Cook your prime rib slowly, allowing all of the flavors to peak.
Prime rib is a pricey delicacy usually served in restaurants. But you can easily make one at home and have a show-stopping entr e any time you have the time and money. The "prime" of prime rib refers to the grade of the meat, and the "rib" refers to the cut. Nowadays, all rib roasts are called prime rib no matter what grade they are. Prime meat is generally sold only to restaurants, so you will likely end up with a "choice" or "select" grade of meat, which are usually just as tasty--and probably less expensive. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Buy a rib roast. A standing rib roast refers to a cut that still has the rib bones inside. This is ideal because the bones will help the roast to stay moist. If you go with the standing roast, make sure your butcher removes the backbone to ease cutting at serving time. You can also get a boneless roast, sometimes referred to as an eye of the rib roast, or a rolled rib roast. This cut will be easier to carve.
2. Season your roast with some salt and pepper, if so desired. Prime rib is known for having a lovely flavor all its own, so little if any additional seasoning is necessary. You could also make a rub for the roast using herbs, garlic, lemon zest and Dijon mustard. Some cooks opt to cut slits in the roast and put small pieces of garlic inside the cuts to infuse the meat with the garlic flavor. If you opt to season your meat, you can do so up to 24 hours before cooking time. Wrap the roast in plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate it until you are ready to cook it.
3. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You can pan sear your roast in a bit of oil at this point if you want the outside to be crisp--but do so for only about three minutes per side. Then insert your meat thermometer into the roast. Depending on what type of thermometer you have, you may set the desired temperature on your thermometer if it's capable of that. As a reference point, 130 degrees equals medium rare.
4. Place the meat in a roasting pan. Use a roasting rack to support the roast if you are cooking a boneless one. If you are using a standing roast, it will hold up just fine by itself. Make sure your roasting pan is just a little bit bigger than the roast so that a minimal amount of juices will evaporate. If one side of your meat looks fattier than the other, make sure that fatty side is facing up. Don't cover the roast or add any water.
5. Cook your roast at 200 degrees for 45 minutes per pound for a roast that is five pounds or less. Count on your roast taking four to five hours to cook if it is larger than five pounds. Keep an eye (or ear) on your thermometer to assure your roast is cooked properly.
6. Remove the roast from the oven and let it sit in its pan of juices for about 20 minutes. Remove the rib bones if you used a standing roast. Set the roast on its side and carve. The ends will be the most well done, and the center will be the rarest, so you should be able to suit everyone's tastes.
Tags: your roast, standing roast, your meat, Cook your, five pounds, grade meat