Perfect Prime Rib
There is something mighty special about a rib roast on Christmas. When that rich aroma fills the kitchen and the pups start circling the counter, you know a fine feast is on the way.
Prime rib has become a tradition for so many folks this time of year, but this cut can also be one of the most intimidating to cook. It costs real money, and nobody wants to mess it up. If you follow each step from our recipe - I recommend you watch the video, too - you will end up with a tender, juicy, perfectly cooked prime rib that will shine on the holiday table.
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Christmas Prime Rib
Before we ever fire up the oven, let us talk about the rib roast itself. Prime rib is mostly a marketing term. It does not guarantee the beef is USDA Prime. A bone in rib roast and a standing rib roast are the same thing. A boneless rib roast is simply the bones removed from that same rib eye muscle. It cooks quicker and is easier to carve, but it gives up a little of that bone in flavor and show stopping presentation.
Now you have three USDA grades to pick from. Prime is the highest grade with the most marbling. That gives you richness, tenderness and a buttery feel, but it also comes with a higher price. Choice is the sweet spot for most home cooks. It has great flavor without the big cost. Select is leaner and more budget friendly. If you go with Select, just cook it a little lower and slower and slice it thinner. A little gravy will help keep everything moist.
The roast we used in this video was a Certified Angus Beef rib roast. I asked Melissa, our butcher at Albertson’s, to cut exactly what we needed. She wrapped it in butcher’s twine to keep everything tight during cooking. When you get your rib roast home, the best thing you can do is give it a light coat of kosher salt on all sides and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator on a rack for 24 hours. That draws moisture toward the surface and sends it back into the meat with seasoning. It is the secret to flavor from the inside out.
Right before seasoning, we gave this roast a little trick I call butter Botox. Cut several small sticks of butter and freeze them overnight. Then poke little holes in the roast and push the frozen butter deep into the meat. As the roast cooks, that butter melts through the marbling and adds even more moisture and flavor.
Coffee Rub for Prime Rib and Standing Rib Roasts
Next comes the seasoning. We mixed up a coffee based rub with crushed black peppercorns, brown sugar, coriander and other spices. Oil the roast lightly to help the seasoning stick, then pack it on thick. Make sure the fat cap is on top for cooking, because that is nature’s basting system.
Tip: Let Roast Come to Room Temperature Before Cooking
A roast this size needs to come to room temperature, so let it sit out for about three hours. Heavier roasts need four to five hours. This helps it cook evenly.
When you are ready to cook, line the bottom of a casserole dish or roaster with halved onions, rosemary and thyme. This becomes a little bed of flavor that the juices will run down into for basting later.
Note: you will need a meat thermometer for this - we rely on Chef’s Temp because they never lie to me.
Slide the roast into a 475 degree oven for 25 minutes to get a flash sear that locks in flavor. Then pull it out, lower the oven to about 260 degrees and lay a few pats of butter across the top. When the oven is ready, put the roast back in and let it cook until the internal temperature reaches 115 degrees. After that, take it out, tent it loosely with foil and let the carryover heat bring it to 120 to 125 degrees. That is perfect medium rare.
While the roast was warming, Shannon stepped in and made her famous one hour yeast rolls. She heated milk, water, butter and honey to 110 degrees, added rapid rise yeast, then mixed, kneaded, shaped and baked the rolls into golden perfection. These rolls are a holiday staple at our house and as simple as they come. The recipe is the link below.
Once the roast rested, we sliced it open and found the exact color we were after. It was tender, juicy and full of that buttery, coffee spiced flavor. Follow these instructions and you will have the perfect prime rib for Christmas.
The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. That is the greatest gift ever given. So let us spread joy, invite our friends and neighbors, and remember the servicemen and women who are away from family this season.
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