If you cook a rib roast at a higher temp lets go with pierino's number of 250F then you will get shades of doneness from well done to medium rare (if you pull it at the right temp) Through out your slice. Cooking at a low temp (desired internal temp) then you will get a minimal ring of well done and bright pink through the rest. I guess it just depends on how you like your rib roast. But, having a slice of rib roast that has many shades of doneness is not my or my patrons idea of a properly cooked rib roast.

Pierino has a good point that if you cook at a higher temp then the desired finish temp you will get carry over cooking meaning the temp will rise after it is pulled from the oven. That is why I cook at a temp for desired finish temp. If you cook at 135F or 140F then It will not go over that temp internally.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that no two ovens are calibrated exactly equally and that what matters is the internal temperature before removing them. I just cooked 35 pounds of rib roast this past weekend. For rare I took it out when it hit 130F, tent it with foil and let it rest before carving. It will get a "heat boost" during the tenting process. The feds consider 140 to be the safe temperature for holding and serving but other cooks will suggest you remove it at 120 before tenting. I held a couple of sections in the ovens longer knowing that some like their beef more "medium" than others. And some to the point of well done. I set the dial at 450F and after 20 minutes turned it down to 250F. I also used an internal brine to keep the meat moist. But it's key to have a very accurate thermometer like a Thermapen. To illustrate how tastes have changed some of the classic books of the Sixties call for internal temps of up to 160 and 170!

An alto sham is a brand but makes a particular type of oven that is a standard in alot of commercial kitchens that will cook and hold or cook and shut off and has very low temperature capability. When you cook and hold you can set it for two seperate temperatures one to cook and a lower temp to hold. It's oven width allows for fullsize sheet pans for a compact size. Also doesn't require direct ventilation and is very portable although mine is under hood.

I started to ask something similar yesterday. I have been going back and forth between filets and prime rib for my husband and me for Christmas. Filets are a sure thing. They always come out tender and beautifully medium-rare. In recent years I have not had much success with prime rib. My memories of prime rib are of tender, beautiful, medium-rare meat. I have begun to think that I have a lousy memory. I am attaching a link to a discussion from a few years ago on eGullet. One thing is for sure... people have really strong opinions about this topic.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/110938-prime-rib/page__p__1508336__hl__prime+rib__fromsearch__1#entry1508336

Happy reading!

Helpful tips here. Sounds like a lot of folks will be eating rib roast for Christmas, me included. anyone, what's an alto sham? Wow, that's a lot of beef.

Thanks everyone, I'll try to track down yesterday's post...

I would sear mine in a heavy pot on top of stove and then bake at 275 degrees.

There was a post on this yesterday and bettereine had an interesting post. At my restaurant I don't have time to fool around to much so I sear mine in a 500F oven for ten minutes or so and then put in an alto sham at 140F until done. This gives a nice rare pink all the way through with a fairly minimal well done ring around the edge. Allthough I cook 20-25 lb rib roast. I do 5 a day 5 days a week. Or in short 500lbs a week.

The bigger the roast, the more I would go with low and slow. The high initial heat, then turn down works very well with smaller roasts, especially tenderloins, but on big roasts, I have always taken the slower, gentler approach. Make sure the roast is standing at room temperature for at least 2 hours before putting it in the oven. It is best to also season the roast when you take it out of the fridge to warm up, to give a change for the salt and spices to start their work. Enjoy!