Prime rib roast is a wonderful for any occasion, but it really comes to prominence over the holidays. So you may ask, “Why didn’t you post this for the holidays?” And my answer would be: “I have right here.” With the permanence of the internet, his recipe can easily be found for any year’s holiday season.
Prime rib is most assuredly an expensive cut of meat, only to be eclipsed in price by ultra-tender, and ultra-lean beef tenderloin and the simply outstanding Japanese Wagyu and Kobe beef. Here’s the thing with prime rib though: you do get what you pay for.
If you’re going to spend $60 on a small (<5 lb) roast that turns out to be of limited quality, I strongly recommend spending $80-$100 for a top-quality roast. You’ll thank yourself. I bought this roast on a whim at the local grocery store, knowing that the per-pound price made it a quality gamble—that really didn’t pay off. Yeah, it was good, but not outrageously delicious like previous prime ribs I’ve made from top-quality butchers. Of course, if you’re willing to spend even more money, dry-aged beef is the way to go.
Regardless of the price of the meat, this recipe will give you the best possible outcome that makes for a wonderful dinner.
I first read about a reverse-seared roast at Serious Eats, but thought some improvements to their process could be made. So, I made them and it paid off. This recipe is really similar to sous vid cooking a steak with a slow cook and a sear at the end—it’s just missing the water and frypan.
Be sure to note that this recipe calls for days of uninvolved prep time, so plan ahead!
What you’ll need
- 1 standing rib roast (think about serving about 1 lb per person, so buy accordingly)
- Salt and pepper (better yet, use shio koji—look up on the web for use.)
- Instant-read thermometer / meat thermometer
What to do
Give the entire outside of the roast a heavy sprinkling of salt and pepper then let it sit in the refrigerator uncovered on a rack within a roasting pan for 1 to 4 days (yes 4). This step will allow the salt to penetrate the meat and the outside layer to dry, making for a better sear. Alternatively, use shio koji for this step, but marinade for only up to 24 hours and wipe off the excess shio koji before cooking. Having meat rest in the refrigerator for up to 4 days presumes that you’re using a fresh roast that hasn’t already been in the refrigerator for some time.
When ready to cook, set your oven at its lowest temperature, which will vary from brand to brand. For example, our new GE Profile’s electric range’s minimum temp is 170° (75° C). (Side note: if you buy a GE Profile oven, spend the extra $1K on the glass-panel touch controls. They’re well worth it!) Put the roast in the oven and let it cook until the inside of the roast reaches the desired temperature: 120-125°F (~50° C) on an instant-read thermometer for rare, or 130°F (54°C) for medium. Depending on your oven’s lowest cooking temperature, this should take between 5 to 6.5 hours—maybe start checking the temp at about 4 hours, to completely avoid the chance of an expensive overcooked piece of meat. Roast weight shouldn’t affect cooking time too much because heavier roasts are generally just longer, not thicker.
When the roast has reached your desired temperature, remove it from the oven and put the roasting pan on the counter with foil tented over the roast for 30 – 90 minutes. This gives you enough time to cook most accompanying dishes—provided you’ve prepped.
When you’re ready to finish off and the roast, note that this last step—minus the oven heating up—takes less than 10 minutes before the roast is ready to carve and serve. Heat your oven to its highest temp (up to 550°). When the oven reaches its high temp, put in the roast and let it sear in the oven for about 6 – 10 minutes. It will smoke and be VERY hot when you remove it from the oven.
Immediately put the roast on a cutting board and trim off the bones before slicing however thickly you like and serving.
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