Another Roast in the Fridge

[Ray Gasperetti]

My local grocery store just put standing rib roasts on sale for $5.97lb, a deal I couldn’t pass up. I asked the butcher to give me the biggest one he had in the back, he didn’t disappoint, 26.81 pounds. After backing the ribs off I still had to do some minor trimming for it to be able to fit inside the UMAi bag. I already had one going in the fridge since Nov. 27 that’s slated for New Years Eve festivities, it’s coming along really nice. I’ll let this new big boy go till Feb.1st to get a full 45 day age on it. I also got talked into buying a Sous Vide thingy that arrives tomorrow. I’ve got a couple of thick New York steaks, not aged, in the freezer to experiment with before the full pressure of aged ribeyes for New Years guests. Life is good! RAY

[Ron Pratt]

Nice report! You’ll love your sous vide unit! Secret is that with it you can “dial in” the exact temperature you want your food to be. Often when the weather is bad I will “cook” my steaks to the exact internal temperature or a few degrees below and then sear them in a ribbed cast iron skillet on the stove. I also love mine for re-warming left overs!
Ron

[Ray Gasperetti]

I was thinking when it’s time to steak out the ribeyes I might salt and pepper them before shrink wrapping. That way the steak could go right from the freezer into the sous vide pot. When not cooking my steaks over coals I’ve taken to using the Alton Brown method of placing the steak in a 200º oven until it reaches a internal temp of 120º. I then pull the steak out of the oven and let it rest (carry over) for ten minutes while heating up a iron skillet to over 600º, then a 45 second sear on each side, perfect every time. It’ll be interesting to see how sous vide stacks up. I’m figuring to set the sous vide up for 125º bath and do the same 45 seconds a side with the iron skillet. RAY

[Ray Gasperetti]

I’ve got five days to go till my rib roast will be aged to the full 45 days. This is my second one, the first went for 34 days and was incredible. I guess I’ve lucked out, never a problem with either bag sealing or any strange odors. As for Sous Vide, this has become my “go to” method for cooking a steak, it just comes out absolutely perfect each and every time. I’ve pretty much settled on 129º for two hours in the Sous Vide, I cut my steaks 1&1/2’s thick. Then it’s a little butter/olive combo brushed on and 45 seconds on each side in a 650º iron skillet. Unlike grilling, the steaks come out cooked evenly throughout, the edges done the same as the center. Thanks to Ron’s advise I tried warming up the leftover hunk of a tritip I Sous Vide the other night. It came up to temp without over-cooking or browning the meat at all. Thanks for your great advise Ron. When my rib roast comes out Feb 1st I’ll cut my steaks, then season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder before shrink-wrapping, that’s what I did on the first one and couldn’t be happier. RAY

[Ray Gasperetti]

I took my UMAi ribeye roast out of the fridge on Feb, 2nd, 46 days. The added time from my first one really made quite a difference, a truly rich beefy flavor. I trimmed a bit of bark off of the front fat cap and left the rest to see how things would go after cutting steaks 1&1/2″ thick. I Sous Vide my first test ribeye at 129º for a couple of hours, then did 45 seconds a side to sear in a 650º iron skillet. The ribeye came out perfect with the best flavor I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t particularly enjoy the taste or feel of the bark, it stayed pretty stiff and didn’t soften in the Sous Vide as I thought it might. The bark will be even easier to remove now that the roast has been cut into steaks. With the three whole roasts I’ve steaked out and the tritips I’ve been stocking up on at sale prices my freezer is set for quite some time. RAY

[Ron Pratt]

Sounds GREAT, Ray! Thanks for your report! Yes, the bark may be an acquired taste.
Ron

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