outside the oven, and beeps when it's done. Without wires, if you're into whiggish stuff like that. Or for ten bucks, you can one with a dial, that you stick in when you think you're done, and check. Get one with a list of what temperatures mean what, as it makes it harder to forget that medium rare is 145, and not 165! The temperature of the center of the roast will come up five degrees or so after it comes out of the oven, as the heat that's been put in the outer edges moves through the whole piece. Let it rest 10 or 15 minutes before serving.
Of course, knowing cooking time helps time getting everything else done at the same time. I'm hopeless at ever managing that.
Lois
Depends on how thick the roast is, and how much it weighs. And the temp of the oven. Lots of factors in play. For a rare roast, in the days when I made roasts, would put the thing in a roasting pan at very, very high heat (500 or so) for about 20 minutes, maybe more, then cover it, then turn off the oven and let it sit in the oven covered a long time. Usually ended up with a roast very browned on the outside, and rare but not raw on the inside. A roast's too expensive these days, to play with, though. Ask the butcher for instructions. Oh, wait a minute, there are hardly any more of those "instructive" butchers, are there....... There's an element of trial and error to baking roasts. Different ovens and pans affect the result, as well as evenness of temp, attributes of the roast, etc. A rule of thumb might be 20 minutes per pound at 400 degrees, but you can't rely on that.
Shelley
When I do a Christmas roast, I roast in a 325 oven and it takes about 3-3 1/2 hours to roast. Best advice I can offer is to use a meat thermometer one that's digital with a probe is what I have, that way you can specify the temp you want the meat to cook to and it will beep at you when it's done.
Robin Welch
I think it's vitally important to remove the meat from the oven before the meat thermometer reaches the intended temperature. We take ours out for the resting period as soon as the thermometer starts to move, because the meat continues to cook there on the stove top and it's easy to over do it.
Which it's the Patrick O'Brian list of the world!