Best Perfect Holiday Prime Rib Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S PERFECT PRIME RIB

Steps:

• Place rib roast on a plate and bring to room temperature, about 4 hours.
• Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Combine butter, pepper, and herbes de Provence in a bowl; mix until well blended. Spread butter mixture evenly over entire roast. Season roast generously with kosher salt.
• Roast the 4-pound prime rib (see footnote if using a larger and smaller roast) in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and, leaving the roast in the oven with the door closed, let the roast sit in the oven for 2 hours. Remove roast from the oven, slice, and serve.

PRIME RIB

Steps:

• Liberally season the prime rib with the salt and some pepper and refrigerate overnight.
• An hour before cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the reserved ribs in a roasting pan bowed-side up (the ribs will be acting as the roasting rack). Scatter any fat and meat trimmings in the pan around the bones. Roast the bones and trimmings for about 30 minutes, or until the fat starts to render.
• Remove the pan from the oven, put the rosemary sprigs on top of the bones, then top with the prime rib. Put the smashed garlic in the bottom of the pan with the trimmings. Baste the beef with the fat drippings and return the pan to the oven.
• Cook for 30 minutes and then baste the roast again.
• Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and cook until the meat is medium rare (an internal temperature of 125 degrees F to 130 degrees F), about 1 hour, 15 minutes, basting the roast every 30 minutes until it is done. Keep in mind that the roast will continue to cook while resting.
• Remove the roast from the oven and put it on a cutting board to rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Slice the prime rib to the desired thickness and garnish with the arugula and olive oil.

PERFECT HOLIDAY PRIME RIB

Steps:

• Allow the roast to sit at room temperature for an hour. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat the oven to 200 degrees.
• On the stove top, heat a large roasting pan (not glass) over two burners set at medium-high heat. Place roast in hot pan (do not grease pan) and cook on all sides until nicely browned and about a half cup of fat has rendered, 6 to 8 minutes (or longer).
• Remove roast from pan. Set wire rack in pan and then set roast on rack. Generously season with salt and pepper.
• Place roast in oven; do not cover it and do not add water to the pan. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer so the tip is centered in the thickest part of the beef, not resting in fat or touching bone. Roast until meat registers 130 degrees (medium) rare) on meat thermometer, about 3 1/2 hours (or about 30 minutes per pound). If you want it medium, roast to 145 to 155 degrees. Remember that the roast's temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it comes out of the oven.
• Slices at the ends of the roast will be the most done, and slices in the middle will be more rare.
• Transfer roast to a carving board; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 20 minutes or longer before carving and serving with the pan drippings.
• A sharp knife is a must for carving. For uniform slices, hold the knife at the same angle for each cut. The more tender the roast, the thicker the slices can be.
• Variation: Also good with a rub of olive oil, chopped fresh thyme, minced garlic, and freshly grated lemon peel along with a generous dousing of salt and pepper.

CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB

Steps:

• The day before serving, remove the roast from the package, and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Set the roast on a baking sheet, and place in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking time to allow meat to reach room temperature. Rub the roast all over with horseradish and Dijon mustard. In a bowl, mix together the kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, and garlic powder; sprinkle the spice mix over the roast.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place the celery, carrot, and onion pieces into the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the roast on top of the vegetables.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and roast until the meat is browned and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 130 to 135 degrees F (54 to 57 degrees C) for medium-rare. Remove from oven, transfer roast to a platter, and cover with a tent of aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Temperature of the meat will rise about 10 degrees during resting time.
• To make au jus sauce, skim excess fat from the pan drippings in the roasting pan. Place the pan over a burner set to medium heat, and stir in the beef base and 1 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, scraping and dissolving any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the pan. Strain out and discard the vegetables. Combine the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, and whisk the mixture into the sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly (sauce will be thin), pour into a gravy boat, and serve with roast.