Dry-Aged Smoked Prime Rib Recipe

Ingredients

Dry Brine

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
½ tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
½ tablespoon crushed green peppercorns
1 teaspoon crushed dried shallot
½ teaspoon granulated garlic

Prime Rib Roast

1.8 kg dry-aged, boneless ribeye roast
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cups beef stock, divided
handful pecan wood chunks

Preparation

1. To maintain a neat, uniform shape, tie the roast by laying four or five 60 cm pieces of butcher’s twine across the cutting board parallel to each other. Place the roast on top of the twine and tie each piece around the roast.
2. Pat the roast dry with a paper towel and then lightly apply peanut oil on all sides.
   HOT TIP – If you prefer, substitute another high-temp cooking oil such as avocado, canola or tallow for peanut oil.
3. Season the roast with salt, black pepper, green pepper, shallot and garlic on all sides, but not the two ends.
   HOT TIP – Green peppercorn is milder and fruitier than more mature black peppercorn. If you prefer, substitute a peppercorn medley, peppercorn blend or mixed peppercorns for both the green and black pepper. Dried shallot is a specialty item that can be hard to find.
4. Loosely wrap the roast in plastic wrap or place it in a sealed bag. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
5. Remove roast from refrigerator 2 hours before cooking and let it rest at room temperature.
6. Preheat smoker to 120°C and toss wood chunks on top of the charcoal.
   HOT TIP – Measure the temperature at grate level with a surface temp gauge for the most accurate reading.
7. Remove the plastic wrap or bag and place the roast on a quarter-sized rack and sheet pan.
   HOT TIP – The rack and sheet pan are optional, but they keep your smoker cleaner and make it easier to manoeuvre food.
8. Pour 1 cup of the beef stock into a spray bottle and spritz the roast.
9. Place the roast, rack and sheet pan in the smoker.
10. Cook until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 50°C for medium rare doneness, 2-2½ hours.
    HOT TIP – Monitor the internal temperature of the roast by inserting the temperature probe until the tip is in the centre of the roast.
11. Remove from smoker and allow the roast to rest at room temperature until the internal temperature stops rising at around 55-57°C, 20-30 minutes.
12. Place the remaining 2 cups of beef stock in a medium-size saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a rapid simmer until the stock is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the drippings and stock from the sheet pan. Add salt to taste.
13. Increase smoker temperature to 260°C or use a grill grate to sear directly over the coals in the firebox.
14. Sear the roast on all sides to add colour and crisp the crust, about 1 minute per side.
15. Slice and serve.