A little clarification might be in order. This section of meat in the cow is one of the main divisions when cutting meat. Therefore it is known as a primal cut. When it is cut as a roast (as opposed to steaks) it is considered a Prime roast. There is confusion and a lot of debate on the matter because prime is also the highest grading given to meats that meet a certain criteria of quality. But Prime rib is such an accepted term for the cut, even if it does not meet prime grading standards, the USDA gives it a pass and doesn't get anal about the title. You can purchase prime graded roasts at top dollar- most grocery outlets sell the lesser grade "choice". Your actual question though about middle cut is an interesting one and hard to track down. There are some theories that I'll toss out to throw around. An old meat cutter's term for this setion of meat (ribs 6 through 12) is "middle meat". It could be that the store was simply being redundant and selling the idea of middle as being pretty good stuff. After all there is center cut this and eye of that. Another idea is that some stores call the second cut or slightly less quality Chuck side of the full 16 pound rib, the center cut. It's a rarely used term but maybe that's where the middle cut term comes from. Below is a brief description of first cut and second cut. First Cut Rib Roast An extremely tender and flavorful roast, First Cut Rib Roast consists of ribs 9-12 from the loin end of the cow. First Cut Rib Roast may also be called Prime Rib, Loin End, or Prime Rib Small End. Not surprisingly, this is one of the most expensive cuts suitable for a beef roast. Second Cut Rib Roast Also known as a Large End Rib Roast, the Second Cut Rib Roast is cut from ribs 6-9, closer to the chuck area of the cow. As a result, this beef roast is slightly fattier and slightly less tender than the First Cut Rib Roast. It remains, however, an excellent choice for cooking a beef roast. It is also a rather pricey cut of beef, though slightly less expensive than a First Cut Rib Roast. Michaelp

As mentioned many times, my favourite method is the High Heat Method of Barbara Kakfa's. Produces a perfectly every time. I usually take my beef out of the oven when the temperature reaches 115 to 120°. As it rests for 15 to 20 minutes the internal temperature will rise another 5 to 10 degrees. Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table High Heat cooking Instructions ============================== . General Instructions (for Barbara Kafka's "Roasting A Simple Art") "Different meats and different cuts have different cooking times. That's why there are recipes. I did try to find a universal rule so that I could say as I do for fish, "ten minutes per inch" or for chicken "ten minutes per pound," and then describe the exceptions. It didn't work. Timing is as much a factor of fat content, bone content, and the shape of the roast as a specific kind of meat. The only easy rules are for boneless loin of pork or beef (the shell or strip) and venison and beef fillet. They always cook in the same amount of time since the only way they increase in size is according to their length, which will not influence the cooking time." This is her recipe for a Simple Rib Roast 4 1/2 pound without short ribs Standing rib roast (2 Ribs) or 26 Pound standing rib roast (7 ribs total) 2 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered Kosher salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups red wine for deglazing 1 recipe for Yorkshire pudding. Roast should be at room temperature, not taken directly from the fridge. Place oven rack on the second level from the bottom. Heat oven to 500°F. Place small roast in a 14 X 12 X2 inch roasting pan. bone side down. The large roast will need an 18 X 13 X 2 inch roasting pan. Snuggle most of the garlic, is using, under the fat and spread remainder under the meat. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes. With meat in oven, reduce heat to 325° and roast for an additional 3 minutes per pound.( i.e.: 4lb =12minutes, 7lb = 21 minutes, 26 lb =78 minutes) etc..Increase heat to 450°F and roast for another 15 minutes regardless of size. Meat temperature should read 135 on an instant - read thermometer. If you like it more rare, reduce the additional 3 minutes per pound to 2 minutes or for less rare, increase the 3 minutes to 5 minutes. Remove roast from oven. Transfer to a serving platter. Pour or spoon off excess fat, reserving about 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup of fat. Put pan over high heat and add wine. Deglaze pan well scraping with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Pour liquid into a small saucepan and reserve. For Whole New York Strip Loin, the directions are a little bit different. According to Barbara Kafka's instructions, it doesn't matter what size the New York strip roast is the directions are the same. Roasted New York Strip Loin one 10 pound New York Strip (16 inches) Trussed 1 head of garlic cloves lightly smashed and peeled, optional 3 to 4 springs fresh thyme kosher salt pepper 1 1/2 cup basic beef stock or a combination of beef stock, veal stock or red wine 2 tablespoons basic veal glaze optional. Place oven rack on second level from the top of the oven, or second from the bottom if the fat cover is thick. Heat oven to 500°F. Place strip of beef in an 18 x 12 x 2 inch roasting pan. If using, slip whole cloves of garlic between underside of meat and string. Tuck in the thyme. Slip some more garlic under the string along the top of the meat. Sprinkle the meat on all sides liberally with salt and pepper. Put into oven one hour before it will be served. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove and transfer meat to a platter. Cut off strings. Remove the garlic cloves that are too blackened to use. Pour fat from pan. Put the roasting pan on top of the stove. Add stock or wine and the veal glaze, if using and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add flavorings, if using, and any juices that have collected in the platter on which the beef is resting. Let reduce by half. Taste for salt and pepper, pour into a sauceboat and serve. Roasted Whole beef Fillet According to Barbara........"I buy the meat by the inch. It cooks exactly the same way no matter the length as long as it s more than 4 inches long. When ordering, I usually allow about an inch and a quarter per person and an extra half inch for the two end slices. By this rule, six people will require an eight inch piece of fillet. The muscles in a fillet all run lengthwise so that when it is sliced a crossed the serving it is also tenderized. The fillet is also called the tenderloin, and it is tender. It is a long round muscle that hides behind the bones on which the shell steak and the rib roast reside. T-bone steaks have some of the shell and, on the other side of the bone, a circle of the fillet, or tenderloin. A filet mignon is a slice cut a crossed the whole fillet to make an individual steak. 4 to 5 pound whole beef fillet (about 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter, a good 18 inches long) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup red wine for deglazing, optional, or 1 recipe semi-perigourdine sauce Place oven rack on second level from bottom. heat oven to 500°F Place fillet in an 18 x 12 x 2 inch roasting pan. Rub fillet with butter and oil. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. roast for 10 minutes. turn. roast 10 minutes more. Transfer fillet to a serving platter. Pour or spoon off excess fat. Put pan on top of the burner. Add the wine or sauce and bring contents to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper. And if you have time, definitely presalt.

Been wondering where I got the idea that the short rib was somehow part of the prime rib, and found my answer when speaking to the butcher the other day. I was ordering short ribs for a dinner party I am having on Saturday, and he said he'd take them from the rib instead of the chuck. Hmmm, so I asked him to explain. He said that the prime rib bone extends another 12 inches beyond what we normally see when getting a bone-in roast. At the end of that is where the short ribs are located, and are a little less fatty than thse from the chuck. So, thankfully, I cleared up why I connected prime rib to short ribs. Whew, that feels better now. Sue

One of my husband's friends was a chef who gave us directions on how to cook a perfect prime rib roast. For medium-rare: Salt and pepper roast. Place it on a pan which has no sides; do not add any liquid. Place in a preheated 450 F degree oven for 10 minutes; turn roast over, cook for another 10 minutes (this seals in the juices). Reduce oven temperature to 350 F degrees and cook for 1 hour. Let rest for 20-30 minutes. You can then add some liquid to the pan and scrape up any browned bits. Perfectly medium-rare! The roast I used for these directions had 4 bones... sorry not sure what it weighed.