Quick help please! What the heck is this roast?

[TorontoJo]

I'm terrible when it comes to beef roasts. I find the names vary significantly from market to market and I'm never sure what I should pick up (plus I'm in a new area and my trusty butcher is now too far away). I wanted to make a pot roast today, and picked up this "rib oven roast" as I didn't see anything marked "chuck roast" which is what I would normally have grabbed. But now that I've got this at home, I'm not actually sure this is meant to be a braised roast.

Can anyone identify this roast for me and tell me whether I should do a dry roast instead of a braise?

[TorontoJo]

Just reporting back on my accurately identified boneless prime rib roast (thanks, guys!). I finished salting and peppering it and threw it into a 200F oven at around 12:30. I set the probe thermometer for 140, because we prefer medium or even a hair over. Probe alert went off around 5:30, I tested with an instant read and found it closer to 135. So back into the oven it went. Pulled it out at 6, tented with foil and put it in the warming drawer on low.

In the meantime, I made a sauce of red wine, beef stock, a smidge of tomato paste and pureed roasted garlics, shallots and onions.

At 7, I put into into a 550F oven for 10 minutes (smoked the heck out of my kitchen -- next time I will swap out roasting pans so as not to deal with the burning juices). Sliced thin, sauced and served along with some sauteed veggies. The roast was uniformly pink and juicy throughout.

Holy crap. That was hands down the best roast beef my hubby or I have ever had, anywhere. And hubby actually is not very fond of roast beef (hence my inexperience with buying cuts!). He liked it so much, he went back for major seconds. It was amazingly tender and flavorful. And I love the no-fuss approach of this method.

So once again, hooray for HC 'hounds! Thanks again!

[Breadcrumbs]

TJ I'm delighted to hear this worked out so well. What a happy accident this turned out to be! Congratulations and thanks for reporting back!!

[MGZ]

One thing that makes this Site particularly useful is the fact that a bunch of us are willing to experiment and report back on the experience. Your thoughts about swapping roasting pans will, no doubt, benefit some other 'hound. I wish you could have saved me a slice.

[porker]

"That was hands down the best roast beef my hubby or I have ever had"

As Breadcrumbs says, its nice to hear when things work out so well!
Just my post-show 2c....
The boneless rib roast may be called a spencer in some areas.
I think this thread is a great example of how cuts of beef are not all created equal. I'm guessing if you had braised that puppy, the results would have been mediocre and hubby would have continued his non-fondness for beef.
Also, a similar dry roasting with something like a cross-rib roast would have been terrible.
Some cuts are best suited for a dry roast, others a long braise.

[fourunder]

Also, a similar dry roasting with something like a cross-rib roast would have been terrible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would disagree.....strongly. Inexpensive cuts can be roasted Medium-Rare with very tender results.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/880991

[porker]

Thanks for the tips, fourunder!

[fourunder]

P,

thanks...and I should have included....*with due respect*, but we have had a few exchanges before so I maybe that's why I forgot to include the phrase....my apologies. : 0 )

There's been a big push in the restaurant industry since 2008 to to find cheaper cuts of meat....given the prediction for a significant price increase this year for beef due to last years drought and the corn crops.....it's even more important now than ever. There's a company out of Canada that has been making some nice strides in this direction....Beef Innovations Group, which has developed new value cuts from the Chuck and Round. Have a look and you will see some nice video tutorials.

http://www.beefinnovationsgroup.com/n...

I've been laying off beef for the new year, but my plan is to visit the restaurant supply house and purchase a shoulder clod, or a Knuckle and give those a try. The Shoulder Clod seems to be where most of these Beef Value Cuts (BVC) originate from. Since that Test Challenge, I have made two other Shoulder Roasts for others and both have been excellent....I have made two Chuck Roasts as well, but the results were not as favorable....if this trend continues, I may have to switch to the Cross Rib for my cheap roast beef.

[porker]

The sad part is once these cheaper cuts become popular, the price goes up...
As a kid, I remember free soup bones, free chicken wings, and pigs feet around 12c/lb.
Now, beef bones run a few bucks, chicken wing prices soared more than any other chicken part, and grocery stores are packaging pork shank as osso bucco and charging $5/lb.....

[fourunder]

I agree...all true and outrageous pricing. I've seen pricing on what is essentially just bones with scant meat go in excess of $3/lb. while pork chops were less than $2/lb.

[fourunder]

Nice to hear you had an excellent and enjoyable roast. ....and to see you rested at least one hour. it does make a world of difference.

With regards t smoking...I find no need to switch out pans during the high heat blast to put a crust on the roast. I simply add water, wine or stock to the roasting pan and it takes care of any smoking issues. It also helps deglaze the pan as well. You can do this at the end of roasting...or just before the high heat blast.

[dave_c]

Congratulations you have a beautiful 2 kilo Rib roast!

What you can do is portion out the roast into steaks and freeze if you don't want to use it immediately or cook the entire roast at once.

[Ruthie789]

It looks like a rib roast to me as well. As well there is timing, Valentine's Day, is it possible that it was there because of the occasion? Often see this cut at Christmas time etc.

[fourunder]

With due respect to others, what you have here is a Boneless Prime Rib Roast.....it definitely should not be braised, but dry roasted with low or moderate heat for best results. Given that you have indicated you were really looking for more of a Pot Roast instead, if you choose to roast this, then I would suggest the low and slow approach and cook it to Medium temperature. Higher heat will result in varying temperature meat doneness throughout the roast...and possibly tougher meat from being dried out if over-cooked.

Some other options you may want to consider. (Freezing)

Save this roast for another family gathering. e.g., Easter Dinner....

You can cut into steaks, or split in half for smaller roasts for two people.

[TorontoJo]

Yep, I'm going to roast it using the Serious Eats method that you've posted about:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

200 degrees until done, rest for 30 mins, then back in 500 degree oven to get crust.

Home Cooking Chowhounds are the best. I love you all!

[fourunder]

Rest for two hours and you will enjoy the results
much more.....I guarantee it....but short of that, give it at least an hour. The longer you rest, the less chance you have of the meat bleeding when sliced, but it also allows for the meat to tenderize after you pull it from the oven. With regards to Kenji and seriouseats.com....since he first posted about the Perfect Prime Rib, he has increased his recommendation for holding from 30 minutes to 60.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8249...

[Puffin3]

Perfect! 200 F! And a nice long rest. Pretty much to room temp.

[JerkPork]

No need to search for "fourunder" he has arrived. lol
I think only two posters thought chuck, most got it right.

[fourunder]

: 0 )

[TorontoJo]

It was $21.99 a kilo.

I'm very sad if I just bought a prime rib roast. I was really, really in the mood for a lovely, saucy braised beef dish tonight.

Will it be terrible and a sacrilege if I braised this puppy?

[Breadcrumbs]

I wouldn't braise it TJ. I think it will just fall apart. What about making a nice jus or gravy to serve w an oven roast?

[TorontoJo]

Thanks, Breadcrumbs, our posts crossed. I think I will do just that!

Now off to find the best method for roasting a small boneless prime rib roast. :)

[Breadcrumbs]

Just one more note TJ, look up recipes for a rib roast with the "cap removed" The cap is the layer of fat between the bones and the top of the roast. Yours has been removed.

[TorontoJo]

Thanks so much, Bc! Like I wrote above -- I'm terrible when it comes to beef roasts! :)

[TorontoJo]

Though I suppose I could roast it, then make a kick ass gravy for it by throwing onions, shallots and garlic on the bottom of the roasting pan, then deglazing, etc.

[JerkPork]

$22/kg sounds about the price of AA rib roast, too expensive to be chuck roast unless you got it at a specialty butcher, i.e. organic.

That's a pretty decent piece of meat, I roast much smaller pieces at times. Search for the user "Fourunder" he's got good tips, I'm sure he's got a post about rib roasts too.

Definitely don't braise.

[TorontoJo]

Nope, not specialty -- good 'ol Costco Canadian AAA. :o)

So I think it's clear that I got a boneless rib roast. Thank you and everyone else!

[Zalbar]

That's a braising meat, you can tell from the connective tissues. Prolly make some real tasty pot-roast.

[JerkPork]

What was the price per kg TorontoJo? That may be a clue.

[mwhitmore]

Yup, boneless rib. Roast medium rare.

[Breadcrumbs]

Tj this looks like a rib roast to me. A prime rib without the bones. Because they are very tender by nature, you wouldn't typically braise this cut or, subject it too a prolonged cooking process. I'd give your supermarket a quick call to be certain but if this is a rib roast, you'd be much better off seasoning it w a nice crust and dry roasting it in your oven...or cooking it on the grill (but baby it's cold outside!!) ; )

ETA: Hah, JP and I must have been typing at the same time!

[JerkPork]

That looks like a rib roast without the bones. Don't braise it, definitely dry roast. Wait for a few more to chime in and confirm but I think I got it right. Enjoy!

[NE_Wombat]

Looks like a chuck eye roast. I'd go with a low - slow braise.