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

Depends on the roasting method you are planning on using Sherry. I roasted a prime rib for dinner on Boxing Day (day after Christmas) it was a five pounder. Pre-salted earlier in the day. Rubbed with fresh garlic and lots of coarsely ground pepper and roasted at 500°F. I took it out of the oven when it reached 120°F. Normally I would have taken it out just before it reached 120°F, but our neighbour likes his beef done slightly more than we do. He had the outside cut and the inside was perfectly rare for Moe, Matt and I. Roast Prime Rib Pre-salting Ann

I use this recipe every Christmas Eve and any time we want a standing rib roast. Perfect every time! Alexa HERBED RIB ROAST Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 11 hr For roast 1 (7- to 8-lb) prime rib roast (sometimes called standing rib roast; 3 or 4 ribs) 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 2 bay leaves (not California) 1 tablespoon kosher salt 3 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon olive oil For jus 2 cups beef broth 1 small fresh rosemary sprig 1 small fresh thyme sprig 1 garlic clove, smashed Prepare roast: Trim all but a thin layer of fat from roast. Grind peppercorns and bay leaves with salt to a powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder, then transfer to a mortar. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary, then pound to a smooth paste with pestle. Stir in oil. Rub paste all over roast. Transfer roast to a rack set in a small flameproof roasting pan. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours. Cook roast: Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450ðF. Roast beef in middle of oven 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350ðF and roast beef until a thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 110ðF, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours more. Transfer beef to a large platter and let stand, uncovered, 25 minutes. (Meat will continue to cook, reaching about 130ðF for medium-rare.) Make jus: Skim fat from pan juices. Add broth, rosemary, thyme, and garlic and deglaze pan by simmering on top of stove over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Transfer to a small saucepan and add any juices that have collected on platter. Gently simmer 10 minutes. Skim fat and season jus with salt and pepper. Put slices from roast and serve with jus. Cooks' note: ⢠Roast can marinate up to 24 hours. Makes 8 servings.

My dinner was a huge success! I'm a beginner with lots to learn and you have all been wonderful. We sliced the bones off the roast, salted liberally, and tied the ribs back on 2 days before cooking (another Serious Eats, Food Lab article - scroll down to SALT). I read that the salt will draw the moisture out at first, but then it will reabsorb the moisture along with the salt, carrying the seasoning deep within the meat. This was the only thing I did differently from a few weeks ago when I ran my trial run, and this roast was far superior. It was the same cut of meat (choice), from the same store (CostCo), and cooked the same way. So it must have been the 2 day seasoning. I let the roast sit on the counter for 2 hours, then used the Serious Eats Food Lab recipe to cook low and slow - it took 4 1/2 hours for the 11lb roast to reach 122. I did make a mistake here - instead of removing the roast from the roasting pan to sit for an hour (like I did 2 weeks ago), I simply tented the roast in the pan. I think the pan caused the roast to continue to cook. I used the same probe and oven as 2 weeks ago, so unless it went bad in that time, this has to be the reason it was overcooked. However, the flavor was fabulous, so I really have no complaints. Following the Serious Eats recipe - it did go back into the oven for 10 minutes at 500 to develop a beautiful sizzling crust. I made 2 pans of Yorkshire puddings. When everything came out of the oven and my guests were serving themselves, I popped the second pan in and proudly served a second helping to all at the table 30 minutes later. What I learned from this is the pan makes a HUGE difference! I bought a new muffin pan since I didn't have 2 and the new pan the YP's rose so high and popped right out unlike my old pan where they still looked OK, but I had to use a knife to work them out. I made my Au Jus ahead of time by making a rich stock from browning bones, oxtails, veggies for a couple of hours and them simmering them for 24 hours. I did this 2 weeks ago and froze it. Yesterday I let it simmer for another couple of hours and added any Jus from the meat before serving. I'm so glad I did this! Not only was it easier on me, but I never would have had enough Jus otherwise. Everyone took a little Au Jus cup on their plate and I put the rest into gravy boats for the table - most of which was used. I'm very proud of my dinner and I couldn't have done it without the help from all of you on this forum. :-) Thank-you! Jeri