Hi everyone
Newbie here. I am going to cook a 3 inch thick prime rib. Will 3 hours cook time be sufficient? If not, how much time do you all recommend?
Cheers
You can start with this article, which assumes you are cooking a 2" thick steak (rib-eye and prime rib are from the same cut of meat), and I’d say 3 hours is a good extrapolation. But I don’t know what to say if there’s a bone present in your cut. I’d guess you’d want to cook longer. I assume you will sear the meat when done?
Hey BB,It’s fortunate you asked. Anova has the better answer.
Depending on the roast’s structure and your undisclosed cooking temperature, it could take a full 6 hours just for heat equilibrium to be completely achieved. Then you have a warm piece of meat, but will it be cooked to your liking?
You need to consider doneness, as in Medium-Rare maybe? And you need to consider your desired degree of tenderness.
Is it a boneless roast? Prime Rib usually denotes meat on the rib bones with two potential problems.
- Bones resist heat penetration and slow the cooking at SV temperatures.
- Bones can also tear a hole in the SV cooking bag, something you want to avoid.
If you are able to provide us with more details we’ll get you through this.
Example: how do you plan to finish or sear the roast?
Thanks all for the tips. Its a single bone-in prime rib. Looking for medium-rare and will finish on a gas grill.
Previously tried a smaller 2" prime rib for 2.5 hours. It was great.
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129F 4.5 hrs is my preference.
Alex
A heartfelt reply from Alex & Sue
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BB, great is great.
You’re not much of a Newbie as you appear to have an understanding of the SV technique.
Here’s a few tips from a seasoned SV cook.
- 3" is the practical and safe maximum thickness limit for SV meat cooking.
- 131F / 55C are the safe minimum cooking temperatures longer than 4 hours.
- lower temperatures can permit the growth of harmful amounts of pathogens over any longer times.
Dougas Baldwin is the best source there is for thickness/temp/time. See:
https://douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Beef
Hi all
Thanks for all the tips. I ended up cooking this for 4.5 hrs at 54 degrees. Finished on the grill - possibly left on a tad too long. Tasted great and my guests loved it.
Hey BB, nicely done job. As long as you and your guests enjoyed it that’s all that’s important.
That ring of grey meat beneath the surface does indicate some extra grill time. if it doesn’t bother you, it shouldn’t bother anyone else.
Happy cooking, and keep well.