Cooking Prime Rib Is Easy and Fool Proof!
My family loves prime rib but I have always been afraid to try to cook it! After all, it is a very expensive piece of meat and who wants to ruin Christmas dinner, right? A few years ago, I got really brave and decided to face my fears head on! Well, what turned out was one of the easiest and best tasting meals I have ever made with very little effort. I cook a lot and if preparing prime rib scared me, I decide that it probably scared others off too so I wanted to share with you how to make a wonderful prime rib roast for Christmas Dinner! Once you try it, you'll love fixing it!
First, I want to share a few preliminary tips with you.
Most butchers will take orders for prime rib before Christmas, so you can just pop in a couple days before, give them your name and your perfect size roast will be ready for you.
Always ask for the chuck end of the roast as it is the choice end. Ask the butcher to remove the bone ribs and tie them back on. This allows the bones to protect the meat which allows it to cook more evenly and the bone always adds flavor.
You will need to order 1 pound per person. After it is cooked up this will result in about 1/2 pound per person.
The night before you will be cooking your roast, rub it down with kosher salt and pepper. I have also used softened butter and rosemary at this point. If you choose to do this rub the roast down with softened butter, then add the rosemary, salt and pepper. Kosher salt is not as salty tasting as iodized salt. Be generous with the salt as little of it will actually transfer into the middle of the roast.
Stick the roast back in the refrigerator using a roaster pan. Do not cover the top of the roast in the refrigerator as we want the outside to be dry. This will result in the crispy outside that is signature to a well- cooked prime rib.
The day that you are ready to cook your roast remove it from the refrigerator 4-6 hours before cooking. This allows it to come up to room temperature which allows for more uniform cooking. This step is extremely important so don't skip it!
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Now, I want to make an extremely important point here based on a mistake that I made a few years ago. Please be sure that your oven is clean and free of any grease drippings in the bottom. 500 degrees is a very hot temp and grease and food can make for a fire hazard. The roast will pop so there will be a little smoke as it is cooking.
Cook the roast 5 minutes per pound uncovered. After the exact amount of time has lapsed, turn the oven off. Do not open the door as you will release the heat. Leave the roast in the oven for 2 hours with the oven off.
After the 2 hours, remove the roast, cut the strings, remove the rib bones and slice! Save those rib bones as the meat is amazing!
You may serve your prime rib with au jus or a nice horseradish sauce which is my favorite!
Please give this a try! You won't be disappointed!
Preparing my well-lived home for Christmas!
Julie Atkins