My rib roast is finishing too early. How can I let my meat loaf?

December 24, 2007 1:11 PM

My 11 lb rib roast is about to be finished early (4:00 for a 6:30 dinner). The roast is currently out of the oven, wrapped in foil and a towel, sitting at 115 degrees.

I'm planning on putting it back at 5 or so to bring it up to 125, then blast it at 500 after it sits for a bit (I'm using Alton Brown's method). Is this a reasonable approach? Or should I just plan on making hash?

Details: My oven can handle as low as 110 reliably. I'm planning on making Yorkshire Pudding, but I'll be happy to skip that to save the roast.

posted by donpardo to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Best answer: If you really trust your oven to hold at 115 or less (and not cycle up to a higher temperature at some interval) then you should put the foil-wrapped roast in the oven... it will only get better as it cooks at that temperature.

You would also probably do well to wrap it in a towel to stay moderately warm while you do the Yorkshire pudding, and then give it the final 500-degree blast before serving.
posted by rxrfrx at 1:38 PM on December 24, 2007

My grandmother confirms that rxrfrx is correct.
posted by Pants! at 2:24 PM on December 24, 2007

Response by poster: I'm trying it out and I'll let you know how it goes. I am hopeful.

Thanks, folks.
posted by donpardo at 2:31 PM on December 24, 2007

Best answer: Take it out of the oven, the oven will almost certainly dry it out. Wrap that roast in 1) foil, 2)a warm blanket, and then 3) place that package into a cooler (the type you put beers in for a picnic). This reliably keeps meat hot for many hours, just as it keeps those beers cold. It's not unusual to finish a 10lb pork shoulder at noon and then wrap it and come back, pull, season & eat it at 6pm. The only downside is that blanket will smell mighty meaty.
posted by mek at 2:53 PM on December 24, 2007

Do as mek says, or if you don't have a cooler handy stuff the roast in the couch.
posted by foodgeek at 4:16 PM on December 24, 2007

The couch? Please tell me more...
posted by Gungho at 5:09 PM on December 24, 2007

The best insulated place in most houses/apartments is under a couch cushion. It's a good idea to put a note on top saying something about it being impolite to put your ass in the main course...
posted by foodgeek at 7:29 PM on December 24, 2007 [1 favorite]

(I just want to say that this post title made me smile.)
posted by Ian A.T. at 3:20 AM on December 25, 2007

Response by poster: The roast rested in the oven, wrapped in foil, at 110 for about an hour during which it rose to 126 (though I suspect that mek's method would also have worked). I pushed the heat to 200, roasted until it got to 128 (about 45 minutes). I pulled it and covered it again, made the Yorkshire pudding (at 450), then seared the roast (which had risen to 135) for 15 minutes at 500, let it rest for 10 minutes and cut into it.

It was perfect. Pink on the inside, deep crusty brown on the outside. My guests were well pleased.

The couch was spared.

Thanks, everybody. If I could, I'd send you each a sandwich.
posted by donpardo at 5:58 AM on December 25, 2007

Do NOT do what foodgeek said. I repeat: Do NOT do what foodgeek said.
posted by wsg at 9:29 AM on December 25, 2007