Boneless rib roast sous vide question

DrPizza

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Sous vide question:
I'm planning on doing the boneless rib roast in the sous vide for Christmas. Final intended temp: 132 or 133F. 11 pounds, figuring about 8 hours. Should be pink all the way through. Will finish in the broiler to sear the outside and give it a nice crust.

Everyone in my family prefers medium rare, except for 2 people. Since I use a tall stock pot for suis vide, I can fairly quickly bring the temperature up with the aid of the stove top. After I'm done searing, I'm thinking that I could cut off a couple pieces, ziplock them, and toss them into some 160-170F water to bring them up to a higher temp.

The question: do you think this will work? How long do you think it'll take to turn medium rare into well done? I can also toss them into hot cast iron, but would rather not create a lot of smoke - my vent doesn't keep up with steaks on hot cast iron.
 
Last edited:
Sep 12, 2004
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Thread does not compute. If everyone likes medium rare why would you choose to have some well done?

And if you want medium rare with a finished sear in a hot oven I would SV the roast to 118 - 120, unless you plan on resting it a while before the final sear.
 

DrPizza

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Follow-up cooking question - I've got to keep my mother and wife happy, so there will be mashed potatoes - made only with milk, no cream.

For the rest of the guests, I'll have enough mashed potatoes for everyone, and enough twice baked potatoes for everyone. Potatoes are cheap, I don't care if I throw out a bunch after dinner. Twice baked potato question: I've used sour cream and onion chip dip in mashed potatoes before, and it was wonderful. Anyone have any compelling reasons why making twice baked, and mixing the scooped out potatoes with sour cream and onion dip (instead of sour cream, and onions separately), along with some bacon & cheddar cheese? Better idea?
 

DrPizza

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Thread does not compute. If everyone likes medium rare why would you choose to have some well done?

And if you want medium rare with a finished sear in a hot oven I would SV the roast to 118 - 120, unless you plan on resting it a while before the final sear.

Oops, sorry, somehow while correcting a part of my post, I edited out "except 2 people." Afaik, it's not safe to cook beef for that duration of time at 118-120. I thought 130 was the minimum safe temperature when cooking for a longer duration. I figured 131F, and by searing it in the broiler at the highest temperature setting, I don't think it'll be more than a minute or so on each side. With a big cut of beef - 11 pounds, I'm not sure there's too much to worry about with raising the temperature too far. The hot oven, I think, goes to 550 or 600F when broiling, if not higher.
 
Sep 12, 2004
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Surprise your MIL and use buttermilk instead of regular milk. Makes for delicious mashed potatoes. Don't forget to use lots of butter.

For twice-baked, here's a tip: mix a raw egg, or two, into the filling. The potatoes will form a nicely browned crust on the outside. Using egg is also the way to get that nice brown crust on the potatoes of a Shepard's Pie or Cottage Pie.
 
Sep 12, 2004
16,852
59
86
Oops, sorry, somehow while correcting a part of my post, I edited out "except 2 people." Afaik, it's not safe to cook beef for that duration of time at 118-120. I thought 130 was the minimum safe temperature when cooking for a longer duration. I figured 131F, and by searing it in the broiler at the highest temperature setting, I don't think it'll be more than a minute or so on each side. With a big cut of beef - 11 pounds, I'm not sure there's too much to worry about with raising the temperature too far. The hot oven, I think, goes to 550 or 600F when broiling, if not higher.
The broiler method is fine but requires a very close eye. You can heat your oven to 500+F and finish it that way instead, which will produce a nice crust and it is a slower process that doesn't require as much precise timing. By finishing the roast to @ 120F in sous vide you have room to make the crust in a hot oven and bring it up to med-rare at the same time. It's win-win.

Both methods will work but one is less stress and will produce the same result.
 

echo4747

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Jun 22, 2005
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Sous vide question:
I'm planning on doing the boneless rib roast in the sous vide for Christmas. Final intended temp: 132 or 133F. 11 pounds, figuring about 8 hours. Should be pink all the way through. Will finish in the broiler to sear the outside and give it a nice crust.

Everyone in my family prefers medium rare, except for 2 people. Since I use a tall stock pot for suis vide, I can fairly quickly bring the temperature up with the aid of the stove top. After I'm done searing, I'm thinking that I could cut off a couple pieces, ziplock them, and toss them into some 160-170F water to bring them up to a higher temp.

The question: do you think this will work? How long do you think it'll take to turn medium rare into well done? I can also toss them into hot cast iron, but would rather not create a lot of smoke - my vent doesn't keep up with steaks on hot cast iron.
In the past ,whenever I had a couple people that want med well/well done. I used some au jus heated up in a frypan and finished up those cuts to the desired level. Dosent take long. couple mins per side for roughly a 1 inch cut.
 

DrPizza

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In the past ,whenever I had a couple people that want med well/well done. I used some au jus heated up in a frypan and finished up those cuts to the desired level. Dosent take long. couple mins per side for roughly a 1 inch cut.
Brilliant - I didn't think of reserving the juice for doing that.
 

MarkXIX

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Jan 3, 2010
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I have a guest that prefers steak well done. I microwave that shit. I'm not going to go out of my way to ruin a good cut of beef that's been cooked for hours and make it palatable to that person.

Having said that, I just did a prime rib roast in the oven at 170 degrees (the lowest my oven would go) for 5+ hours until internal temp hit 120, then cranked oven to 550 (highest oven temp) for 10 mins until it crusted up. It came out amazing, just shy of medium rare and very little brown ring on the outside.

Having said that, don't SV that thing over 125.
 

echo4747

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Jun 22, 2005
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I have a guest that prefers steak well done. I microwave that shit. I'm not going to go out of my way to ruin a good cut of beef that's been cooked for hours and make it palatable to that person.

Having said that, I just did a prime rib roast in the oven at 170 degrees (the lowest my oven would go) for 5+ hours until internal temp hit 120, then cranked oven to 550 (highest oven temp) for 10 mins until it crusted up. It came out amazing, just shy of medium rare and very little brown ring on the outside.

Having said that, don't SV that thing over 125.
I used to do it that way and it is very delicious. The only thing I didnt like was the amount of smoke that happens when the temp is cranked up to 550+. I now do it sous vide because I like the appearance of the edge to edge pink. If you dont have a sous vide cooker. I think your method is nearly as good.
 

MarkXIX

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Jan 3, 2010
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I used to do it that way and it is very delicious. The only thing I didnt like was the amount of smoke that happens when the temp is cranked up to 550+. I now do it sous vide because I like the appearance of the edge to edge pink. If you dont have a sous vide cooker. I think your method is nearly as good.

Yeah, it did generate a lot of smoke very quickly. I didn't like that either, but I liked that prime rib when it was done!
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
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as I recall from Kenji's blog, you don't want to be below 132 F for more than 2 and a half hours with beef.

IME, 133-135 has given a very nice medium-rare throughout with strips and Tri-Tip, so that's what I aim for.

No bone-in standing roast? What peasant food is this?! Just kidding. I've been thinking of trying such large cut with sous vide for some time, but I usually come around to the thinking that I prefer the long cook on the grill or smoker, anyway--or oven.

I hope you follow up with pics.
 

echo4747

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Jun 22, 2005
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I my be doing a prime rib roast(sous vide) for New Years Eve and may not even sear it at all. I ran into person who used to work for a local establishment that served the best roast beef sandwiches. He told me that after the roasts were sous vide all they did was paint a mixture of gravy master on the outside of the roast with a brush. This was only done to make it more visually appealing, not for any flavor. i may try this on the rib roast
 

MrSquished

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Jan 14, 2013
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I my be doing a prime rib roast(sous vide) for New Years Eve and may not even sear it at all. I ran into person who used to work for a local establishment that served the best roast beef sandwiches. He told me that after the roasts were sous vide all they did was paint a mixture of gravy master on the outside of the roast with a brush. This was only done to make it more visually appealing, not for any flavor. i may try this on the rib roast

that might work on a roast beef sandwich where the crust isn't so important. but i think a nice crust by fire on a rib roast would be better. just a thought.
 

echo4747

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Jun 22, 2005
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that might work on a roast beef sandwich where the crust isn't so important. but i think a nice crust by fire on a rib roast would be better. just a thought.
true ...for me personally... I like prime rib both ways with a crust or without. Some restaurants serve with and some without. As far as a steaks, t-bone,strip,porterhouse ,etc the crust is the only way I've ever seen it served, and a must for me.
 

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
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Sous vide question:
I'm planning on doing the boneless rib roast in the sous vide for Christmas. Final intended temp: 132 or 133F. 11 pounds, figuring about 8 hours. Should be pink all the way through. Will finish in the broiler to sear the outside and give it a nice crust.

Everyone in my family prefers medium rare, except for 2 people. Since I use a tall stock pot for suis vide, I can fairly quickly bring the temperature up with the aid of the stove top. After I'm done searing, I'm thinking that I could cut off a couple pieces, ziplock them, and toss them into some 160-170F water to bring them up to a higher temp.

The question: do you think this will work? How long do you think it'll take to turn medium rare into well done? I can also toss them into hot cast iron, but would rather not create a lot of smoke - my vent doesn't keep up with steaks on hot cast iron.

Tell the other two family members you brought home Arby's.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
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I don't like SV for rib roasts, or any "thick" pieces of beef. IMO the texture of conventional (i.e. dry) low-temp cooking is somewhat superior.

Kenji has a good recipe for rib roasts. I like to upgrade it by separating the spinalis muscle, removing the gristle, and reattaching it with some transglutaminase. This way every bit of the slice is edible.