Reverse Seared Rib Roast

I know it's Thursday and you're asking about the garden post, but I just haven't had time to put it together, so give me another week.

I discovered a small 2½ year old rib roast while freezer diving the other day and decided to thaw it out for a look.  It was double wrapped in butcher paper and had no obvious signs of freezer burn, so we decided to give it a try - on company no less.  Friends Joe and Carol and Bev’s sis joined us for dinner at the lake.  I think we're making more use of the dock for meals this year than ever.

First, I sliced off a thin piece over the entire surface of the roast.  I was out of my normal prime rib rub so I gave it a coating of Head Country Championship Seasoning and a sprinkling of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and dried parsley.

This was another cook-at-the-dock meal and while I considered putting it on a spit (didn’t want the center of it blemished), I ran the grill burner on each side on low and it gave me a grate temperature of 285*.  I used a remote probe thermometer to tell me the grate temp and another to monitor the meat internal temp.  Here it is at about 118* internal temp and I just turned off the burners and let it rest in the grill until we were ready to eat it – about 45 minutes.

While the meat was cooking we started the meal with an appetizer of salmon cakes left over from the night before.  Since I’d had so much difficulty handling them before, I made them up in the morning and put them in the fridge, then stuck them in the freezer for about 45 minutes before frying – made them firmer, less sticky, and much easier to handle.  I then fried them as before using a properly pre-heated stainless steel pan (did a how-to demo for Carol) and served them on a lettuce leaf with choice of tarter or remoulade sauce - as you can see, I tried mine three ways.

It was hard to say whether I preferred plain or with remoulade, but the tartar sauce was a distant third.

Next up was a fancy, Bev specialty salad bar and homemade dressings – 1000 Island, Bleu Cheese, Italian (Good Seasonings).  It took two shots to get it in.

This is my go-to Bleu Cheese recipe:

8 oz Maytag bleu cheese, divided

4 oz cream cheese

4 oz sour cream

Pinch garlic powder

Buttermilk to thin

Put half the bleu cheese, the sour cream, cream cheese, garlic powder, and a splash of buttermilk into a deep bowl and blend with an immersion blender, adding more buttermilk as needed to achieve the desired consistency.  Crumble and fold in the remaining bleu cheese and store in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavors to marry. 

This is very blue cheesy, but it can be weakened by cutting back on the cheese amount.  Here's my salad and it was outstanding.

After the salad and a rest, I went back to the meat and turned two burners on high and let them get hot.  I then cooked it over direct heat for a couple of minutes on all 6 sides to add a crust and raise the internal temp to about 130*.

Since it had been resting for 45 minutes, no need to rest again for more than a few minutes.  After the salmon cakes, the big salad, and dessert to come, the main course was just a slice of meat and a homemade roll containing chives, rosemary and cheese - see salad photo. This is my piece.

Somewhat to my surprise, the meat was still excellent and our friends quickly said yes when I offered them the leftovers.  I’ve posted before about using the reverse sear on my smoker and adding the crust in the oven, but as you can see from the evenness of color across the roast with very little well done on the outside, it works equally well on the grill.

After a nice wait, we finished the meal with a slice of Carol’s outstanding coconut cream pie.  I forgot to get a shot but I quickly said yes when offered the leftovers and took this photo the next day.

Once again it was a terrific evening and fairly pleasant as the dock cools down more quickly in the evening than up at the house.  Its tucked against the east side of some tall trees so the sun gets off of it sooner and of course the water helps keep the area cooler, as does its location in a bowl (cooler air will collect there).

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago:  Beverly Is A Hero This Morning

Larry