There is nothing better than a Roasted Prime Rib of Beef, Veal, Pork or Lamb for an elegant dinner party, a hearty winter meal or just because you have a taste for roasted meat. I recently roasted all of the above mentioned and they were so delicious that I want to share a few of the secrets that made the meat moist, tender, delectable and really good.
BUY LOCALLY
The most important tip I can give you to achieve a wonderful roast is to start with a very good grade of meat. When buying a rib roast this is the time to splurge and not cut cost. I suggest you go to a neighborhood butcher instead of a grocery store or a big box store. Why? Forming a relationship with a local butcher is what makes buying meat a pleasure. In fact, my practice is to buy all fresh food from a neighborhood or local purveyor. That goes for seafood, poultry and produce as well as meat.
A relationship with your butcher, fish monger and produce person will give you confidence in what you are buying. Once you form the relationship with these people you are always going to be happy with the product. When you walk in to a local purveyor’s store they know your name, your likes and dislikes and will listen to what you have to say – what you are looking for – and if you’re not sure what you want, they can guide you in the right direction. For instance, I had a dinner party the other night and just could not decide what to have for the entree. I went to my local butcher shop and they made suggestions that led me to a Rack of Pork. My butcher sells only prime meats unlike the grocery stores which sell only choice, select and standard (select and standard are very low on the chain of grading).
Following is a little primer concerning meat grading:
Meat Grading
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- U.S. Prime – Highest in quality and intramuscular fat, limited supply. Currently, about 2.9% of carcasses grade as Prime.
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- U.S. Choice – High quality, widely available in foodservice industry and retail markets. Choice meats are a little over half of the fed cattle total. The difference between Prime and Choice is largely due to the fat content in the beef. Prime typically has a higher fat content (more and well distributed intramuscular “marbling”) than Choice.
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- U.S. Select (formerly Good) – lowest grade commonly sold at retail, acceptable quality, but is less juicy and tender due to leanness.
- U.S. Standard – Lower quality, yet economical, lacking marbling.
There are four other grades, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. Commercial is super low quality, lacks tenderness and is produced from older animals. I am not sure where this grade of meat is sold but I can guess. The other three grades are rarely used in foodservice operations and primarily used by processors and canners.
I find that local purveyors sell meat, seafood and poultry that is steroid, hormone and anti-biotic free and produce that is not dusted with pesticides and is chemical free.
I think I just got a little long winded on meat grading and buying. Let’s go on to cooking a really great Prime Rib of Beef.