Here's a recipe from succulent prime rib. Our contributing Chef Bruce Aidells shares an easy recipe.
Bruce Aidells says:
Now that you've invested big bucks in your beautiful prime rib, the good news is that cooking it to perfection couldn't be easier. All you have to do is season it and roast it. The less done, the better.
If you've read many meat cookbooks, you'll find plenty of opinions on how to roast prime rib. Many American books say to roast it in a moderate (325°F) oven. Books with a British pedigree say to sear it in a hot oven (450° to 500°F) for a short time and then turn down the heat to moderate (325° to 350°F) and roast until done. For my liking you can't argue with the Brits. After all, they invented roast beef and Yorkshire pudding! By searing in a hot oven and roasting in a moderate one, you are guaranteed a brown, crusty exterior and the wonderful flavors we all crave in roast beef.
A few places in the Bay area to order a great rib roast are Bryan's Fine Foods in Corte Madera (www.bryansfinefoods.com/), Enzo's Meat and Poultry in Oakland (http://rockridgemarkethall.com) and Drewes Bros. Meats in San Francisco (www.drewesbros.com). You can also purchase online at Preferred Meats (http://preferredmeats.com).
You don't want to make a mistake with a piece of meat that you've laid out so much money for, so a digital continuous read thermometer is a must here. Plus, it's an indispensable tool for the modern meat cook and will prove to be one of the best cooking investments you've ever made. These thermometers can be found in most kitchenware shops and typically run about $25 to $50. Check out Sur La Table (www.surlatable.com), which has several area locations, and Cooks Boulevard (www.cooksboulevard.com) in San Francisco's Noe Valley district.
Standing Rib Roast
Adapted from The Complete Meat Cookbook
by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly, Houghton-Mifflin 1998
Note: A 3-bone rib roast (6 to 7 pounds) serves about 8; a 4-or 5-bone rib roast (8 to 12 pounds) serves 10 to 15. This recipe is fit for company, good for a crowd and makes great leftovers!
Dry Rub for Roast Beef
(This amount is good for a 3- or 4-bone roast. Double the recipe for 5-bone or larger roast)
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried (optional)
1 3-,4-, or 5-bone standing rib roast (6 to 12 pounds), external cap of fat and meat removed and fat trimmed to about ½-inch (bone-in rib-eye roast)
Method:
- Using a food processor or a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt together. Mix in the pepper and the herbs. Rub all over the roast, especially in any spaces between the meat and bones. Let the roast sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours, loosely covered, before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lay the roast, bone side down in a large, shallow roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F (don't open the door). After about 45 minutes, check the internal temperature of the roast with a meat thermometer (preferably a digital continuous read thermometer). If it is not 115°F, continue roasting, checking every 15 minutes or so, until it reaches 115°F. This temperature will give you a mostly rare roast, except for the end cuts, which will be medium-rare to medium; you can roast it a little longer to 120° to 125°F if you like it a little more done, but be careful not to overcook it.
- Remove the roast from the oven and cover it loosely with foil. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes. During this time the retained heat will continue to cook the roast and the juices within the roast will stabilize.
- After 15 minutes, if you removed the roast at 115°F, the internal temperature will have risen about 10°, to 125°F. After 30 minutes, the internal temperature may even read 130°F, which is still medium-rare. Carve the roast and serve.
