standing rib-roast: 225º low & slow or 450º then drop to 475º?

I prefer the low and slow method myself. Keeps the roast pink out the edges.

It depends on what you are looking for.  If you want to have an even pink color all the way through the roast you should do low and slow from start to finish, forget about a crust.

If you're looking for a bit of a crust and a fairly even pink coloring through the meat start the oven at 500 and then drop to 300 for the rest of cooking.

I personally prefer to sear on the stove top first and then transfer to the oven.  Yes you will burn your garlic crust doing this.  I make a garlic crust with crushed garlic, horseradish, and herbs.  In order to avoid burning it I season my roast with salt and pepper and then sear it.  I then apply the garlic/herb paste with a brush.  I keep my oven at 325 and the garlic does not burn this way.  However, this searing does not give you a totally pink carving, I like the edges cooked through and only the middle to be red.

Low and slow in the oven, then quickly pan sear at the end. Gives you crust, and pinkness both without burning the crust.

Or, you could try Heston Blumenthal's blow torch method; He torches the outside surface of the meat very swiftly so as to avoid actually cooking the meat, then places it in the pre-heated oven. (This is to cook a very thick steak, and the full method involves an oven at 120F with a lengthy cooking time, but I think the principle applies as far as the torching goes.)

How heavy is the roast?

Cooking it at a steady 325 or 350, going blast and slow, or slow and blast will give you similar results.  Any method which involves mostly slow cooking will be more forgiving in terms of getting the final temperature right in the sense that you'll either have a larger time window (blast and slow), or will be right on top of it at the end (slow and blast), but none are inherently superior. 

The differences in the methods, such as they are, are more pronounced with smaller pieces of rib roast -- such as yours -- but not enough to fret over.  It's really all about the quality of the meat itself.  Don't do anything to screw it up, and you'll be fine.

I can and do get great "bark" (aka "crust") on standing rib cooked in a smoker at 250F (with a water pan, yet), so trust me.  Low temperatures aren't that much of an problem when it comes to the roast's outside.  If you want super dark, you can always paint it with Kitchen Bouquet before seasoning.  

Unless you're cooking the roast at a very high temperature, the evenly cooked appearance Koukouvagia talks about comes more from the rest than cooking temperature strategies.  The fat cap (if you have one), "tail" (the super tender, fatty meat wrapped around the top of the eye), and bones will all protect the eye from overcooking and getting dark -- as long as you pull at a reasonable temperature.   An internal of 125 with a 20 minute rest is standard.  For a 2 bone roast, 15 minutes might be enough... or not.

FYI, you want the tail to both be more cooked and appear darker than the eye.  It's a very fatty piece of meat, delicious when well cooked, but not palatable when underdone. 

Finishing with a torch is appropriate for a steak cooked sous-vide, or otherwise done very, very low; but inappropriate for what you're doing.  I love my torch and am not shy about using it; so this is another trust me.

BDL

Full primaL RIB 109 spec 7 bone  called Export    cook  350' till interna temp l 120 to 125 let sit at least 1/2 hour then carve . Instead of holding with fork(making holes and losing juices  )  hold steady with clean kitchen towl .

Quote:

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze 

How heavy is the roast?

 

Cooking it at a steady 325 or 350, going blast and slow, or slow and blast will give you similar results.  Any method which involves mostly slow cooking will be more forgiving in terms of getting the final temperature right in the sense that you'll either have a larger time window (blast and slow), or will be right on top of it at the end (slow and blast), but none are inherently superior. 

 

The differences in the methods, such as they are, are more pronounced with smaller pieces of rib roast -- such as yours -- but not enough to fret over.  It's really all about the quality of the meat itself.  Don't do anything to screw it up, and you'll be fine.

 

I can and do get great "bark" (aka "crust") on standing rib cooked in a smoker at 250F (with a water pan, yet), so trust me.  Low temperatures aren't that much of an problem when it comes to the roast's outside.  If you want super dark, you can always paint it with Kitchen Bouquet before seasoning.  

 

Unless you're cooking the roast at a very high temperature, the evenly cooked appearance Koukouvagia talks about comes more from the rest than cooking temperature strategies.  The fat cap (if you have one), "tail" (the super tender, fatty meat wrapped around the top of the eye), and bones will all protect the eye from overcooking and getting dark -- as long as you pull at a reasonable temperature.   An internal of 125 with a 20 minute rest is standard.  For a 2 bone roast, 15 minutes might be enough... or not.

 

FYI, you want the tail to both be more cooked and appear darker than the eye.  It's a very fatty piece of meat, delicious when well cooked, but not palatable when underdone. 

 

Finishing with a torch is appropriate for a steak cooked sous-vide, or otherwise done very, very low; but inappropriate for what you're doing.  I love my torch and am not shy about using it; so this is another trust me.

 

BDL

Good advice

I can't tell the home cooks anything because I am using either a Combi or Alto Sham to cook prime rib, which is far different then  their home ovens