Recipe: Prime Rib

Even though no one is offering good prices on it yet, this is a good time to talk about Prime Rib.  I promised I would feature some of my favorite holiday foods—things we only have at Christmastime because they are either too expensive or too much work.  This one is expensive, but not much work.  If you’ve thought about making Prime Rib at home but weren’t quite sure how, see my simple instructions below.

Allow for about a half pound of meat per person, plus maybe a pound or two extra for good measure.  The following recipe serves 12 people.

Buy a 7 pound roast with bone included but cut off by butcher and tied back onto the roast.  It’s important that you cook it with the bone on. The finished prime rib will be sliced with the bone removed.

Mix together the following:

1/3 cup olive oil

¼ cup grated onion

4 cloves minced garlic

1 teas. basil

½ teas. marjoram

½ teas. thyme

¼ teas. pepper

1 ½ teas. salt

Place roast in large zip lock or other bag, pour marinade over, squish it around to coat, and let sit in fridge overnight (on a tray in case the marinade leaks out).  Or just place in a large bowl with a tight fitting lid and coat the marinade evenly onto the roast.

 Place the roast fat-side up (the bones will be on the bottom) on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan.   

Start it in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Here's how it looks after that time.  Then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees for the balance of cooking time. 

NOTE:  Some people will only eat their meat well done, and that’s fine.  However, in the case of Prime Rib, most chefs feel you’re wasting your money to cook it that way and may as well just cook a regular roast.  It entirely loses its tenderness when overcooked— recommendations are that it be served no more cooked than medium, with a pink center.  However, my dad loves well done Prime Rib and we always accommodate him by serving him the “end cut.”  Obviously, the more well done pieces are on the ends, and you can serve the less done pieces from the center to those who like it less cooked.  However, I should point out that it’s hard to have both well done and medium pieces on the same roast, especially a small one.  The best scenario is if everyone is okay with slight variations of medium.

Rare 120-125

Med Rare 130-135

Medium 140-145

Medium Well 150-155

Well 160-170

Cooking takes about 3 hours, depending on amount of doneness desired.  If you have a smaller roast, adjust time accordingly.  Either insert a meat thermometer at the beginning and keep an eye on it (taking it out 5 or 10 degrees early since it will rise when standing) or use a quick read thermometer occasionally to see how it’s coming.

Rare meats measure in at 120° to 125° with a bright red center that grows slightly pinkish towards the exterior. Medium rare meats measure between 130° to 135° and are characterized by their extremely pink center portion that grows brown towards the exterior. Medium meats reach a temperature of about 140° to 145° have a light pink center, brown outer portions. Medium well is achieved at 150° to 155°. Well done is reached at about 160°

Let stand tented with foil 15 to 20 minutes before carving—temp will rise 5 to 10 degrees during this time.  Besides, if you carve it too soon the juices will run out.

Horseradish Sauce:  Mix sour cream, mayo, and creamed horseradish together and add garlic salt to taste.   You can also make au jus from a packet and serve little cups of both the horseradish sauce and the au jus for people to add at the table.

*Originally distributed December 2013