Prime Rib Roast

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and hoping you found yourself on Santa’s nice list. We celebrated ours with this herb crusted prime rib roast (I must’ve been good this year!).

A standing rib roast it the epitome of a holiday meal. I’ll usually make this once a year, on Christmas Day, when we host family at our house. The preparation is really simple though, start with a good piece of meat and rub it down in butter, herbs and garlic (the bigger the roast, the more liberal the seasoning). Then cook several hours until you’re ready to dig in. We often start it in the morning so we can eat in the early afternoon and sleep the rest of the day in a meat coma.

While the kids are excited to open presents on Christmas morning, I look forward to a big hunk of meat and a heaping pile of horseradish.

When choosing your prime rib you should figure 1 pound per person. Each bone should feed two adults so the one pictured above would feed 8-10 people. I, however, love the leftovers so I will go big and eat meat over the next few days (it’s the best). You can even use the bones to make a broth for a stew or soup.

It’s important not to overcook your meat as Prime Rib is best cooked rare to medium rare. You should never cook it past 140°F (or medium) otherwise all the fat drains out making your roast tough and dry. While you might be anxious to cut into your roast as soon as it’s ready, it’s critical you let it rest. Not only does this continue to cook the meat a little (about ten degrees), it give the juices time to re-absorb. This way you have a super juicy prime rib when you slice it for dinner.

A few tips to make your Prime Rib perfect

• Remove your roast from the fridge and let it sit about two hours. This will ensure that the roast is cooked evenly
• Season the roast as soon as you remove it from the fridge. This will allow more time to infuse it with flavor and draw moisture from the meat for a crispy outside
• Sear the roast at 500°F first to get that delicious crispy texture.
• Slow cook the roast at 325°F for 13 minutes per pound.
• For rare aim for 115°F, and 120°F – 130°F for medium (remember an additional 10° will occur while it rests)
• Rest for 30 minutes before serving

Enjoy with a heaping spoonful of horseradish sauce and your favorite sides. I’m partial to green beans, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower mash. I like to make dinner rolls to go with it as well and my favorite recipe is Maria Emmerich’s Diet Doctor Rolls.

Christmas is the best time of year. I look forward to holiday season every year knowing a juicy prime rib is celebrated as part of the tradition. I hope you can make it yours too.