# Prime Rib on  WSM



## den60 (Dec 18, 2012)

I have a question. I just bought a 3 rib Prime Rib (9lbs) to cook on Christmas Eve. Normally we go out to my parents' house on Christmas day and my Mom does a prime rib but my Dad's health has been pretty bad of late and she isn't up to it. My Mom has always cooked it in the oven. I was thinking about smoking it but I am a bit scared, the meat is "prime" and I don't want to screw it up. I'm getting it already cut and twined. I looked at the cherry rib recipe in Jeff's book and it seems to be a fairly simple.

Now, I know asking this question on a smoking forum is a bit silly but would you guys smoke it or cook it in the oven? I have done smokes of various ribs (pork and beef) as well as chicken but this will be the first time I cook something this large. If the weather is bad my choice will be made for me as my smoker is not under cover and my gf now has a nice new kitchen with a beautiful gas oven.

If I do smoke, how long should I expect it to be in the smoker, I think Jeff's recipe calls for a 3 lb rib for 6 hours. This is three times as large.

As always I appreciate all comments and advice on here.


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## pineywoods (Dec 19, 2012)

Personally I would smoke it once you do there will not be any more done in the oven. Keep it simple as far as the spices go and let the quality of the meat do the talking maybe salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary if you like it. Smoke to temp but generally mine take 35-45 minutes per lb at 225 to reach an internal of 135 or so which is where I usually pull them. Once you pull it from the smoker tent foil it and the internal temp will continue to climb a bit


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## cheryl lee (Dec 20, 2012)

Could not agree more with Pineywoods! Simple is better with seasoning for this cut of beef. Salt (preferably coarse kosher or sea), pepper, garlic, and rosemary (hopefully fresh) together get the job done nicely. Rub a little olive oil on first so your seasonings stay put better. I smoked my first rib roast last Christmas, and will, weather permitting, do the same this year. I was worried, as it was only the second time I had even used my smoker! But the end product was wonderful; really the best I've tasted. I did pull mine a little sooner, at 130*. Temp did come to about 135*, which was great for us; left the inside pieces quite rare, so reheating leftovers did not overcook the meat. You'll want to have your roast out of the fridge for a minimum of an hour, but really could be up to 3 or 4 hours before you start cooking. And you really do have to have a probe that you can leave in the meat, and that you trust. I used hickory and a little apple last year. Am contemplating trying Jack Daniels this year........anyone have any comments/advise about that for me?

Oh, one more thing..........your roast might be too large for this, but I set mine on a rack in a foil pan so I could collect drippings. (It also really cuts down on clean-up.) The drippings can easily be defatted while the roast is resting, and can be used to make a great jus. Just a bonus that you can't get if you place your meat directly on your unit's rack.

Have a wonderful holiday!


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## den60 (Dec 20, 2012)

Thanks both of you. As soon as I posted this I started to question why I even bothered. I really didn't expect anyone to say, "cook it in the oven." 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






   I think I was just looking for someone to give me a kick in the pants.  Actually, I think I am less apt to screw it up on the smoker anyway since I'm cooking so much slower. I'm planning to use cherry for my wood and I do agree, simple spices with a prime prime is the way to go. Piney, thanks for giving me an estimated cooking time. My son and his girlfriend will be coming up so I have to give the an estimated time for dinner.

I have the Maverick probe so I have no probably monitoring both the meat as well as the grill temp. I'll just follow Jeff's recommendation as to when to insert the meat probe.

Cheryl, I was going to use pan underneath to catch my drippings and with that baste the ends. My WSM is the 22.5 so size shouldn't be an issue, in fact this will be the smallest amount I have smoked in it, though the largest single piece. I was going to put the pan on the bottom grate with the meat on the top so I can get an even smoke.

Also, I can't help you on the Jack question. Personally, I prefer Canadian Club when sipping wiskey and The Glenlivit when going for scotch. Since this will be a long smoke I will probably stick with a nice ale, Double Take, so I don't get hammered. I mean, I assume that was what you were talking about Cheryl. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Merry Christmas to both of you!


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## pineywoods (Dec 20, 2012)

Cheryl the choice of wood is strictly personal preference if you like the flavor the JD then it will be good. Thanks for catching the olive oil rub I had forgotten to mention that and it sure helps. Den when doing prime ribs cherry is usually my go to wood tho I have used others. Y'all have a great Christmas


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## den60 (Dec 25, 2012)

I just wanted to post an update. The rib was a success, it was perfectly cooked throughout. I mean from end to end it was perfectly and uniformly pink. When my mom has cooked it before the end pieces would always be medium well. The roast was 8 lbs and it didn't take nearly as long to cook as estimated, about 4.5 hours with the smoker at about 230 for the most part. I just used olive oil and and Montreal Steak seasoning. The wood I used was cherry and I sprayed it down with cherry juice ever hour or so. My gf used to drippings to make gravy. I thought it was too powerful but she and my son's gf loved it. I did add some more cherry after 2 hours. I don't think I will do that next time because I thought it was too much smokiness but everyone else loved it. Here are some pictures:













Christmas Eve Prime Rib (Grill).jpg



__ den60
__ Dec 25, 2012


















Christmas Eve Prime Rib (Before).jpg



__ den60
__ Dec 25, 2012


















Christmas Eve Prime Rib (After).jpg



__ den60
__ Dec 25, 2012


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## luv2putt (Dec 25, 2012)

Great look roast !!!!   Mine hit the smoke in a couple hours !!!!


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 25, 2012)

Great looking roast!!


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