Prime rib is generally prepared by
cooking to low temperatures for long times
to attain the desired tenderness and
juiciness. Destruction of Salmonella spp.
in blade tenderized prime rib was examined
by following cooking procedures
commonly used by chefs. Beef ribs
(boneless) were inoculated with Salmonella
spp. to attain initial surface levels of about
5.75 log10 CFU/cm2. The ribs were blade
tenderized (one pass) using a Ross blade
tenderizer. Each was split into two equal
sections. One half was cooked to a target
internal temperature of 110 and the other
half to 120°F, then tempered at room
temperature for up to 60 min and placed in
a holding oven (120°F) for up to 120 min.
Reductions of 4.54 and 4.80 log10 CFU/g
were attained for roasts removed from the
oven at 110 and 120°F, respectively. Even
though prime rib preparation utilizes very
low cooked product temperatures, the long
cooking time and tempering period result
in substantial process lethality and a safe
final product.
