Chef

You are basically done and if you are like me, are three sheets to the wind by now from drinking red wine as you cook. The beauty is in the journey right? Sit down, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Now, there seems to be some confusion on whether it's best to cook your roast traditionally, like I described, or letting it sit for hours in the oven after cooking at 500*f or so for a short time. The latter is a take on a method used when cooking in an Alto Sham "cook and hold" oven. While an Alto Sham will render an outstandingly juicy roast with very little shrinkage, this is not the oven that most people have in their homes. With that said, you will need to practice with this method numerous times according to how your oven cooks and how well the door seals. To be consistent with it is difficult with a home oven because roasts are rarely alike in size, so the end result can vary. You don't want to make this more confusing than it needs to be. Roasting in a smoker is similar in that you have to practice. Then you run into the same issues as above, in that you end up with different results with different sized roasts. Smoking is more time consuming as well, mainly because you have to keep a close eye on your smoker to maintain an even temperature and smoke. Albeit, you will end up with one of your best roasts if done right.

Now on to the cooking part! (Finally, I know) There seems to be confusion as to which is better, searing and roasting in a moderately heated oven, over not searing and blasting the roast in a very hot oven, then shutting the oven off. Guys and gals, you are doing basically the same thing. Searing that is. Although different ovens work and seal differently than others do, sous-chefs beware! Now what exactly does searing do? Does it seal in the juices? Not really. Does it impart flavor and a nice color to the exterior of the roast? YES! Now, let's pretend we all agree to sear the roast in a hot skillet. Use pomace olive oil, NOT extra virgin olive oil. Why? That's because extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoking temperature than the oil from a later press. (pomace) That way, you can crank the heat up in the pan, without smoking (burning) everyone out of the kitchen. You can even use a blend of safflower and pomace olive oil for an even higher smoking point. Save the extra virgin olive oil for your salads and such. Ok, so now we've seared the roast (all sides, even the ends) and are ready to season the roast and place it on a roasting pan WITH A RACK. Why a rack? That's because we want to keep the meat off of the roasting pan where the fat and drippings are. That way, the nice sear and crust that we worked so hard to achieve, stays all the way around the roast. Besides, if you get enough drippings, we end up "boiling" the bottom part of the roast and we don't want that, so we elevate the roast off the pan by using a rack. Now, place in a pre-heated oven (325*f-350*f) and cook, uncovered, until an internal temperature of around 120*f-125*f is achieved. Now, you want to be careful on this part, depending on the size of the roast. The larger the roast, the more "carry over cooking" you will get. What is "carry over cooking" you ask? That is the amount of cooking the roast continues to achieve even AFTER taken out of the hot oven. Yup, they do that. So, it only makes sense that the larger the piece of meat is, the more heat it will hold. Kind of like shooting a big bull elk and letting it sit overnight during the early archery hunt. You can picture in your mind how much heat the carcass will hold in comparison to a smaller Coues buck. So, if you have a large rib roast you are taking out of the oven, do so at a lower temperature than what you want, to allow for carry over cooking. Make sense? Good. *To take the temperature, use a calibrated meat thermometer. Digital or classic style doesn't matter as long as it's calibrated. An easy way to calibrate is to take a tall glass of ice water and probe the contents. Reading should be 32*f, or 212*f if reading boiling water. To check the internal temperature of your cooking roast, insert the probe into the deepest part of the roast. Make sure to note the location of the reading point on your thermometer!...some take the reading from the tip, while others take the reading somewhere halfway up the probe shaft. So you want to make sure THIS part of the probe is at the deepest part of your roast when taking the reading. Ok...moving on...to rest or not to rest...that is the question! DEFINITELY allow your roast to rest after taking it out of the oven. Again, the time to rest depends on the size of the roast. If unsure, rest for 15-20 minutes. Never, under any circumstances, slice or cut or poke into the roast until this time has passed. The resting process allows the juices to redistribute evenly amongst the cellular structure of the meat. Think if you will, that the juices are "boiling" inside this perfectly seared roast, and if you slice it, these bubbling juices will flow out and you will end up with a dry piece of meat. So you've let the "boiling" juices simmer down, and calm down, and "absorb" themselves back into their respective places inside the roast. You have successfully rested your roast, congratulations.

Ok, here is the nitty gritty when it comes to prime rib roasts. *The name "prime rib" is descriptive of the location of the cut of meat on the cow, and does not represent grade. I have cooked literally HUNDREDS of prime rib roasts in my lifetime. Some were great and some were so-so. The absolutely phenomenal roasts came about because I started with a spectacular grade of meat. Yes, this is one of the most important things to look for when cooking…quality of ingredients used. (I shop for meat like we analyze a trophy Coues rack) http://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading.html As you can see, Prime grade is best but only 2% of all beef in the U.S. is ever graded as Prime, so it carries a high price. In this case, you get what you pay for, and that is the prominent and even marbling of fat throughout the meat. This is what gives the meat its juiciness and flavor. (Just like a hamburger made with high fat content ground beef is juicy) Keep in mind; there are variances within these grades that make one cut better than the other, even within the same grade. After all, the "grading" is done with the side of beef whole, so in reality, the entire rib and loin sections aren't even cut into when grading. This means you can get a "Choice" grade cut of beef, which is very close to, if not "Prime", if you know what to look for. Ok, moving on… Next, I want to clear some things up concerning cooking methods. There are "dry heat" cooking methods, and there are "moist heat" cooking methods. Dry heat cooking is what you do when grilling, roasting in an oven, broiling, etc. Dry heat cooking methods cater to cuts of animals that are for the most part, tender and higher in fat content. Moist heat cooking is what you are doing when you braise a roast "covered" in an oven, or stewing (crock pot), etc. Moist heat cooking methods cater more towards cuts that are tougher and sinewy. They need longer cooking times at lower temperatures to break down the cell structure and make the meat tender. This technique generally accompanies the meat with a sauce or in a stew, to compensate for the lack of fat. (Juiciness) So, it is not necessary to cook a piece of meat that is tender and well marbled (like a rib eye) in a crock pot. To add, it is ludicrous to cut a "steak" off a shoulder (chuck) then grill it, expecting it to be tender and juicy. Ok, moving on even further… Go out and buy a nice prime rib roast (this is what they cut rib eyes out of BTW) and look for one that has nice marbling of fat throughout the eye of it. Try not to get one that has a huge "vein" of fat running through the center of it either. (aaahhh, that's what makes the difference in the grades!) Bone in or boneless, doesn't matter. Whatever strikes your fancy. Next, you may want to age it, but that write up is for another time, or remember "Google" is your friend.

Great pics, and thanks for sharing the adventure. I stand corrected on the Seris living on the island though. I go off of what my family tells me. Best of luck with the PSE crew. As for Bill, yeah, we're lucky to have him.

Received a complimentary copy of Elk Hunter today and I have to say I am very impressed. Contains stories of successful hunts from all over the West and many articles on tips from scoring elk to field care of meat. Just like Western Hunter, the quality itself is top notch. You guys hit a grand slam with this one. (I notice GRONG made the cover too with his gnarly bull)

Same to you Doug.

That's a monster shed from a monster buck! I'd be looking for the other side AND the buck!

Way to go Mark. Chris must be proud.

I keep coming back and checking out the pic of Peg slicing that bad boy! I absolutely LOVE the marbled cap on a ribeye and that roast's cap is HUGE! You got a good one! (Guess what I just decided to cook for Christmas! Lol!)

TJ! Great job with the cooking my man! That is absolutely mouth watering! So glad you two enjoyed it, as you definitely deserve it. I think you'll agree, there is nothing like that meat market for quality beef. Merry Christmas again and also thanks again for hosting the get together.

I was just talking about the Seris just the other night with family that was visiting from Hermosillo. My family used to fish commercially off the coast of Kino. (Amongst other locations) This was back when sea turtles were abundant and legal to take. Anyhow, the Seris have been known for a long time for their ironwood sculptures. Back then they were all carved by hand with simple tools and polished with rocks and glass. Nowadays, the sculptures are more "mass produced" with modern tooling and such. Well, I vividly remember as a little boy, riding bareback on a very large ironwood sculpture of a bighorn ram carved by the Seris. My family still is in possesion of it and it is actually signed by the arist. It is made out of a sigle piece of wood and is very heavy as you may imagine. This is one that I guess is from the sixties. I would love to own that someday.

Bill, Since you were involved during the sheep introduction down there, I have to ask, do you know Dr. Manuel J Chee? The Seris are on the island as well.

GREAT looking ram! Congrats to you all and thanks for sharing the success with us. Can't wait for the story and best of luck in dropping the hammer on another bruiser.

Stunning views and awesome photographs Doug! I need to do that!

Great great buck. Congrats to the hunter.

Welcome! Thanks for joining and I look forward to your contributions in the future.

Congratulations on putting meat in the freezer. Those are some studs on the trail cam pics!!!!

Way to go guys. Now THAT'S a blood trail!

TJ, I'll text you Stans' cell #...

Same issue I was having Lance. (price is $1050 BTW)

I may be blind but am I missing the price?

That is pretty cool. Brutal terrain and conditions. Congratulations.

Had a fantastic time. Met some longtime members that I always wanted to meet and shared a fire with some longtime friends from the site. I know there are more pictures floating around out there so I'll look forward to those. The food was awesome, the weather cooperated and the members of the site are the best on the net. Can't get any better! Jim gave us all a cosine indicator for the angle shots we all encounter...awesome! Thanks again TJ and Peg! I had a blast!

It's just around the corner! I seriously can't wait. Good food, relaxed atmosphere, great friends, and potentially a monster buck or six! Bring it on!

I can attest to the hospitality offered by Justo and his family. One just feels relaxed and comfortable when on the ranch. Great views of the mountain ranges, a large population of coues deer, with the opportunity to see one for the books. That's what I'll be looking for down there this year! Mexico still has it's charm and wonderful culture. By the way, my signature photo was taken from a glassing position on this ranch!