There are twenty six ribs on a steer; thirteen on each side. The first seven ribs are part of the front quarter, the eighth rib begins the hind quarter. If you can imagine petting a steer from its neck down it’s side you can feel the strong ribs that form the carcass that hold together all of the muscles of the steer. Underneath the rib is hidden the rib roast, or what I call the "roast of roasts". The rib roast is by far the most tender roast of all the beef roasts, because of the amount or marbling present. Marbling refers to the streaks of fat that run throughout a piece of meat and enhances its flavor, tenderness and juiciness. The reason this rib muscle is so tender is that it is not used much by the steer. Your roasts from the upper front quarter(shoulder, chuck and English) as well as those from the lower hind quarter or the round(rump, sirloin tip, eye of round) are tougher pieces of meat because they are exercised. Roasts that come from muscles that have been exercised will require special cooking techniques in order to tenderize them, where as the rib roast is already tender before you even begin the cooking process.

The Muscle Connection

It is very important that the successful cook has some knowledge of muscle tissue and it’s components in order to produce tender and juicy roasts. Muscle is made up of three components: water, protein, and fat. Water makes up about 75% of the muscle(the reason we are always concerned with shrinkage), protein 20% and fat up to 5%. Lean muscle is made up of fiber like strands that are bound together in bundles. The texture or the grain of the meat will depend on the size of the fibers in those bundles. Fine grained meat is composed of small fibers where as coarse grain meat has large fibers. These muscle fibers are held together by a network of proteins called connective tissues. Each muscle is also covered in a sheath of connective tissue called silver skin which must be removed before cooking. There are two kinds of connective tissues; collagen(white in color) and elastin(yellow in color). Collagen can be broken down by using proper cooking methods. Elastin, however, usually found in older animals, cannot be broken down in cooking and must either be removed or mechanically broken down by tenderizing or pounding. Lean cuts of meat that contain these tough tissues require a moist heat method of cooking called braising, that allows for longer cooking times at lower cooking temperatures in order to produce a tender and juicy roast. Another way of tenderizing tough cuts of meat is by marinating the meat in an acid based mixture a few hours before roasting.

Prime... Meating the Grade

What defines Prime Rib is the grade. Grading is a quality designation. Beef is graded into eight grades: Prime, choice , select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter and canner; prime designating the highest grade and canner, the lowest grade. What defines how a steer is graded is how and what the cattle are fed. In order for meat to be labeled prime there are set standards approved by the United States Department of Agriculture or USDA, that must be met by the farmer. Not all rib roasts are graded prime, so be careful, read your labels well and ask your meat specialist questions when purchasing your prime rib roast.

The Marbleous Deckel

Your prime rib roast will consist of three parts: the ribs, the eye and the deckel. The eye is the larger and leaner muscle of the roast, but the deckel, another tender muscle that wraps around the marbled eye is by far the most flavorful muscle of the roast. Surprisingly, most people do not like the deckel as it looks stringy in appearance and is often and unfortunately mistaken for fat. I highly recommend you close your eyes as you eat this succulent morsel of meat. I think you will find the flavor "marbleous".