I wanted to order a Prime Rib roast for Christmas but I'm not positive that I ordered the right cut. Hochrippe or Hochrücken? After discussing with my metzger, we decided that it should be Hochrücken but now I am having second thoughts. Any chefs out there?
There was an
earlier thread discussing different cuts of meat. There is a handy diagram showing the German cut and its English translation in the first post of the thread.
The term "Prime Rib" is really only an American one, and is usually used to refer to a specific cooking method as well as the cut. The cut itself is simply Rib, or Rib Roast, in UK English, so I suspect the links from the other thread referred to will give you what you need.
Let me rephrase the question then: Does anybody know what the equivalent beef cut would be to a West-Coast (USA) Prime Rib roast would be?
Unfortunately, the definition of "Prime Rib" is not as straightforward as it seems. While the links were helpful, they are also not all in agreement and as you state, they lump the whole rib section into one when in reality, there is a difference in a roast made from the ribs closer to the head vs. one from the tail end of the ribs. My metzger here in town pulled out her "Bibel" and the rib section in her book is broken down into smaller sections so we guessed that the Hochrücken would be the best choice as opposed to the Hochrippe. I have a suspicion that we should have chosen the cut a bit in the direction of the tail though...
The good news is that she was able to call her supplier and told them to not trim off all the fat and to keep it on the bone though. Other good news from this research is that I found out what a Tri-Tip is called here.
Try asking for the cote de boeuf. Although it is a French term and cut, it is better recognized, and usually entails the finest (most tender and flavorful) ribs of the whole steer. My favorite butcher in Zurich sells a 2-rib aged cote de boeuf roast that is absolutely sublime-Metzgerei Reif on Zurichbergstrasse.