# Boneless beef chuck cross rib roast.......the poor man's prime rib!



## noboundaries (Jan 5, 2014)

So this morning I'm off to the grocery store to buy eggs.  Just so happens the eggs are on an end cap right next to the BBQ supply aisle.  I look over and see two 20 lb bags of Lazzari Mesquite Lump Charcoal.  I looked closer; no price.  I grab a bag and walk to the checker to see what they want for it, expecting to hear $18 to $22, typical grocery store prices.  The checker says "$3.99."  I freeze into my best poker face and say "do you have any more in the back?"  She answers "Nope, it's been discontinued by the chain so that's the discontinued price."  I grabbed a cart, walked back, got the other bag and my eggs.

"Well heck, might as well try this lump later today.  Lets see what they have on sale in the meat department."  Boneless beef chuck cross rib roast for $2.49/lb.  Picked up a 7.5 lb'er, checked out, and headed home.

After a bunch of errands and lunch I got it ready.  I liberally rubbed a pomegranate balsamic vinegar into it followed by a paste of 1/3 cup garlic olive oil, 1/3 cup mined garlic, 3 T kosher salt, 2 tsp each course black pepper, and dried thyme/basil/marjoram/rosemary.  Followed the guidelines on Amazing Ribs for prime rib temps, cooking at 225 to 250, though I opened the vents to let the temp creep up on purpose to 270 to 290 for the last hour or so.  Took it to 135F internal temp, just a tad over four hours, a little more done than I like it but perfect for my wife.  The rest as they say, is history.

BTW, I'm now sold on lump charcoal.  LOVED the mesquite lump.  Very light smoke flavor that complemented the roast nicely.













Chuck Cross Rib Roast (1).JPG



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Chuck Cross Rib Roast (2).JPG



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## tc fish bum (Jan 6, 2014)

seen your drip pan idea on another thread. thats nifty. I usually use hotel 1/2  pans with a rack, but what they lack is two great big o handles like you have.


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## duffman (Jan 6, 2014)

it was -15 here yesterday so I just cooked a roast in the oven.


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## mdboatbum (Jan 6, 2014)

I wish I could find the whole roasts here. We do find them occasionally cut into steaks, and aside from the vein of connective tissue going down the middle (which is easily avoided by just cutting around it) they're the most tender and flavorful steaks for the buck I've seen. They're tender like a filet but have the flavor and marbling of a ribeye. And they're usually cheap. Only thing is, since the roast is not the same all the way through, you do have to be careful what you buy. I've seen 2 packages of steaks right next to each other, exact same label and pricing, but one will have steaks from the outer section, which aren't nearly as good.


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## noboundaries (Jan 8, 2014)

Man oh man, been eating on that beautiful roast all week.  French dip sandwiches to DIE for!  I just love how a roast beef tightens up a little in the cold fridge but is still tender and delicious.  We'll have to decide whether we're going to French dip it again tomorrow night or switch to beef stroganoff.  Decisions, decisions.


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 9, 2014)

Hey Noboundaries,

Love your cross-rib roast.  Great color, and I really like the sound of the marinade/rub that you put on it.  I haven't tried smoking one, but I cook them just like a prime rib.  However, I'll often let them sit in the refrigerator overnight and slice it the next day so that I can get nice thin slices for sandwiches.

Thanks for your post!  Looks like a great haul from the grocery store!
Clarissa


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 9, 2014)

Noboundaries said:


> Man oh man, been eating on that beautiful roast all week.  French dip sandwiches to DIE for!  I just love how a roast beef tightens up a little in the cold fridge but is still tender and delicious.  We'll have to decide whether we're going to French dip it again tomorrow night or switch to beef stroganoff.  Decisions, decisions.


Great looking roast! A batch of Chef Jimmy's Smokey Au Jus would complement it extremely well!!! OF course you cant go wrong with smokey stroganoff!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/chef-jimmyjs-smokey-au-jus


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## noboundaries (Jan 9, 2014)

Thanks all!  Snorkeling Girl, we decided next time to leave out the basil and marjoram in the rub.  Worked the first night, but as it sat in the fridge it became a little overpowering.  Ended up scraping off the loose crust on the following nights. Roast still had amazing flavor. 

I've cooked a lot of cross rib roasts over the years, even smoked a couple before this one.   In the oven I've always cooked them in the traditional method with a high temp start and then dropped down to 325 to 350 until done.  The two I did in the smoker before this one were smoked at 300-325.  They were half the size of this 7.5 lb'er.  This was the first time I did one on a low temp to start and a slightly higher temp at the end to finish.  HUGE difference in the outcome.   WAY better color and texture with basically a constant finish from core to crust.  That's how I'm smoking beef roasts from now on.

DirtSailor2003, I copied Chef Jimmy's au jus recipe into my Living Cookbook software. Next time, that's what I'll use.  We ended up making a faux au jus (onions, garlic, beef broth, white wine, worcestershire sauce) because this was one of the rare times I didn't save the drippin's.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 9, 2014)

Noboundaries said:


> DirtSailor2003, I copied Chef Jimmy's au jus recipe into my Living Cookbook software. Next time, that's what I'll use.  We ended up making a faux au jus (onions, garlic, beef broth, white wine, worcestershire sauce) because this was one of the rare times I didn't save the drippin's.


Been there done that!  We've been replacing the wine in the recipe with a good porter or stout. Takes the flavor to a whole other level. Two of our local brews pair with the Smoke really good, Deschutes Black Butte Porter and Cascade Lakes Monkey Face Porter.


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## coacher72 (Jan 9, 2014)

Really liked your post and the roast looked fantastic. However, this is the first that I have heard of this cut. Never seen it around here. Hopefully it will show up sometime. I sure would like to try it

Thanks for posting


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## noboundaries (Jan 10, 2014)

Coacher72 said:


> Really liked your post and the roast looked fantastic. However, this is the first that I have heard of this cut. Never seen it around here. Hopefully it will show up sometime. I sure would like to try it
> 
> Thanks for posting


Hmmmm, I'd never given the availability much thought.  I did a little research online and learned a little about it.  Saw a lot of names mentioned.  I absolutely disagree with the statement below that it is too tough to roast with a dry heat.  If cut 1/2" to 3/4" thick it is about half as tender as a prime rib.  It is best if sliced thin and best if cooked rare to the cooler end of medium rare.  If thin cut, especially after putting in the refrigerator overnight after cooking, it is tender and scrumptious.   We had French dips again tonight.  The thin sliced meat on my sandwich was stacked just over 1" thick.  I did a cross cut in the sandwich and the knife just sliced right through it.  Easy chew too.  We have enough for another night of meals.

The author of the list below also said that chuck eye steak needed to be marinated overnight.  Nope.  Maybe it is just my grocer's meat supplier but I put chuck eye steak (cut from the chuck eye roast) right up there with filet mignon for tenderness.  I can put an order in for chuck eye roasts and have one the next day.  I haven't smoked one of those yet but I will!

*cross rib roast = cross rib pot roast = Boston cut = English cut roast = English roast = thick rib roast = bread and butter cut = beef chuck cross rib pot roast   Notes:  *If boneless, this is sometimes called an *English roll*.  This makes a fine pot roast, but it's too tough to roast with dry heat.  *Substitutes:  *arm roast OR blade pot roast OR 7-bone roast


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## trevorh (Mar 18, 2014)

That looks really good. I've sent half of a steer to the butcher and I ordered three of these, so I can't wait to try one out on my pellet. 

Questions: Does it come tied? Is it worth injecting and with what?


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## noboundaries (Mar 18, 2014)

TrevorH said:


> That looks really good. I've sent half of a steer to the butcher and I ordered three of these, so I can't wait to try one out on my pellet.
> 
> *Questions: Does it come tied? Is it worth injecting and with what?*


Did it come tied?  I don't remember.  I tie up a lot of roasts and that one looks like something I tied with several rounds.  If you have butcher's string you can tie it easily yourself.  I don't do fancy with cross knots and such.  Just round to pull it together.  Lots of videos online about simple surgeon knots for tying up a roast.

It is worth injecting?  I don't think so.  Smoke it 225-250F and it will look just like that above.  It was juicy and flavorful.

Man, I gotta do another one of those.  I've got two more hot n' fast salt/pepper/thyme pork tenderloins on the smoker right now but this weekend, hmmmmm.


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