Smoked Prime Rib with Garlic and Herb Rub

 Smoked Prime Rib with Garlic and Herb Rub

A five pounder ready for the garlic herb rub

Who doesn't like Prime Rib? I love it, and it  is one of my favorite ways to serve beef to guests. People assume prime rib has to be expensive. The term, prime rib, actually refers to the grading of the meat. Prime, being the best grade possible, is very expensive and his hard to find. Any beef rib roast that is of good quality, such as choice, will do fine. I picked New York Strip for this dish. The trick is when the grocery has bone in beef such as strip or rib eye on sale, ask the butcher to give you some that has not been cut. The one I used was five pounds. Have the butcher trim it. I am smoking this one so I asked them not to trim the fat to much. 

1 five pound bone in beef rib roast

4 tablespoons fresh sage

4 tablespoons fresh thyme

4 tablespoons fresh rosemary

4 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 head of garlic

salt and pepper

olive oil

Chop all the herbs and place in a bowl. Finely chop the garlic and form a paste using the side of your knife. Add to the herbs. Generously season herb and garlic mixture with salt and pepper. Mix together while adding olive oil until you form a paste. Rub mixture on to the roast. Let rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better.

Ready to be smoked out!

 

 

Smoking it up!

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Fire up the smoker! I used a wood combo of pecan and oak. Pecan for the flavor and oak for heat. Place the roast on indirect heat of about 250* for about 6 hours.Rotate the meat a quarter turn every hour.

Feeling relaxed after a good rest!

Let rest for an 20 minutes.

Perfectly pink and tender on the inside with a crispy bark outside!

Slice and serve!!!

Poached Pears in Cognac and Spices with Blackberry Citrus Reduction

 

Poached Pears in Cognac with Spices and Blackberry Citrus Reduction

 This easy and delicious desert is as elegant as it is beautiful. I got inspired after spotting some gorgeous  pears and some local blackberries. If you do no want to spring for the cognac you can defiantly use brandy since it is practically the same thing. This was a dinner for my moms birthday we decided to use the good stuff. Serve with some local vanilla ice cream.

• 3 medium pears 
•  1 pint of fresh Blackberries
• 1 orange
• 1 large lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup cognac
• a piece of cinnamon and a couple of cloves

In a sauce pan combine the water, cognac, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil.  In the mean time cut a large piece of the rind from the orange and the lemon  at least an inch wide and the juice from each. Add to boiling water and cognac. Wash the pears and cut them in half. Remove the pit. Slice the pears into about 6 to 10 slices without cutting all the way to the stem. This will keep them intact. Add them to the pot and poach for about 10 minutes. remove and let cool.
Add the blackberries and the sugar to the pot. Reserve a few berries for garnish, at least 2 per plate.  Reduce until it forms a thick  syrup. Stain the sauce and  loosen the it with a little cognac.
Fan out the pear on a plate. Spoon the sauce over the pears. Garnish with a some fresh blackberries and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.