Smoked Prime Rib, Broken Down (TMBBQ Primer)
jeffraben.com/recipes · No. 499
Daniel Vaughn's prime rib method: bone it, peel off the spinalis, dry-salt overnight, smoke the eye low at 225, sear after resting — three courses from one roast.
Ingredients
Method
- Break the roast into its three elements: cut away the rib bones (leave a little meat on them), peel off the spinalis (the cap), and clean the silverskin and surface fat from the eye.
- The day before cooking, salt the eye heavily — like a light snowfall — and refrigerate. This is the single most important step for flavor.
- Next day, season with a peppery rub (a light second coat of salt is fine — most of yesterday's has migrated inward).
- Smoke at a steady 225°F over oak. The eye alone takes about 2 hours; with the spinalis left on, about 3. Pull at 125°F internal.
- Season the ribs with beef rub and smoke them too — they take far longer, so start them early, or foil them and finish in a 350°F oven during dinner.
- Rest the prime rib at least 30 minutes, then sear both sides under the broiler or on the grill. Slice immediately.
- The spinalis is the bonus course: season lightly, sear quickly in a buttered cast iron skillet or on the grill to medium rare, slice thin, and hand it to whoever's hovering. It might be the best bite of the night.
By Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly BBQ (Dec 2015). Boning and tying gives seasoning on all sides and even doneness — and don't overthink it: salt heavily, smoke slow, don't overcook.