OK, if you're the expert then I must be wrong and again I'm sorry if it offends. I do have a question then about meat cutter terminology. If there is a cut called a prime rib that is the same grade as the ribeye steak and ribeye roast why do they sell it both ways? I've never seen prime rib that was sold as choice. Does that actually exist? I have seen lots of ribeyes and ribeye roasts that are sold both ways.
UPDATE! -- Never mind, I did a bit of research and found this, so you are correct Blue Nitro, and again I apologize.
Is Prime Rib Prime Grade?
This is a fantastic question. Prime rib’s name is a misnomer because it contains the word "prime." All prime rib is not prime grade steak, the highest rating assigned to steak based on heavy, even marbling (which makes for incredibly tender results). You can buy prime grade prime rib at a premium from high-end butchers. You can also buy choice grade, the second-best grade with less marbling.

damn it

So to answer your ? PGR, we would typically produce a Prime Rib out of the short loin by cutting it to size (lbs or # of ribs), trimming bones and fat, and if the customer wanted - lifting the bones (separating the bones from the meat) and adding a cover of fat then tying it all back together all pretty like (so basically taking a standing rib roast and pretty it all up so we could charge more by calling it a Prime Rib). You could order a choice or prime grade depending on how much you wanted to spend and the desire for a little more tender/better quality of meat. To get technical, what I bought and prepared was a standing rib roast because it was not prepped like a typical Prime Rib but you very seldom see them in a chain grocery store anymore. I did lift the bone and trimmed it a lot better because my wife does not like all the fat but then added the fat to the top while cooking to be removed later but did not tie it all together (if you look closely at the picture, that is why the chunk of meat is shifted off the bone). To me it is still a 'Prime Rib' and especially so by the way I cooked it. They both come out of the loin area.

Worse is when you try to explain a ribeye steak, a rib steak or Delmonico steak which is all the same thing (a Delmonico is a boneless ribeye) from the same loin area. A NY Steak is just a boneless T-Bone. A London Broil is still Top Round. People just call them different things.

Now here is a real interesting thing concerning grading meat, it is done before the meat is ever cut up!!! It is quartered at the time but is purely subjective by the USDA Inspector. I have cut up Choice sides that could have been easily Prime and cut Prime that should have never been labeled Prime (that goes for Good and Choice as well). Here is the other caveat to the grading process, once it is graded it gets a blue roll stamp placed on a few areas of the side and that's it. During the process of cutting and prepping the cuts, there is no guarantee on whether it was Prime or Choice and you have to rely on the integrity of the meat cutter.

People have been calling it the wrong thing for years and now you almost assume a "prime" rib roast isn't prime at all. My guess is that people tried to duplicate the high end places that served actual prime rib roast and just started calling it that even when it was select, choice, etc.

I had Brookshire's order one for me a few years ago but I'm too embarrassed to say what it ended up costing me.

It was wonderful but I can't say I see the value in it like a tenderloin that's prime graded.

BlueNitro..... that looks FAN-freakin'-TASTIC!

J