Quoted message said:OK, I've cooked prime rib roasts before, although not too often. I'm
curious (it's an affliction, I swear <g>😉 if I should remove the roast
from the fridge and let it come to room temp before I put it in the 450F
oven? Usually, I just take the roast from the fridge to the oven (yes,
I S&P the thing and a wee bit more), but I wonder if allowing to come to
room temp first will enhance it somehow? What say y'all?
Sky, who's curious as always 😉
P.S. Should I lower the oven temp to 350-375F after the first 15-20
minutes in the oven?
Here's the Bob Pastorio method for prime rib roasts:
Roasting Prime Rib Directions
Funny thing about this. Two outside sources for what I'm about to put down
here plus having done thousands of them in my restaurants. The two outside
sources are Harold McGee ("On food and Cooking" and other writings on the
science of the kitchen) and the current Gourmet magazine that has an article
on the scientific tests going on now in matters culinary and the surprises
that have been demonstrated, particularly about meats.
The basic *laws of physics* rule: The hotter the meat gets, the more
moisture it loses. Period. When protein gets hot, it contracts and
surrenders its water-based juices. Fat melts off and out. Putting it into a
hot oven heats the outside sharply and forms a crust, yes, but it also
permits the moisture at and just under the surface to dehydrate. The
moisture in the center of the meat will migrate out to seek osmotic
equilibrium (sorry for the tech talk). It'll hit the dried crust and soften
it by dispersing into it and then evaporating. But even more moisture will
be lost by being squeezed out of the hot protein fibers. Getting that crust
(called Maillard reactions) is an expensive proposition when you consider
what you're losing to get it. Something over 15% of the meat and maybe as
much as 25%.
The more slowly the meat cooks, the more moisture it will retain since none
of it will get as hot as it would in a hot oven. (Example: tonight I cooked
a pork tenderloin in a 200F convection oven. I wanted it to reach 140F and I
would then carve and serve it. Took 2.5 hours from somewhat above fridge
temp. No crust to speak of because it was below the boiling point of water
and so didn't dehydrate the surface. It weighed 3 pounds 7 ounces. It came
out weighing 3 pounds 2 ounces. I got a 91% yield [50 ounces finished
divided by 55 ounces as purchased].
That's considered impossible in foodservice circles using traditional
cooking methods. And I didn't have time to brine it. That would have netted
more meat finished.)
Cooking the meats at low temperatures will retain more juices and provide
more of the sensation of juiciness than cooking it completely or even for a
short time at high temperatures. The major reason for the consistent
moistness across the whole cut face is because the temperature differential
between the hottest and coldest parts of the roast won't be very large. So
little of the meat will dry out and draw moisture from the more moist parts.
Brining it will actually bring more moisture into the meat and, in fact,
change some of the properties of the protein such that it will surrender
moisture less willingly. Cooking a brined roast at low temps to the same
degree of doneness you usually do will result in a tastier, more tender,
more flavorful and more juicy roast than you can get any other way. You
can't cook roasts consistently without using a quick-read thermometer.
Period. You can't cook by minutes per pound and expect consistent results.
There are too many variables. Bone-in or boneless? Heavy fat cap or none?
Short and thick or long and flat? Room temperature or cold?
I hear people tell me how much they like roasts done by all these bizarre
methods (start at 550F and turn it off but leave it in all night, or roast
at 180 for 25 minutes per pound and finish to 450 for a crust, etc.) and I
urge them to try a low temp roast before deciding what the best way is. A
small clue about prime rib is that restaurants have specialized pieces of
equipment called roaster-holders that roast the meats at low temps and hold
them at 140F for service. The usual beef house roast temp is between 200F
and 220F. That's because they get more out of the oven and it pleases their
customers when it's juicy.
