1. [Chef Jorge Elizalde, The Old Homestead Steakhouse]
[All Photos by Nick Solares]
"The ribs are the most desirable part of the beef and are either roasted or
braised...choose from a tender, well mortified piece of meat." — Charles
Ranhofer, chef of Delmonico's, 1894
There is no cut of beef more majestic or as impressive as a
whole prime rib, also known as a standing rib roast. Consisting of
six or seven bones, the beef is slowly roasted for hours until the
exterior is the color of the darkest mahogany and the interior a rosy
pink from edge to edge. The meat is supple and lithe, deeply succulent and
intensely beefy in flavor. At its best, prime rib embodies all the finest aspects of
meat cooking — the heartiness of a stew, the tenderness of a long braise, the
bodacious, up-front flavors of steak, and the salty and peppery punch of
barbecue.
Everything you need to know about prime rib, and where to get it in NYC.>>
And yet there is no dish more in need of culinary redemption than prime rib.
Racks of lamb or veal, which are essentially the same dish using a less flavorful

2. protein, are held in high regard, but prime rib is often treated like a bum steer.
There are legions of carnivores who devour with reckless abandon ribeye and rib
steaks (which are fabricated from the same cut) but eschew prime rib, deeming it
second rate. This has a lot to do with many people's first exposure to the dish at
weddings or other catered events where dull, grey, overcooked slabs of beef
languish for hours under heat lamps. Or perhaps at buffets or all you can eat
restaurants within casinos — where the commodity is quantity not quality. It also
doesn't help that what is sometimes passed off as prime rib is often an impostor
such as a cut of top or bottom round masquerading as rib meat.
[Beef chart from The Epicurean by Charles Ranhofer, 1894]
Prime rib is not a cut of beef. It is a dish made by roasting meat from the primal
rib — technically only the center cuts. All prime rib is roast beef but not all roast
beef is prime rib. The primal rib can also yield rib and ribeye steaks if individual
chops are cut from it. The difference between steaks from the rib and a prime rib
is that the former are seared quickly as individual chops while latter is roasted
whole and then portioned.

3. [Beef chart from The Epicurean by Charles Ranhofer, 1894]
Prime rib is not a cut of beef. It is a dish made by roasting meat from the primal
rib — technically only the center cuts. All prime rib is roast beef but not all roast
beef is prime rib. The primal rib can also yield rib and ribeye steaks if individual
chops are cut from it. The difference between steaks from the rib and a prime rib
is that the former are seared quickly as individual chops while latter is roasted
whole and then portioned.
The Primal Rib

4. The primal rib contains seven bones, labelled ribs six through 12, and it weighs
upwards of 50 pounds. It is often referred to as a 103, the number assigned to
the primal by the Agricultural Marketing Service, a division of the USDA. The
primal rib lies between the chuck and the short loin and contains some of the
most prized meat on the carcass. The principle muscle of the cut is
the longissimus dorsi which extends through the entire primal forming what is
commonly called the eye. The other significant muscle in the primal rib is
the spinalis dorsi which surrounds the longissimus and is popularly called
the cap or the deckle. The spinalis tapers off as it progresses towards the
posterior of the primal, disappearing almost completely by the 12th rib. The eye
and cap yield some of the most tender meat available, because the muscles
containsedentary tissue, used only when the animal turns. The fibers in
sedentary muscles are finer than those found on the motion muscles used to
support the animal's weight, such as the pectoral muscles that make up the
potentially tough brisket. The finer the muscle fiber, the more tender the beef.

5. [Fresh 109 Primals]
There are also lesser muscles located in the backstrap, which caps the entire
cut of prime rib. Those muscles include the ilcostalis, trapezius, rhomboideus and
thelatissimus dorsi, collectively called rib cap meat. Rib cap meat is not as tender
as the primary muscles of the cut and is thus not served in prime rib (it's also
generally excluded when fabricating rib and ribeye steaks). The rib bones on a
103 are long, extending twice the length of longissimus muscle. Cut these away
at the edge of the muscle and you are left with short ribs. In addition to the rib
bones, the entire primal rib also contains a portion of the scapula, or blade bone,
and the thoracic vertebrae, also known as the chine bones.

6. [Netting a 109]
Trimming the rib bones down to the longissimus and excluding the blade and
chine bones results in a 107 rib. Trimming this further by removing the rib cap
meat but leaving the belt of fat from backstrap is called a 109, which is wrapped
in a netting to secure it. The 109 is also referred to as roast ready rib and
weighs between 15 to 20 pounds. It is, as its name implies, ready to cook at this
point. The 109 is what most steakhouses and high volume prime rib restaurants
roast.

7. [Removing the fat cap after roasting]
The extra cap of fat in a 109 renders down during cooking, helping to protect the
eye from over-cooking and keeping it moist. Removing the whole backstrap and
cutting away the remaining feather bones leaves an "export rib" which is also
ready to roast. Cutting away the rib bones entirely yields a 110 or boneless roast
ready rib. The rib bones, if cut away as an entire rack, give us beef back ribs,
which are the equivalent of pork baby back ribs. The last two cuts are what you
will usually see in supermarkets. A dedicated butcher shop will be able to provide
larger cuts.
Aging

8. [A dry aged 109]
Beef is primarily aged to tenderize it. Completely fresh meat needs several days
to relax, allowing the fat to cool and solidify completely before it becomes tender
enough to eat. The longer it is allowed to rest, the more tender it will become as
natural enzymes within the meat itself begin to break down the muscle fibers.
Most beef is wet aged — it is stored in plastic bags for two to three weeks. This
tenderizes it effectively but doesn't do much to enhance its flavor. Dry aging is
the old way of aging beef. Dry aged beef is stored, usually in the form of large
primals like a 109, uncovered in special rooms that are kept just above freezing
with humidity levels as high as 85 percent. This allows a controlled form of decay
to occur which both tenderizes and enhances the flavor of the beef, giving it a
nutty, funky flavor similar to blue cheese. Roasting dry aged meat intensifies
these flavors.

9. Grade
Prime rib does not necessarily
equate to prime grade beef. In fact
any rib roast, no matter what the
grading, qualifies as prime rib. It is
important to note that the USDA does not regulate menu nomenclature and also
that the term prime rib predates the USDA grading program by several decades.
The term for the dish was in common usages by the end of the 19th century, and
the USDA started grading beef in 1923. But at least part of the reason for prime
rib's tarnished reputation stems from the use of low-grade meat and over-cooked
beef. The results are inevitably poor. But take prime grade, dry aged beef and
cook it to medium rare — the temperature at which the intrasmuscular fat will
have completely melted — and the results will be ethereally tender. This is
because prime beef has a high degree of marbling — this is the common name
for intramuscular fat, the fat actually contained within the muscle tissue, rather
than surrounding it. The more intramuscular fat, the more tender the meat. Prime
grade beef has what is called abundant marbling. In fact, the USDA inspectors
grade beef based on the marbling present in the longissimus at the split between
12th rib and the short loin.

10. [A five rib 109A tied roast]
Any one of the above listed cuts roasted whole, or with as few as two bones (or
the equivalent meat on a boneless product), qualifies as prime rib these days.
Traditionally, however, only ribs seven through 12 were considered true prime rib
— Charles Ranhofer wrote that "the sixth rib is also part of the rib section and
can be used as a rib roast, but not a prime rib." A whole prime rib will yield cuts
that vary in shape and muscle composition. At the sixth rib, which lies at the
chuck or shoulder end of the primal, the eye will be quite round and relatively
small, as it is severely tapered towards the anterior. This end cut contains almost
as much spinalis as longissimus, as well as a portion of the less
desirable complexus muscle. This is the reason the first cut was traditionally
excluded from prime rib.

11. [Carving]
Moving towards the posterior of the primal, the eye gets larger and more
rectangular in shape while the cap tapers off, disappearing almost entirely by the
last rib. There is a large seam of fat between these two muscles that also tapers
off towards the posterior. The cuts from the center of the primal are considered
the prime parts of the rib primal.

12. While the eye of the cut tends to be the most prized by casual diners, beef
aficionados know that the spinalis muscle is the crown jewel of the steer. It
has a fibrous structure with deep striations of fat, and is wonderfully tender, with
a hearty, concentrated flavor. The spinalis, like skirt steak, is one of the few cuts
of beef that is still toothsome when cooked to medium. This will often happen
with prime rib that is cooked relatively quickly — four or so hours for a whole
rack, rather than the six or more required to bring the center to temperature and
still insure a pink cap. Contrary to what cookbooks may tell you, selecting a chop
from closer to the shoulder will give you a more complex and varied experience,
especially if the beef is dry aged.
The Origins

13. [A prime rib cart at Lawry's in Los Angeles, CA.]
Prime rib's origins lie in Great Britain, in the medieval feast, the Christmas
dinner, and the Sunday roast. Traditionally beef or other meats were cooked for
long hours, left in the oven while the family attended church services. Poor
families without the necessary facilities would drop off their joints of meat at the
local baker, who would cook the meat for them while they listened to how the
meek would inherit the earth. Roast beef in Britain is served with Yorkshire
pudding (a popover cooked in pan drippings), lashings of gravy, and a wide
assortment of vegetables. Rules, London's oldest restaurant, was famous for the
roast beef cart that trundled through the dining room stocked with beef ribs and
all the trimmings. The practice has now been abandoned at Rules, although it
has been adopted in America by, for example, the Lawry's chain of restaurants.

14. Roast beef, like many things in America, became more stripped down and
elemental, and at the same time super-sized as it made its way across the
ocean. The traditional accompaniments of Yorkshire pudding and the wealth of
vegetables have largely been abandoned in favor of a simple side of creamed
spinach and mashed potatoes, and the pan gravy has been replaced by a
simpler au jus. In terms of portioning, serving a whole bone per person, as is
common in America, displays both an appetite and a prosperity that eludes the
British, who generally serve delicate slices of roast beef. Indeed, thinly sliced
roast beef is called "English cut" in the states.
Cooking
[A whole rib is removed from the oven at Smith & Wollensky]

15. Slow roasting is the traditional and ideal way of cooking prime rib. The lower and
slower it's done, the more tender and evenly cooked the beef will be. But similar
results can be achieved with either a sous-vide machine or C-vap, finishing the
meat in the oven or even a flat top griddle to develop a crisp crust. A 107 is the
ideal choice for roasting whole because the extra cap both protects and helps to
baste the meat. Because of cooking times, prime rib is always roasted ahead and
also tends to sell out in many places. If you really have your heart set on the dish
(and you should have if you have read this far), many restaurants will honor
requests to hold a slice or two.
[Frenching an export rib]
For the purposes of presentation, the rib bones on prime rib will often be
Frenched prior to roasting.

16. Service
Broadly speaking, prime rib is served in two distinct ways: a la carte or as a
composed plate with side items, and sometimes with Yorkshire pudding. The
latter draws on the tradition of English roasts and also American banquet dining
and tends to feature cheaper grades of wet aged beef. Al la carte prime rib is
almost exclusively the purview of high-end steakhouses, and is usually dry aged.
[English cut prime rib at Keen's Steakhouse]
While there are no standardized names for the various portion sizes of prime rib,
a bone-in chop is often referred to as the King cut, while a boneless version is
called theQueen cut, and thin slices are known as English cut (as mentioned
above). But in most steakhouses, unless it is a lunchtime portion, expect that an

17. order of prime rib will contain a rib bone and weigh at least 24 oz. and as much
as 32 oz.
[Au jus]
Prime rib is served either in a pool of au jus or dry. Don't be afraid to ask for au
jus on the side — it is, after all, part of the dish. The traditional accompaniments
to prime rib (and roast beef in general) are either freshly grated horseradish
whipped into sour cream, or English mustard, a distant echo of John Bull. Most
steakhouses will cook prime rib to rare which allows them to satisfy any order.
They simply bring the chops to the requested temperature at service. But you
may be out of luck at other places that tend to cook prime rib to medium rare and
often beyond. Again, calling ahead is not the worst idea.
Prime Rib in NYC

18. [Chef Michael Lomonaco, Porter House NY]
Prime rib in New York City finds high expression both in an elite group of
steakhouses that have been serving the dish for decades, and in the hands of a
few sentimental and inspired chefs who are taking the dish to new
heights. Keens, The Old Homestead, Gallaghers, The Palm and Smith &
Wollensky feature the dish as a menu staple (though note that The Palm now
only serves it on weekends). Smith & Wollensky, which opened in 1977,
struggled to gain traction until they dispatched waiters to hand out samples of
prime rib in the street. To this day it sells an average of 15 whole ribs a day. But
prime rib seems to have been largely forgotten in the contemporary steakhouse
vernacular. While most new steakhouse ventures disappointingly refrain from
serving the dish, both Ben & Jack's and Empire Steakhouse (which are owned
by the same company) serve prime rib on a menu that otherwise mimics Peter

19. Luger(which only serves prime rib at lunch). Steakhouses offer some of the best
examples of prime rib available.
[B&B]
But more contemporary establishments are also getting in on the game.
Chef Josh Capon offers a special order, $75 per person (four person minimum)
prime rib feast atBurger and Barrel. It includes a wide assortment of sides and
dessert. At Cherche Midi chefs Shane McBride and Daniel Parilla took a bold
step in offering prime rib as the main beef entree on the menu. Most places
would have just gone with a NY strip or ribeye. The Cherche Midi prime rib is a
masterful rendition of the dish using 45 day dry aged beef. But the most luxurious
prime rib in the history of prime rib is the one served by special order at
chef Michael Lomonaco's Porter House New York. $155 per person (four
person minimum) gets you a 120 day dry aged prime rib presented table side on

20. a classic antique prime rib cart, plus salad, sides, and dessert. Note that most
beef is aged for around 28 days.
Further down the quality and price scale we find prime rib costing between
between $16 and $35. These are often weekly specials, such as the one on
Tuesday night atPete's Tavern or the Thursday night one at the various
locations of The Smith. Prime rib is also available at outposts of various national
chains operating in NYC such as theOutback Steakhouse,
Hillstone and Shula's Steakhouse.
Here are ten must-try prime ribs in NYC, in alphabetical order:
B & B WINEPUB (BURGER & BARREL)
25 W HOUSTON ST, NEW YORK, NY 10012
(212) 334-7320,WEBSITE
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Prime Rib of Beef NYC
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B & B WINEPUB (BURGER & BARREL)
Chef Josh Capon offers a special order $75 per person prime rib dinner available for parties of four to
twelve. It includes a bounty of sides and dessert. The dinner can be reserved by calling (212) 334-7320.
25 W HOUSTON ST, NEW YORK, NY 10012
(212) 334-7320
WEBSITE
CHERCHE MIDI
Chefs Shane McBride and Daniel Parilla took a bold step in offering prime rib as the main beef item on
Cherche Midi menu, the newly minted Bowery hot spot. It is a masterful rendition of the dish: 45 days dry
aged prime beef is roasted and served with cider braised onions and pommes soufflés. $48.
282 BOWERY, NEW YORK, NY 10012
(212) 226-3055
WEBSITE

22. EMPIRE STEAKHOUSE
Empire Steakhouse dry age USDA prime in house for 28 days and roast the ribs whole.
237 W 54TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10019
(212) 586-9700
GALLAGHERS STEAKHOUSE
Along with the revamped dining room the beef program at Gallaghers was also over-hauled. Whole
USDA prime ribs are dry aged in the restaurant's iconic dry age room before being roasted and carved
into generous slabs. $47.
228 W 52ND ST, NEW YORK, NY 10019
(212) 245-5336
WEBSITE
HILL COUNTRY BARBECUE MARKET
Hill Country Barbecue is patterned on the legendary Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX . As such they serve
smoked prime rib just like they do in the lone star state. $29.75 per pound.
30 W 26TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10010
(212) 255-4544
WEBSITE

23. KEENS STEAKHOUSE
Keens serves the biggest prime rib in the city. And quality is not compromised by quantity - it is one of the
best available. It comes served with au jus on the side but a rather potent reduction drizzled atop. You
might request this on the side to fully appreciate the flavor of the beef. $54. Also available English Cut at
lunch for $33.
72 W 36TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10018
(212) 947-3636
WEBSITE
OLD HOMESTEAD STEAKHOUSE
The Old Homestead serves up 28 day dry aged USDA prime grade prime rib dubbed the Empire Cut.
$55. Certain customers will special order a double rib cut. $110.
56 9TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10011
(212) 242-9040
WEBSITE
THE PALM
The Palm serves up massive slabs of USDA prime grade prime rib on weekends. $55.
837 2ND AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10017
(212) 687-2953

24. WEBSITE
PORTER HOUSE NEW YORK
Chef Michael Lomonaco offers what must be the most luxurious prime rib in the history of prime rib. He
serves 120 day dry aged prime rib presented tableside on a classic antique prime cart. It is offered for
four to eight people and requires 48 hours notices to prepare. For $155 per person, diners get the prime
rib plus salads, sides, and dessert for the table. Reservations taken by telephone.
10 COLUMBUS CIRCLE, NEW YORK, NY 10019
(212) 823-9500
WEBSITE
SMITH & WOLLENSKY
Smith & Wollensky serve USDA prime beef that is dry aged in-house. They sell over a hundred portions a
day. the prime rib here is Eater NY senior editor Nick Solares's death row meal. $49.
20 E 49TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10017
(212) 753-1530
WEBSITE