Here’s Mrs. Meisner’s delicious Italian rub, enough for a four-bone roast. If your roast is larger, add more stuff.
Remove the leaves from fresh rosemary (a little more than one cup) and chop them with a sharp knife. Add eight fat cloves of roughly chopped garlic, the zest of four lemons, the juice of one lemon, a half cup of kosher salt and a quarter cup of fresh coarsely ground black pepper. Toss into a food processor. Slowly drizzle in about one half cup of extra virgin olive oil.
Spread the paste all over the roast to form a crust. If you need more paste, don’t freak — just make some. Allow the roast to sit in a steel or glass pan until at room temperature, about an hour or two. Don’t refrigerate overnight. The salt will draw out the juices.
Now prepare the fire with the Smokey Mountain cooker, as prescribed by Chicago barbecue master Gary Wiviott in his book “Low & Slow,” which makes an excellent gift. You can also do this roast on a standard Weber kettle, via the indirect method.
On the WSM, fill the fire ring at the base three-quarters full of unlit, lump wood charcoal (never briquettes). Fill a chimney starter with more coals, light the starter, and when the coals are ashed over, pour them on the fire ring. I add a small bit of applewood, no more.
Remove the water pan. Keep the bottom vents fully open. A cheap oven thermometer on the top rack will help you measure the temperature. Put the roast directly on the top grill, bone side down and cover at high heat, 400 degrees if you can reach it. Continue cooking on high for 20 minutes, bottom vents fully open. Then close the bottom vents to one-third open to lower the temperature. Always leave the top vent fully open.
Cook between 300 to 320 degrees. Figure 18 minutes per pound. When we cooked, it was 25 degrees outside. So if the cooking temperature drops below 300, just add more lit coals. Don’t keep opening the lid to peek. After about two hours (depending on roast size), check the internal meat temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Do not strike bone.
When the meat reaches 128 degrees (no higher), remove the roast from the cooker and let it rest inside your house for at least 20 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to climb. The roast will be pink and juicy.
There are no meat drippings with standing rib roast; you’ll have to make a gravy. And don’t forget the horseradish sauce: 6 ounces of prepared horseradish folded into 12 ounces of unsweetened, whipped heavy cream. A nice cabernet, garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and that’s my trick.
When I began to slice, Wings crowded the cutting board, his hands shaking.
Delicious! Thank you John Kass.
Complete instructions here: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-12-18/news/0912170829_1_rib-roast-sharp-knife-bone