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When my brother was having radiation treatment for cancer on a vocal chord, he was on a cold /liquid/smooth purees/no acid diet. He was subsisting on milk shakes until I came out to spend a couple of weeks. I made cold soups for him, and cold cream of corn was his favorite. I didn't follow a recipe, just an intuitive method. but as I recall, I cut the corn kernels off the cob and made a corn cob stock with the cobs and aromatic veg and herbs--I seem to recall using tarragon in the herb bundle. I strained the cob stock, then lightly cooked the corn kernels in it, and pureed it with some heavy cream and strained it so it would be completely smooth, which could be skipped if you want some texture. (Or only a portion of the cooked corn could be pureed, and use creme fraiche.) Then chilled. I couldn't put any fresh herbs in it for him, but some snipped chives or finely chopped tarragon would be nice.

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ISO a recipe for a great cold creamy corn soup. Anyone?

The recipe for fresh corn soup with avocado mouse and lime in Suzanne Goin's Sunday Dinners at Lucques is a new favorite of mine. Prepared without dairy or stock, it develops a wonderful creaminess simply by major time spent in a really good blender--in small batches. Should be easy to adapt as a cold soup, especially given the wonderful last-minute squeeze of lime juice. Cilantro. You could skip the avocado garnish. There's a recipe for a cold corn soup on Food52, too, and of course, Zora's soup sounds perfect, too, especially given the extra flavor a cob-stock would contribute to something chilled.

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Another recommendation for adding denuded corn cobs for the stock. I made cheddar corn chowder over the weekend (perhaps destined for the DR Fall picnic) and the cobs added mounds of flavor.

I've done this twice for my corn chowder this summer and I think it's going to be compulsory :) from now on.

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Corn stock is good stuff. I have a few quarts in my freezer already. After a test run Monday I made another batch of soup last night, based on the recipe in Food 52. Left out the butter, will finish with heavy cream when I serve it tonight. Thanks for the tips!

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Eek. Peach semifreddo is in the freezer for tonight. The flavor is good but very mild - I could only put in so much peach before compromising the texture. Any ideas for a peach or other complementary sauce? (Not raspberry or blueberry) I tried using some of the peach puree for a sauce but don't like how it came out and not sure what direction to go in.

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^ What's your mood? Cinnamon is classic and fall-ish, amaretto goes well with all stone fruits, vanilla is, well, vanilla, cardamom is unexpected, ginger works, rum never hurt anything, bourbon could overwhelm, but is nice with grilled peaches...

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Former hippie or otherwise, does anyone here have access to Vegetarian Epicure, Book 2? Anna Thomas has a recipe for an Eastern European-inspired stew that features eggplant, peppers and lots of lemon. Internet searches have been in vain. Can't recall if there are tomatoes, paprika or how the recipe creates that very assertive, wonderful lemony flavor. It's easy to make a few guesses, but since Pat once came through when I had a similar craving for grad school food, I thought I'd give it a shot. Thanks.

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Maybe it's the Ukrainian stewed eggplant? Recipe call for 1 cup onions, 4 carrots, 2 peppers, 2 lbs eggplant, 1.5 lbs tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, sautéed in olive oil, s&cayenne, 2/3 cup lemon juice, 2 tsp. sugar, & fresh ground pepper & chopped green onions to taste. I saw a couple of other eggplant stews, but they didn't have the lemon.

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Maybe it's the Ukrainian stewed eggplant? Recipe call for 1 cup onions, 4 carrots, 2 peppers, 2 lbs eggplant, 1.5 lbs tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, sautéed in olive oil, s&cayenne, 2/3 cup lemon juice, 2 tsp. sugar, & fresh ground pepper & chopped green onions to taste. I saw a couple of other eggplant stews, but they didn't have the lemon.

Thanks, thistle! I forgot about the carrots and will have to make a few adjustments accordingly, but this helps.

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As much as I know I should downsize, I'm glad I haven't gotten rid of my extensive cookbook collection. My DH complains because of the weight, when we move, but we've been here for a while, & I love re-reading all my favorites...I just have to resist the temptation to keep adding books, because of the space-1 in, 1 out is not working for me...

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Stock question:

I just started a pot of stock because what else do you do when Sandy is on her way? My problem is that I am either going to have to stop off after about 3 hours or turn off the heat and then turn it on an hour or so later. I should mention that it's a 14 quart pot that will be free once the veggies, herbs, etc. are in.

Thoughts?

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Stock question:

I just started a pot of stock because what else do you do when Sandy is on her way? My problem is that I am either going to have to stop off after about 3 hours or turn off the heat and then turn it on an hour or so later. I should mention that it's a 14 quart pot that will be free once the veggies, herbs, etc. are in.

Thoughts?

Well, I don't know this for a fact; but, I should think a covered pot of stock that has cooked for 3 hours will retain enough heat to be safe. And, then, if you heat it up again for a protracted period of time, I can't imagine that food safety issues will come into play. Can't speak to the clarity or finesse of the resultant product. I would just go for it.

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Well, I don't know this for a fact; but, I should think a covered pot of stock that has cooked for 3 hours will retain enough heat to be safe. And, then, if you heat it up again for a protracted period of time, I can't imagine that food safety issues will come into play. Can't speak to the clarity or finesse of the resultant product. I would just go for it.

I ended up changing my plans so I could let it simmer for about four hours. I know it sat for at least another hour so I figure it will be long enough. If the flavor isn't strong enough I can always boil it down. Even if it's not the best, homemade stock is still better than any other alternative.

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Cheesecake question -

I made this version this week as a test run for Thanksgiving, and while the flavor was awesome (loved the tang of the Greek yogurt and the fruity zip of the cranberry mixture), the texture seemed to be a bit off. The edges were pretty spot on - it's lighter and less dense than a traditional cheesecake, which is kind of what I was hoping for - but the middle was soggy. Also, the top seemed to have some watery condensation going on - eh? I'm thinking that the cake definitely needed more time in the oven in order to help solve the first problem, but could the water bath have contributed to the second problem? Or maybe did I not let it cool enough before putting it in the fridge to chill? I am going to make it again on Tuesday to bring up to my folks' house, so any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Cheesecake question -

I made this version this week as a test run for Thanksgiving, and while the flavor was awesome (loved the tang of the Greek yogurt and the fruity zip of the cranberry mixture), the texture seemed to be a bit off. The edges were pretty spot on - it's lighter and less dense than a traditional cheesecake, which is kind of what I was hoping for - but the middle was soggy. Also, the top seemed to have some watery condensation going on - eh? I'm thinking that the cake definitely needed more time in the oven in order to help solve the first problem, but could the water bath have contributed to the second problem? Or maybe did I not let it cool enough before putting it in the fridge to chill? I am going to make it again on Tuesday to bring up to my folks' house, so any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I'd leave it in the oven longer before turning it off. When a recipe gives both a time and a description of doneness, the description is often a better gauge, the time a guideline. If the foil is tight around the pan, I wouldn't think that would contribute directly to condensation, but I don't know.

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Not an all out 911 yet, but when I (foolishly) attempted to go to the store at noon today, after picking up my daughter & her friends at a sleepover, every single parking space was occupied (this was at the commissary at Belvoir), I promptly turned around, & said, 'we are going to Bestway'- we had to bake a poundcake for a T'giving party on Monday. I sure hope things are easier M-W, I still haven't picked up my turkey breasts yet, or anything else...bane of the procrastinator...one of these years, I'm going to abandon T'giving...

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Cheesecake question -

I made this version this week as a test run for Thanksgiving, and while the flavor was awesome (loved the tang of the Greek yogurt and the fruity zip of the cranberry mixture), the texture seemed to be a bit off. The edges were pretty spot on - it's lighter and less dense than a traditional cheesecake, which is kind of what I was hoping for - but the middle was soggy. Also, the top seemed to have some watery condensation going on - eh? I'm thinking that the cake definitely needed more time in the oven in order to help solve the first problem, but could the water bath have contributed to the second problem? Or maybe did I not let it cool enough before putting it in the fridge to chill? I am going to make it again on Tuesday to bring up to my folks' house, so any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Pat might well be correct in thinking it needed more time in the oven. However, my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw that the recipe required NON-FAT cream cheese. I don't know what's in that stuff, but I find that non-fat cream cheese resembles toxic waste. Other non-fat dairy items are fine (especially the yogurt) and I often use low-fat dairy products. But never, again, this stuff. And, why you would use it along with a pound of regular cream cheese, is beyond me. You could get away with using all low-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel to replace all of it. I also have never seen a cheesecake with whipped egg whites in it. Maybe I just don't get around enough. I have given up trying to bake cheesecakes in a water bath. I have one of the most expensive springform pans on the market and it has an extended bottom rim--which means the only vessel I can put it in to steam is my lobster pot. All the aluminum foil in the world hasn't been good enough to keep the water out.

You might try this: use lower-fat cream cheese, cook until the middle barely jiggles when you shake the pan, and skip the water bath. Some people swear they get the same results by putting a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven. I haven't found that it made much of difference. Good luck!

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I always bake cheesecakes in a waterbath, with a double layer of heavy duty foil around the springform--have no problems with leakage. The water on top, my guess is that there was too much water in the waterbath, and the way the foil was wrapped around the pan caused some of the water to migrate up onto the top of the cake. when you gather the top of the foil, scrunch it up high near the rim so that the top of the foil isn't touching the water. Also, I bake it for about 40-45 minutes and then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door shut for an hour. Cool and then chill overnight in the springform.

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So I am usually very overly cautious about consuming spoiled food, but I am unsure on this one as I do not want to just discard this on a whim.

We took some frozen pork belly (2 - 4lb slabs) out of the freezer to defrost and forgot about them over night. I checked them last night around 9pm and they were still frozen, then proceed to leave them out overnight. They were in our stainless steel sink, wrapped well in plastic wrap, and piled on top of eachother.

I would say they were out of the fridge, from frozen mind you, for a total of 12-14 hours. When I got up this AM they were completely defrosted, I felt the undersides and they felt cooler than the 68 degree air in the kitchen.

The end product of these will be bacon. I proceeded to put my salt and sugar cure on them, which includes pink salt to kill botulism. I certainly will be trying the bacon myself before my pregnant wife goes anywhere near it.

What do you think? It was frozen fresh from Springfield Butcher, so didn't have much time to decay. I'm just really not sure because I don't want to discard 8 lb.s of belly!

Did I do the right thing? Haha.

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While this wasn't the optimal way to defrost, I don't think you are in any danger. I would have done just what you did. Think about how many people, for how many years, fed themselves and their families without any kind of refrigeration--much less freezing--except for a snow bank or cool stream.

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This is true, thanks.

I usually take the chill off out of the fridge and then put it in the fridge overnight to completely defrost. I did not intend to leave them out for more than a few hours. If not they could take a few days in the fridge. Could have used a cold water bath as well, but these are large bellies.

I guess I don't know the difference between spoiled meat and bacteria. The pink salt will kill any bacteria, but it won't reverse spoilage.

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How do I get rid of the smell of anchovies that's soaked into things? :(

I awoke to the Great Christmas Morning Anchovy Disaster of 2012. There was a plastic resealable package of white anchovies in the meat drawer and when I went to take bacon out for breakfast, the entire pack of butcher-wrapped bacon was covered in oil that had leaked from the anchovy package. I thought I had resealed the package tightly but am kicking myself majorly for having not resealed it into a ziplock once it was opened. Typically I would do that, but I was so busy when I pulled anchovies out to make tapenade yesterday, I got careless. There was about 1/8" of anchovy oil on the bottom of the meat drawer.

At first I had thought the problem was the bacon somehow spoiling, but once I had removed everything from the meat drawer (including the rib roast for tonight) and set it on the counters, I discovered the problem was the oil the anchovies were packed in. Now the meat drawer, everything in the meat drawer and a good chunk of my granite counters smell like anchovies. Some of the food got tossed because it just seemed unsalvageable. The rest has been cleaned off and repackaged.

Since the oil can damage the counters, in a little while I am going to do a deeper scrub than the soap and water I've tried, but the smell just doesn't seem to go away. I've already cleaned the meat drawer with soap and water, and put baking soda in there, and it did pretty much nothing to get rid of the smell.

Once we finally eat our breakfast, I'm going to pull the roast out and put it on a plate and try to clear enough refrigerated room elsewhere to store it until I take it out later to bring to room temperature.

Right now I have all 1 1/2 lbs. of bacon in the oven getting it cooked. I washed it off first, but as it cooks, it's exuding the smell of anchovy.

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How do I get rid of the smell of anchovies that's soaked into things? :(

I awoke to the Great Christmas Morning Anchovy Disaster of 2012. There was a plastic resealable package of white anchovies in the meat drawer and when I went to take bacon out for breakfast, the entire pack of butcher-wrapped bacon was covered in oil that had leaked from the anchovy package. I thought I had resealed the package tightly but am kicking myself majorly for having not resealed it into a ziplock once it was opened. Typically I would do that, but I was so busy when I pulled anchovies out to make tapenade yesterday, I got careless. There was about 1/8" of anchovy oil on the bottom of the meat drawer.

At first I had thought the problem was the bacon somehow spoiling, but once I had removed everything from the meat drawer (including the rib roast for tonight) and set it on the counters, I discovered the problem was the oil the anchovies were packed in. Now the meat drawer, everything in the meat drawer and a good chunk of my granite counters smell like anchovies. Some of the food got tossed because it just seemed unsalvageable. The rest has been cleaned off and repackaged.

Since the oil can damage the counters, in a little while I am going to do a deeper scrub than the soap and water I've tried, but the smell just doesn't seem to go away. I've already cleaned the meat drawer with soap and water, and put baking soda in there, and it did pretty much nothing to get rid of the smell.

Once we finally eat our breakfast, I'm going to pull the roast out and put it on a plate and try to clear enough refrigerated room elsewhere to store it until I take it out later to bring to room temperature.

Right now I have all 1 1/2 lbs. of bacon in the oven getting it cooked. I washed it off first, but as it cooks, it's exuding the smell of anchovy.

The answer is distilled white vinegar. Wipe your counters and refrigerator parts with it.

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Don't know about the counters, but put very slightly dampened crumpled newspaper in the meat drawer. as it dries, it helps pull odors out -- at least, that works for Tupperware, so I think it will work on your meat drawer. If you can pull the whole drawer out of the fridge, then you could also try running it thru the dishwasher.

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Beef short ribs question:

Although I had a great braising liquid -- Asian flavors -- I couldn't get over how greasy they were. (It's not the gravy/sauce that I'm complaining about; it's the meat that left a shiny puddle on the plate.) I was thinking: what if I parboiled the beef ribs? I did a quick internet search and almost every source says that's a no-no. Then I thought...

... what if I roasted the beef short ribs prior to braising? Say for 30 minutes in a 350 oven, then add the braising liquid and finish it off. My thinking: the short, initial cooking would render the fat (much more than a searing), yielding a cleaner tasting meat.

Feedback?

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Beef short ribs question:

Although I had a great braising liquid -- Asian flavors -- I couldn't get over how greasy they were. (It's not the gravy/sauce that I'm complaining about; it's the meat that left a shiny puddle on the plate.) I was thinking: what if I parboiled the beef ribs? I did a quick internet search and almost every source says that's a no-no. Then I thought...

... what if I roasted the beef short ribs prior to braising? Say for 30 minutes in a 350 oven, then add the braising liquid and finish it off. My thinking: the short, initial cooking would render the fat (much more than a searing), yielding a cleaner tasting meat.

Feedback?

I've always found, when braising fatty meat of any kind, it is better to cook it the day (or even two days) before and put in in the fridge. The next day, the fat will have solidified on the top and can be scraped off. Then you can do whatever you plan to do with the rest of the sauce and just reheat the meat. Not only does this take care of the oilyness problem, it makes life much simpler.

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I've always found, when braising fatty meat of any kind, it is better to cook it the day (or even two days) before and put in in the fridge. The next day, the fat will have solidified on the top and can be scraped off. Then you can do whatever you plan to do with the rest of the sauce and just reheat the meat. Not only does this take care of the oilyness problem, it makes life much simpler.

This is the best way, if you can manage to cook a day in advance and have room to store the pot in your refrigerator (or outside, if it is cold enough). If, however, you are cooking and serving on the same day, the best thing to do is to remove the meat from the pot, strain out the vegetables and let the braising liquid sit for a while, so that all of the fat rises to the surface. Take a large spoon and spoon the fat off the surface of the sauce into an empty can, plastic bag or garbage bowl. This can take a while. I heard of a chef who keeps metal cooking spoons in his freezer to skim fat--the cold spoons attract and solidify the fat as they skim the surface. Once you have as much of the fat as you can gather with a spoon, tear strips of paper towel and drag them across the surface, and they will soak up the last drops of fat. Reduce the liquid until is the consistency you desire for a sauce, or blend the defatted braising liquid with the strained out vegetables in a high speed blender or food processor to thicken the sauce. Reheat the sauce and the short ribs prior to serving.

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This is the best way, if you can manage to cook a day in advance and have room to store the pot in your refrigerator (or outside, if it is cold enough). If, however, you are cooking and serving on the same day, the best thing to do is to remove the meat from the pot, strain out the vegetables and let the braising liquid sit for a while, so that all of the fat rises to the surface. Take a large spoon and spoon the fat off the surface of the sauce into an empty can, plastic bag or garbage bowl. This can take a while. I heard of a chef who keeps metal cooking spoons in his freezer to skim fat--the cold spoons attract and solidify the fat as they skim the surface. Once you have as much of the fat as you can gather with a spoon, tear strips of paper towel and drag them across the surface, and they will soak up the last drops of fat. Reduce the liquid until is the consistency you desire for a sauce, or blend the defatted braising liquid with the strained out vegetables in a high speed blender or food processor to thicken the sauce. Reheat the sauce and the short ribs prior to serving.

Or, you can get one of these:

http://www.amazon.co...s=fat separator

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What to do with most of a bottle of côtes du rhône? Beef bourguignon came to mind, but since I can't eat onions anymore, I'd rather find something else to make with it. No, I can't drink it. Oh, and I tried boiling pasta in red wine a while back and didn't like the result. Any ideas, anyone?

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What to do with most of a bottle of côtes du rhône? Beef bourginon came to mind, but since I can't eat onions anymore, I'd rather find something else to make with it. No, I can't drink it. Oh, and I tried boiling pasta in red wine a while back and didn't like the result. Any ideas, anyone?

Boeuf Bourgignon with leeks as a substitute?

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What to do with most of a bottle of côtes du rhône? Beef bourguignon came to mind, but since I can't eat onions anymore, I'd rather find something else to make with it. No, I can't drink it. Oh, and I tried boiling pasta in red wine a while back and didn't like the result. Any ideas, anyone?

Adherence to Lord Swaminarayan's teachings? Strict Buddhist faith? Western medical advice? How lucky you are to have such great culinary skills to deal with such a challenge! So much the better that you love baking, too.

In any respect, how about this recipe for roasted pears, something I just made again with a little, leftover pinot.

Abra Bennett won a contest on Food 52 for her red wine risotto which you could adapt to eliminate whatever alium she calls for. Same with a favorite ragu. Keep in mind braised red cabbage w red wine, though aliums might play a more significant role in that one.

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make a spiced red wine syrup with wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, ginger root, orange peel, lemon peel, and some water. simmer for a good long time and then let the spices steep in the syrup until it cools, and strain out the solids.

peel bosc, forelle or seckel pears (take out core from the bottom, if you want to spend the time) and poach the pears in the syrup until fork tender.

serve chilled with vanilla creme fraiche or mascarpone.

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Adherence to Lord Swaminarayan's teachings? Strict Buddhist faith? Western medical advice?

Would that Western doctors could do more than suggest some pills to take. <_< When I was a teenager, I noticed my mother had really cut back on the amount of onions she used. Her reply to my questions was "they bother me." She refused to elaborate. I am now about the age she was when this happened, so I'll defer to her sensibilities, though I'll add that it's an understatement, in the same way that Egon Spengler's follow-up comment to "don't cross the streams" was an understatement.

Thanks for the suggestions. They all sound so good that maybe I'll have to open another bottle. :lol:

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The answer is distilled white vinegar. Wipe your counters and refrigerator parts with it.

This seems to have worked. Thanks. A good thing too, since we don't get a newspaper anymore, for trying Weezy's suggestion.

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Would that Western doctors could do more than suggest some pills to take. <_<

So, sorry! Lperry's suggestion reminded me of something I love in Deborah Madison's Local Flavors that Nigella Lawson also does: tiny lentils (Beluga or Le Puy or mix) in a very interesting red wine sauce that depends on aliums but doesn't have to, given the complexity of other flavors. Great with braised and mashed root vegetables and crusty bread.

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I've had great success in the past with Judy Roger's mock porchetta recipe from the Zuni Cafe cookbook. She calls for a 2.5 - 3lb shoulder (tied up) and says to roast for 2.25 - 2.5 hours @ 350. I wound up with a 5lb roast this year. Should I really extrapolate her 50 minutes per pound cooking time out to over 4 hours? Any help on this will be appreciated. All of my cookbooks are in violent disagreement with each other on cooking time and method, and most only cover standing rib roasts of pork.

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My first thought is that I'd lower the temp to 300 and let it go really low and slow. You could give the pork a hot start, at say 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then lower a lot and let it get really tender.

The rib roast is just too different a cut to compare cooking methods, so it's tough to compare preparations.

Or... will you be browning it first?

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