7-Bone Ribs & Rib Eye w/Dry Smoke Chamber - Christmas Dinner: a 'lil Drool-View for Ya!

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forluvofsmoke

Smoking Guru
Original poster
OTBS Member
Aug 27, 2008
5,170
409
Another look at the whole beef rib or prime rib, and what you can do with it other than just smoke it up whole...

Thought I'd toss in a late round...my internet router crashed on Friday evening (12-21-12...hmm, end of the world? LOL!!!) and I just got a replacement up and running a couple nights ago and have been trying to play catch-up ever since, so, better late than never.

I ran with a dry smoke chamber all the way on this smoke, mainly for the benefit of juicy no-foil ribs, with a pea-gravel filled water pan and a foil drippings catch on the gravel. I separated the ribs from the eye, trimmed the eye fairly lean and removed most of the fat-cap leaving nearly no surface fat, then lightly cross-hatch scored the surface muscle for a pre-shrinkage tear starter so the meat would hold it's shape a bit better after it did begin to shrink on the surface...worked out pretty well, overall

I had a nice subject for this project, at 21.75lbs...second largest I ever smoked...this was on sale, btw, and we see these sales about 3-4 times anually...
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...reg 10.99-11.99/lb...
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:


Separating the ribs almost down to the bone...onto the bone here and there, but I wasn't after the super-meaty slab of ribs this time around...just wanted the bones out for a little belly teaser snackin' before the real deal hits the plate:



Ribs rubbed with a red bell pepper and tart cherry based rub I concocted for the occasion...had a touch of cumin, thyme, rosemary, garlic, pepper, among several other spices:



Rib eye with the same, only a quite bit heavier application:



3 hours into the smoke, with 3+ hours of heavier smoke provided by cherry, pecan and a bit of hickory in the Smoke Vault 24 @ 250*....just stabbed the beast and I/T's were 107* on the left (small end) and 118* on the right (large end)):




Almost 6 hours, and I/T's were 135* left, and 143* right:





Resting in wait for my steel and carving knife after 6.5 hours...gave it about 30 minutes to relax a bit:






The small end with a heavier cross-section...147* internal finished temp...(large end was 154* finished temp)...notice how the scoring opened up with meat shrinkage...also, a nice bark, just hard enough to make me work a little to make a nice slice:


We kept this meal simple and a bit lighter, as we had eaten breakfast and lunch with family and friends, so we had just enough appetite for some ribs and eye, with taters au gratin on the side...no au jus wads really needed here...tasted fantastic all by itself, and natural juices were plentiful:




Easy prep, easy no-fuss smoke...didn't touch a thing, other stab probes into the eye...just let it do it's thing...great eats!!!

I didn't get finished pics of the ribs...they came out when I yanked the eye and we munched 'em up while the eye rested...they were a nice appetizer before the main course, though, and went rather quickly...juicy and tender inside, with a medium-light bark outside.

All in all, that was a very nice way to top off a day of celebration.

Two days after, I shaved the remaining 5lbs of rib eye with a heavy-weight chef's knife (semi-soft frozen from storing in my Q-fridge @ 26*) and tossed into a pot of au jus to reheat, with sautee'd onion, then, strained the meat, retaining the au jus for dipping on the side and tossed onto crusty hoagie rolls and topped with fined grated mozz and cheddar for some great, tender cheese-steak/french-dip combo sammies...and the crusty rolls held up like a champ with au jus and offered a nice contrasting texture in the bite and chew...mmm-mmm-mmm! (if only I had remembered the digi-cam that night...I guess that's what I get for sleep deprivation from going to work @ 1:15 am on Christmas morning just so I could smoke dinner...took me 3-4 days to recover from that...grrrrr!!!)

So, next time you're thinking prime rib, take it to another level...and this is only one of several ways you can get more bang for your buck. If you can buy a whole beef rib on sale as we often do and can't eat it all in one meal, bone it out and steak out a portion of the eye to marinate for smoked or grilled eye steaks the next day. This is a primo cut of beef, so get it when you can, and with a little imagination, you can use it to it's full potential for 2-3 or more fine meals. This is our favorite cut of beef, and for good reason.

Thanks for peekin'!

Keep your smoker(s) warm and happy!

Happy New Year to all to all a good night!

Eric

EDIT: Wiki Article: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/wet-to-dry-no-foil-smoke-chamber-method-for-smoking-meats
 
Last edited:
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   Why was I NOT Invited??? That is not very nice durring the giving time LOL

That is flippin awesome but I don't know
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LOL  

You Did a great job

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Man Eric that looks just downright beautiful. Thanks for making me hungry = )
 
That turned out great. Excellent thread for anyone on the fence about doing one. Boneless ribeyes have been on sale for 4.99/lb at a local meat market for a couple months now.
 
WOW! That looks incredible! 
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  I've eyed those things up a couple different times now. One of these days I will have the extra cash to spring for one & it will be an epic smoke for me
biggrin.gif
  Mighty fine looking grub you made Eric 
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wtf1.gif
   Why was I NOT Invited??? That is not very nice durring the giving time LOL

That is flippin awesome but I don't know
th_nopicsye3.gif
LOL  

You Did a great job

congratulation_graphics_2.gif
Well, I guess my only excuse for not getting out invitations is that darn crashed Internet modem...LOL!!! No pics of the ribs or sammies SUX, too. I was so flippin' tired by the time dinner was out and resting, and the excitement expressed by the family and guests just got the better of me. The night I did the french dip/cheese-steak combo sammies was right after work, and I was a hungry boy. I generally don't miss a lick with a digi-cam lens when it comes to food...this was a rare exception...I'll try to get back in the groove next time...HA-HA!!!

I keep watching for that "Smoke Delivery" function to be added to the PM application here...nothing yet, but I'll be one of the first to use it when...er, uh...I mean, if, it becomes available...I could send out a PM with a pic of a plated meal, complete with flatware, napkin and beverage of choice, and you could just kick-back and chow-down right at your desk! I know, I know, I'm grasping here, but if I keep wishing for something.............

Thanks!
WOW! That looks incredible! 
32.gif
 
drool.gif
 
32.gif
  I've eyed those things up a couple different times now. One of these days I will have the extra cash to spring for one & it will be an epic smoke for me
biggrin.gif
  Mighty fine looking grub you made Eric 
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Thanks, hey, look for sales (not reduced for quick sale pricing on nearly outdated meats). You get the best overall deal with fresh sale priced meats, as this one was...had a couple weeks left on the sell-by date. I don't like the reduced for quick sale meats, simply because you end up with something that you need to cook ASAP. If you happen to stumble into a good buy on those items and can make a go of it right away, great! If you freeze it, it needs to be thawed and cooked quickly to avoid excess thawed time which can over-run the shelf-life of the meat and may at some point cause spoilage before you get it thawed and cooked...not everyone thinks about this becoming an issue, but it's possible...something to think about, anyway.

Most grocery outlets have these on sale around Christmas, as a promotional item for those who cook them as a holiday tradition, like we do. They also may have them on sale a few other times of the year (can't recall when...was a sale on them here a month or so back, though), so you should have a few opportunities to grab one. If a whole 7-bone rib eye is too much too eat, use the tricks I mentioned to stretch that one purchase out over a couple extra meals. If the cost/lb and size are both a factor, you can get it cut-down to three or 4 bones for about half the cost of the whole beef rib. These will be called "small end" and "large end". Large end being longer bones and thinner cross-sectional density. The small end will cost a bit more per/lb than the large end, for good reason...in the sliced pic on the board, I showed the small end...best marbling with least layered fats, less connective tissue, and a more uniform and larger eye, as well. If you get one cut-down, and want the most bang for your buck, the small end is your ticket...great piece to cook and eat. If a ~dollar/lb is the only difference between the large end and the small end, unless you're really pinching pennies and strapped for cash in a bad way, the small end would be my choice. I don't recall, but it seems that pre-cut 3 or 4-bone rib eyes don't go on sale, just the whole cryovac packed 7-bone beef rib...at least around here. Sometimes, we've had the butcher cut part of it into bone-in steaks, and wrap the remaining 3 or 4 bone roast to keep as is, and got the same sale price, because we bought the entire sale-priced pack, only had them fire up the meat saw for a bit steak-out part of it...just another option.
That turned out great. Excellent thread for anyone on the fence about doing one. Boneless ribeyes have been on sale for 4.99/lb at a local meat market for a couple months now.
Thanks, and yes, being on the fence can really get frustrating after a while...keep putting it off and putting it off, waiting for a better price, or an easy method to follow. As far as methods, it's pretty difficult to screw up a rib eye...unless you just plain over-cook it. I  do a bit different prep and/or use a different smoking temp, smoke woods, etc, every time I do one up...never been disappointed with the results.

Boneless for 4.99/lb would be a great price here, btw. Any sale priced meats around here are automatically considered for freezer stocking items, because meats have gone WAY up here in the past 6-9 months...well, actually they've always been a bit higher here than other areas I've spent any time at. Beef Chuck is $4/lb, as an example. I figure why buy a lesser cut (which requires low & slow to make a tender and enjoyable finished product) at regular price when I can spend a few coins more on a really nice cut like this rib eye. There are a few other cuts which we consider during sales as well, but nothing seems to compare to the rib eye for a naturally tender meat that's loaded with flavor. I have bought 2 whole bone-in rib eye and popped 'em in the freezer, just because the price was right.
Fantastic looking!!!
Thank you...wish you could have tasted it!
That looks Awesome Eric!!!
Thanks, Dave! Figured you'd enjoy this...you're a sucker for a nice smoke! LOL!!!
Man Eric that looks just downright beautiful. Thanks for making me hungry = )
Thanks, Brian! You do know by now what to expect when you open my Q-Views...we've been hangin' here on SMF long enough by now...LOL! Hope you had something close at hand to grab and munch on...I know how bad it can get...reading and writing about food and looking at pics just gets me into a feeding frenzy, like a hungry pack of wolves...Ha-ha!

Well, unfortunately, the last of the shaved rib eye for sammies was eaten early the next day, or I'd be tearin' it up right now...another day for another smoke is order.

Eric
 
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