Sous Vide: Boneless Prime Ribs of Beef

About
Few dishes are more desirable for special occasions than prime rib. Sous vide allows the home enthusiast to achieve professional results.
Ingredients
Note: Allow a MINIMUM of 12 oz/350 g/serving.
Beef rib eye roast, boneless, ranging in size as to your preference from 2 lbs/0.9 kilos to 12 lb/5.5 kilos.
Kosher salt, 1 Tablespoon/kilo.
Black pepper, 1 teaspoon/kilo.
Paprika, 1 teaspoon/kilo.
Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon/kilo.
Dried parsley, 1 Tablespoon/kilo.
Egg whites, 1 each/lb/450 g.
Vegetable oil for searing, 3 oz/75 ml/kilo of beef.
Note: Most restaurants serve prime rib "au jus" with the implication that the accompanying broth was created from the drippings in the prime rib pan. It is almost never done in restaurants because of time constraints and overall difficulty. It is possible to make this at home but it really is very time and labor intensive. Instead, even the finest hotels will use concentrated extracts or powdered products--the same ones that are available in the market. They are perfectly seasoned and easy to use.
If you are determined to make your own, HERE'S HOW
Equipment requirements
Immersion circulator, portable or stationary.
Heat rated container, minimum of 2 gallons/8 liters.
Heat rated sous vide bags.
Channel or chamber vacuum device
Pastry brush.
12"/300 mm skillet or oven.
Infrared thermometer (optional).
Instructions
Introduction:
Due to their popularity, rib eye roasts are available in most butcher departments. The bone is usually attached and may be left on during sous vide processing if desired. Because of the resistance of bone to thermal energy, we recommend that processing should be done no cooler than 134 F/56 C in this case. Most chefs remove the bones either before or after cooking. The bones are great for bar-b-q! A favorable alternative is to purchase an entire beef rib eye roast--boneless or bone-in, and portion it yourself. This also saves money. There is a minimum amount of fat trimming and you can decide whether you want steaks or roasts--they all come from the same cut. Use a simple scale to correlate the size of your roast to the size of your event!
How do you like your Prime Rib?
There is debate as to the exact definition of "rare," "medium rare," "au point," etc. A little practice will help you learn just exactly what temperature achieves your preferred appearance of doneness. Here are some basic temperature setting guidelines: Rare: 129 F/54 C. Medium rare: 135 F/57 C Medium: 140 F/60 C. Medium well: 150 F/66 C. Well done: 165 F/74 C. When guests in restaurants and hotels specify their preference for appearance of doneness, the chef will add heat to individual orders, hopefully achieving the desired level of doneness. This is usually done by dipping the individual cut in stock or broth, aka "jus." Exposure to hot liquids can cause the meat to "clinch," so the jus should NEVER be hotter than 165 F/74 C.
Procedure:
Level of difficulty: 1.5
After vacuum sealing the roast, preheat the water in your sous vide bath to the temperature that most closely matches your preference. Most chefs try to arrive at an internal temperature of approximately 129 F/53 C. This is much easier to do using sous vide than by conventional methods. For roasts ranging from 2 lbs/0.9 kilos to 12 lb/5.5 kilos, process the roast for 8-16 hours, as per your convenience and regardless of the size. Let sous vide timing work for you! Sous vide has a number of unique characteristics. Cooking time is not determined by weight, but rather by the shortest distance from the surface of the roast to the geometric center. The rate of collagen conversion in the sous vide range of temperatures is very gradual. The difference in texture and appearance between a roast processed for 8 hours and a roast processed for 16 hours is negligible, if detectable at all. Some people want to start their prime rib in the early morning to serve for dinner that evening, so the 8+ hour interval is convenient for them. Others would rather start it the evening before and sleep in! Both approaches are favorable! When the time has elapsed, remove the roast from the bath and set on a flat surface with a rim to collect any juices from the bag. Remove from the bag and set it on a clean towel. Harvest the juices and save for later use. This is explained HERE. Pat the roast dry with a clean towel. Paint with the beaten egg whites and sprinkle the seasoning generously all over the roast (see below). Drizzle 1 oz/25 ml oil over one face of the roast.



