Standing rib roast - trim/cut

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crankin

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I want to make a standing rib roast (for the first time) for Christmas this year and as I am browsing recipes... I see a few variations on what exactly is called for. Some recipes just call for a 5 lb. "standing rib roast" while others call for a "French-cut rib-eye roast" and lastly, in one of the recipes, it says to request the butcher "french" the roast (I assume this is the same as the previously mentioned cut).

So now I am a bit confused as to what I should be ordering from my grocery store... basically my questions come down to this:

1. I assume bone-in is preferably to boneless (they offer both), correct?
2. Do I really need to request a "french" cut? Is it beneficial in any way?
3. Do I ask them to trim the roast in any way (I assume fat layer)? Some recipes call for the roast to be "trimmed."

Thanks!
 
I wouldn't bother with asking for French cut. It is a little nicer presentation, but other than that, it really doesn't change the quality of the finished product. French cut is basically cleaning the flesh from the end of the ribs so your clean bone ends are protruding from your piece of meat. Looks good, that's about it. That end is also fatty, so you may pay a little less for some fat you aren't going to eat, but they may charge you for the extra work anyway.
 
All Frenching is, to scrape and remover the meat on the bone. Then you get to put those cute little white stockings on the bone ends for presentation. If that is what you want, you can do that yourself. But I think it is a waste of very tasty meat. "The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat." And since the meat is weighed before the butcher Frenches the bones, you are still gong to pay for any meat he removes. He tosses that scraped meat into the pile of trimmed mixed meat for hamburg. So he is making a profit twice. And that goes for the fat also. That fat will give you the flavor will need for Yorkshire Pudding or gravy. If you are paying for a 10 # piece of meat, bring home a ten pounder. Don't leave all the good parts for the butcher to sell again. :chef:
 
The only think I would ask the butcher to do is to remove the chine bone. Carving is much easier if you can slice between the ribs.

This page, from Corti's, is the best explanation of what to expect and to ask for that I know of:
Standing rib roast at Corti Brothers

Ooops! I forgot about the chine bone. But I still wouldn't let the butcher keep it. Roast it right along with the roast. Makes for great bone knoshing. Or even homemade beef stock. Lots of flavor. :chef:
 
I just realized another question.... is there a general rule as to how many pounds to buy per person (is a 5 lb. roast enough for 4 people... considering weight of the bone, etc.)?
 
Half a pound per person. Ten people for dinner? A 5 pound rib roast will do the trick.

Some will get a bone and some will not. Tell grandma to leave her teeth at home. No bone for her. Children don't get a knife. No bone for them. Fill everyone up on appetizers. Some will ask for a very small piece. No bone for them. Some will only want 'well done.' That means an end piece. No bone for them. Guess what. You and hubby get all the pieces with a bone. The best part. :chef:
 
Some will get a bone and some will not. Tell grandma to leave her teeth at home. No bone for her. Children don't get a knife. No bone for them. Fill everyone up on appetizers. Some will ask for a very small piece. No bone for them. Some will only want 'well done.' That means an end piece. No bone for them. Guess what. You and hubby get all the pieces with a bone. The best part. :chef:

When carving a rib roast, I'd first remove the cooked roast from the bones then slice it as needed. No one gets a bone.
 
When carving a rib roast, I'd first remove the cooked roast from the bones then slice it as needed. No one gets a bone.

Oh my! I want a bone. With or without my teeth. "The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat." My daughter is serving a rib roast. She has two males to feed. Her son is a strapping 6'2" and looks like a football player. He will get a bone. And her husband will definitely want a bone. The dog will get the empty bones. I am hoping that I get my appetite back in time to enjoy the meal. If not, I will be the one who takes a very small portion. Eat just enough to be polite.

This loss of appetite is really getting to me. :chef:
 
I've never had a prime rib with the bone left intact. That's not saying they weren't offered on the side at a family gathering, but the bone's were always sliced off before the roast was sliced. I do mine the same way Dad did. Love the bones, but I don't want to cut around them when eating prime rib.
 
We have a restaurant at our big tourist trap Faneuil Hall. It is called Durgin's Park. They serve two different rib cuts. The small cut, (sans bone) and the big cut (with bone). The one with the bone is humongous. You get the bone right in the middle so that there is meat of both sides of the bone. All your sides are served on small plates. The meat takes up the whole plate with some hanging over the edge. :chef:
 
Half a pound per person. Ten people for dinner? A 5 pound rib roast will do the trick.

Andy, that must be a typo, right? There's no possible way a 5 lb rib roast will feed ten adults, since a 5 lb roast will have only two ribs. I allow two people per rib, so for ten people you'll need at least 5 ribs.
Refer to the video I posted that shows two ribs to feed four people. Just sayin' ;)
 
Andy, that must be a typo, right? There's no possible way a 5 lb rib roast will feed ten adults, since a 5 lb roast will have only two ribs. I allow two people per rib, so for ten people you'll need at least 5 ribs.
Refer to the video I posted that shows two ribs to feed four people. Just sayin' ;)

Restaurants figure 3-4 servings per pound of meat. That's 1/3 to 1/4 pound of meat each. To allow for the bone, I jacked that up to a half pound per person.

The way you put it it sounds like it wouldn't be enough.

Upon doing some checking, I have to agree - two portions per rib. Not sure what that is in pounds.

Thanks for calling me on that.
 
There was once a terrific restaurant in my hometown called The Flame that had the best prime rib. I've never had any with a flavor to match. Unfortunately, The Flame burned to the ground and they did not build back. I would love to know how they made their prime rib. Kayelle's video looks like it though. I was much too young to know of the spices, etc.


 
I'm just offering my opinion here. There is no way I would want PR without bone in. And I'd forget all that Frenching stuff, never seen it in a restaurant (on beef, seen it on lamb racks). Just get a nice bone in prime rib and cut it between the bones.

And I'd say, oh, um, about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds per person.... :) ;) :cool: Okay just kidding, but I really love prime rib.

Maybe about 3/4 lb. per person, before cooking and including the bones. IMO that would cook down to about 8-10 oz. per serving (excluding the bone weight), a nice portion per serving. (I'll take two please.)

I hope I'm not the only person who loves horseradish and not the creamed stuff (horseradish mixed with sour cream). There's nothing like a pure blast of horseradish with a nicely rare or MR prime rib, au jus.
 
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I've made prime rib every Christmas for the last 13 years. My butcher says (and I agree with him) to figure 3/4 lb per person. Now there seems to be some controversy in the above posts concerning the bone. I've always removed the bone (the part that makes it a "standing" roast) before slicing individual portions, and this is also the way I've always had it served in restaurants. So my own take on it is that no one gets a bone. But to each their own.

I save the entire bone section to make beef stock. It really makes the most beautiful stock, especially if you roast the bone before simmering it.

One other thing I'll add is that I'd buy the roast 3 or 4 days before cooking it. This gives it some time to dry out and age a little. Loosely wrap the whole thing in a couple of layers of paper towels and set it on a rack over a pan in the fridge. The paper towels will help absorb the moisture and any excess will drip into the pan. Change the paper towels daily. I've seen some recipes where they will say to use cloth towels, but I think paper towels work as well and have the advantage of being disposable.

After a little age, the roast will be noticeably smaller in size and have just the slightest air of funkiness to it, but it will have a nice complex flavor - which is a good thing. Rib roast can sometimes be a little bland when it's very fresh.

Oh, and forget the Frenching part. It's completely unnecessary.

Good luck with your roast.
 
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Back when I could afford Prime Rib Roast, I used have the butcher or I would myself cut the meat off the bone. Then I would roast in on the bones. The roast was served as boneless. The bones were saved for broth.
 
Many ears ago, my parents would do a standing rib roast and then call me to come get the leftovers (at the time I had the choice to pay rent or eat). When I got to the house, there would be 5 bones and a serving of prime rib. This meal from "leftovers" would last me a week.
 
We have a restaurant at our big tourist trap Faneuil Hall. It is called Durgin's Park. They serve two different rib cuts. The small cut, (sans bone) and the big cut (with bone). The one with the bone is humongous. You get the bone right in the middle so that there is meat of both sides of the bone. All your sides are served on small plates. The meat takes up the whole plate with some hanging over the edge. :chef:

Addie, your description of that large cut made my mouth just go crazy! I'm drooling like a rabid dog! I'm sorry to hear you aren't back on your feet totally yet. My best wishes to you on having a speedy and complete recovery from your illness. This has gone on long enough!
 

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