Standing Rib Roast

About 24 hours before cooking, remove the rib bones and save them for another meal.

Trim off all the fat cap from the top. Go ahead and trim right down to the meat.

I leave most of the fat on the side where the bones were because it is hard to remove and not very thick. But the fat cap has got to go.

Aim to make it as round as possible. When you have bare meat, it is sort of teardrop-shaped. Press on the sides, squishing it into a round tube. If necessary, tie it with string every inch or two to hold it round.

About 6 to 24 hours before cooking, sprinkle it with about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of trimmed meat. I sprinkle it from high above so it is evenly distributed. And I sprinkle about the same amount I would if I was about to eat the meat. Thick cuts need a bit more. Do not over-salt! Put it in the fridge. This is a method called dry brining. The salt is sucked into the meat, seasons it, and messes with the protein structure to help retain moisture. You should cover it with plastic to keep other foods from coming in contact with meat juice.

Set up your grill or smoker for 2-zone cooking and preheat the indirect zone to 225°F. You mustn’t cook the roast any hotter than 250°F, no matter what the cookbooks or TV chefs say. You don’t want to cook so hot that the meat gets dark on the outside before it is done on the inside.

Clean the grates thoroughly.

Insert your meat thermometer so the tip is dead center in the thickest part of the meat.

CAUTION: DO NOT OVERSMOKE the meat. You do not need to add any wood to get a hint of smoke flavor, as the charcoal will give it to you without having to add any wood. If you want a heavier smoke flavor, add just a little bit of hardwood or fruitwood to the hot part of the cooker, about 2 to 4 ounces max, right at the start of the cook. I suggest avoiding it as it is easy to oversmoke the meat and ruin the roast. Been there, done that, not good.

Monitoring your meat

You will want to look under the hood occasionally while cooking, but don’t do that. Trust your thermometer.

If you have a problem with your cooker, perhaps the gas runs out, the charcoals start to die, the temperature just won’t stay at 225°F, or it is really cold outside, you can bring it inside after about an hour and finish it in the oven. It has gotten all the smoke flavor you need. But the drier heat and airflow on the grill make a better crust than the oven.

When the temperature in the deepest part of the interior reaches 120˚F, remove the meat from the grill, bring it inside, cover it with foil, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes (up to one hour), crank your grill (or oven) to 500˚F.

Put the roast back on the grill for about 5 to 10 minutes. During this process, the interior will rise another 5 to 10°F. Check the temperature again and remove it at 135°F.

There is no need to rest the roast. It is a myth that this makes it juicier. Serve your meat hot! You will need a cutting board or a platter that can hold liquid. Even if you rest the meat, a lot of liquid will flow. Don’t let it escape! First, remove the string. Use a sharp knife and cut servings about 1/2″ to 1″ thick. Pour any drippings from the cutting board onto the platter of cut meat. If you want to amp it up to 11, serve it with Horseradish Cream Sauce on the side.