Deck Warming – Prime Rib & Yorkshire Pudding

Time to break in our new deck with a little get-together. Nothing too big – just some good friends, good food, and good drinks outside on a lovely September evening.

We had planned an end-of-summer party with just a variety of appetizers, but a change in the weather called for something heartier.  So we went with a full-on prime rib dinner with all the trimmings.

Prime Rib
1 6-pound Hereford Beef boneless ribeye roast
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon celery salt

You’ll need a flame-proof roasting pan (I use an old 9×13 baking pan) with a rack. Set the grill up for a 3 hour indirect cook over medium heat (350°F). On the Big Green Egg this means using about half a fire box full of lump charcoal, an inverted plate setter to diffuse the heat, and a trivet to set the roasting pan on.

Put the garlic and kosher salt in a food processor and pulse until the garlic is minced. Add the Worcestershire, oil, pepper, thyme, and celery salt and give them a whirl until everything is blended together.

Remove the rack from the roasting pan and lay the roast in it so that the deckle (fat cap) is on top. Score the deckle by making shallow diagonal cuts in a diamond pattern at about 1-inch intervals.

Wet the roast with the Worcestershire sauce mixture. Rub it all over, making sure to work it into the deckle.

Move the roast to the rack (still fat side up) and set the rack in the roasting pan. There will probably still be some of the Worcestershire sauce mixture left in the pan. That’s fine as it’ll just add to the flavor of the drippings.

Add about a cup of water to the pan to keep the juices from burning. Toss some smoking wood in for added flavor (I like grape vine trimmings for beef). Set the roasting pan on the trivet, close the lid, and cook until the internal temp of the roast hits 125°F, about 2 hours.

Remove the roast to a carving board. Let rest while you make the pudding. After the pudding is in the oven you can carve the roast so that they are ready at about the same time.

Yorkshire Pudding
2 cups flour (I used Pamela’s Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup beef drippings

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Pour off all but 1/4 cup of drippings from the roasting pan and put the pan in the oven for 5 minutes.

Put the flour, salt, eggs, and milk in a bowl and whisk together. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and pour the batter into it. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pudding is puffed and golden brown.

Spoon the pudding out of the pan and into a serving bowl. Serve the pudding with the roast and a bit of grated horseradish on the side.

The Verdict: ★★★★★
Scoring the deckle made it crisp up like a cross between burnt ends and pork rinds, while the rest of the roast stayed juicy and tender – lovely.  I went with a little heavier smoke than I usually use for prime rib, and the result was excellent. The tartness of the grape vine smoke went with the richness of the meat just like a good red wine would have (and did!). The Yorkshire pudding? How can anything involving beef drippings and batter be bad? It was indulgent – crispy on the outside and rich and soft on the inside. The whole meal was a hit. It was a memorable way to initiate our new deck.

4 thoughts on “Deck Warming – Prime Rib & Yorkshire Pudding”

  1. Beautiful! Look at you making prime rib and yorkshire pudding. Nothing better than a few good friends to make a perfect celebration. Beautiful photos.

  2. I like the scoring tip, that’s one I haven’t tried. Looks like you had a wonderful deck warming party. Can’t wait to have mine but this weekend we are finishing the deck staining party.

  3. Thanks! I got that tip from an Adam Perry Lang video. The crispy bits where to die for and really help hold the seasoning. Good luck with the staining party and enjoy your new deck.

  4. World Class pix and a wonderful method for the roast. The boneless Rib Eye is my favorite cut, but a bit on the spendy side, to say the least. I used to pull it at 130 degrees (internal temp and via any cooking method), but after looking at yours, it will be 122-125 next time.
    I did not see any pix of the Yorkshire pudding. Just as well, as two of three usually at table (self included) are just not fans of the stuff. A hot, soft roll in-hand is more to our taste. The Roast Beast method is world-class. Thanks for sharing it with your readers, this one via SeriousEats.com.

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