How to cook a Prime Rib Roast:

Recipe Type: Beef, Prime Rib, Wine, Horseradish Sauces, Yorkshire Pudding, Beef Au Jus - Au Jus Beef Juice 
Yields: serves many
Prep time: 15 min
Bake time: 3 hr

 

Ingredients:

 

Prime Rib Roast (standing rib roast), at room temperature (very important)
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

 

Directions: 

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Pat the room-temperature standing rib roast (prime rib roast) dry with paper towels or napkins. Smear the cut ends only of the roast with the butter.

 

Do NOT salt the outside of your prime rib roast, as salt draws out moisture from the meat while cooking. You can use other seasonings, if desired, but I find it is not necessary. I know that some people do salt their prime rib roast before cooking, but trust me and don't salt - the result will be a juicy, delicious roast to serve your family and guests!

 

Place the roast, ribs down or fat side up, in a heavy stainless-steel Roasting Pan or other metal roasting pan. NOTE: Select a roasting pan that has sides at least 3-inches deep. (I do not recommend using nonstick pans, as these pans yield fewer of the cooked-on bits that make the tasty au jus juice or gravy.) The rib bones are a natural rack; you won’t need a metal one.

 

Sear the rib roast for 15 minutes at the higher oven temperature (450 degrees F.), then turn the oven to the lower temperature (325 degrees F.) for the rest of the cooking time. Every 1/2 hour, baste the cut ends of the roast with the fat accumulated in the roasting pan. Do Not Cover the roast.

 

About 45 minutes before the estimated end of the roasting (bake) time, begin checking the internal temperature (use a good instant-read digital meat thermometer). NOTE: Play it safe and start checking early, as you don't want anything to go wrong. This is even more important if you are adjusting for High Altitude Baking.

 

NOTE: If you ignore every other bit of advice I've given, please pay attention to this - For a perfectly cooked rib roast, invest in a good meat thermometer. Internal temperature, not time, is the best test for doneness and you don't want to blow this meal!

 

When checking the temperature of your prime rib roast, insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of beef, not resting in fat or touching bone. Cook until rib roast reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees F. (or your desired temperature).

 

Remove from oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let sit approximately 15 to 20 minutes. NOTE: Cutting into the meat too early will cause a significant loss of juice. Do not skip the resting stage.
 

 

Residual Heat or Carry-Over Cooking: Residual Heat or Carry-Over Cooking: Remember, the rib roast will continue to cook as it sets. The temperature will rise to 125 degrees F. to 130 degrees F. internal temperature (medium rare) at 15 to 20 minutes. If allowed to rest as long as an hour, the temperature will rise even higher. So, pay attention to how long you let the cooked prime rib roast sit. Definition: Carry-over cooking is caused by residual heat transferring from the hotter exterior of the meat to the cooler center. As a general rule, the larger and thicker the cut of meat, and the higher the cooking temperature, the more residual heat will be in the meat, and the more the internal temperature will rise during resting due to carry-over cooking. This means the meat must be removed from the heat at an internal temperature lower than your desired final internal temperature, allowing the residual heat to finish the cooking.

Using a convection oven: Using a convection oven can cut as much as 25% off the cooking times listed for the regular oven. It is also easier for your roast to dry out and cook too much in the convection oven. Watch the roast carefully and please use a cooking thermometer to know when the roast is done and should be taken out of the oven. 

Holding Cooked Rib Roast: 

 

·         To hold cooked roast until serving time, immediately turn off the oven and leave door ajar after removing roast.

 

·         Let roast sit 15 minutes on counter and then return roast to the oven, door closed, for up to an hour or even 2 hours for the biggest roasts.

 

·         Check the temperature every 15 minutes. If will rise approximately 10° F at first, then gradually subside. 
 

 

 

 

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What Size of Prime Rib/Standing Rib Roast to Buy?

A full prime rib/standing rib roast is seven (7) ribs, close to 15 to 18 pounds, and enough to feed a crowd of 14 or more people (depending on how big of eaters they are). The term "standing" means the bones are included in the roast, thus the roast can stand by itself. A rib roast comprises of seven ribs starting from the shoulder (chuck) down the back to the loin.

 

For a generous serving of roast, figure on two people per rib. That means if you plan to serve:

 

·         six (6) people - three (3) rib roast

 

·         eight (8) people - four (4) rib roast

 

·         ten (10) people - five (5) rib roast

 

·         twelve (12) people - six (6) rib roast

 

·         fourteen (14) people - seven (7) rib roast

 

Don't even bother with less than a three-rib roast, any less than that is not a roast but rather a thick steak and would be better treated as such.

 

How To Purchase A Prime Rib Roast:

 

A whole standing rib roast (prime rib roast) consists of ribs 6 through 12. Most GOOD butchers recommend that you request a rib roast from the small end toward the back of the rib section, which is leaner and gives you more meat for your dollar. This cut is referred to as the first cut, the loin end, or sometimes the small end, because the meat and ribs get larger as they move up toward the shoulder.

 

I do NOT recommend purchasing a boneless rib roast, as roasting with the bones adds flavor. But, if you do purchase a boneless prime rib roast, cook using the same guidelines as a roast with ribs. Usually the weight is figured without the bones. If in doubt, weight your roast before cooking it.

 

Be sure and check the date the prime rib was packaged. This is an indicator as to how long it has been sitting around in the store. Look at the color of the prime rib; it should have a bright red color and no dry or brown edges. Check for any damage to the packaging and wrapping.

 

Have the butcher cut off the chine bones from the bottom of the roast and the rib bones from the meat just along the bone line but do not discard them. They can be cut off in separate pieces or the chine bones can be cut off as one piece with the rib bones. Have the meat placed back on the rib bones and wrap them along with the chine bones to take home to cook along with the roast. NOTE: Having the bones cut away from the meat before cooking will make carving the finished prime rib a lot easier.