Prime Rib

I've been making Prime Rib for Christmas dinner as a tradition for the past 5 or 6 years. I was so intimidated by it the first time but was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to cook. Now my husband insist that we have it every Christmas.




Prime Rib Roast comes with either the ribs still attached or with no rib bones. The one in the picture is without the rib bones. If you buy a prime rib roast with the ribs you cook it in the same position with the rib side down and the fat side up. I prefer to buy the no bone roast for simplicity.

All you do is season it the way you like. I prefer to use Montreal Steak Seasoning but you can use just about any rub that you like or just sea salt and crushed peppercorns. You also want to cook it fat side up.

You'll need a thermometer to gage when it's done to your liking. Stick the thermometer in the center but not all the way to the other side. Be sure that if you are using a roast with rib bones in that the thermometer is not touching any bones. Use a cook book to determine the right amount of time or my chart below. When it reaches the desired doneness, push the thermometer into the meat a little farther. If the temperature drops, continue cooking. If the temperatures stays the same, remove the roast. Cover the meat and let stand about 15 minutes before carving (this is called "resting") which will help to stabilize the juices so that they don't all run out when you cut it. The meat will continue to cook slightly while standing. If you like, remove the roast when the thermometer registers 5 degrees below the desired doneness. The one in the picture was being served medium-well so it might look a little more done on the outside than it would if you were cooking it medium-rare or rare. Here is a general guide:


Rare
140 degrees

Medium
160 degrees

Well
170 degrees

I always cook mine in a 325 degree oven.

The one in the picture is quite small because it was going to serve 4-6. You can purchase different sized cuts to fit your guest list size or prepare two at the same time for a large party. Cutting it in at least 1 inch thick cuts, this roast served 6. They do shrink up quite a bit so you want to figure that about a 12 inch long roast will feed about 6-7 adults once it's cooked.

A roasting pan is really helpful if you'd like to catch the drippings. You can use the drippings for au jue, to make gravy for mashed potatoes (strain the drippings first), or in our case- to cook the roasted potatoes and carrots in.

It's common to serve prime rib with horseradish mixed with sour cream or just plain sour cream. But it's perfectly fine to eat it plain or dip it in au jue.

Recipe for au jue:
Strain drippings and set aside. Pour 2 cups boiling water into the original drippings pan and stir and scrap all the crusty browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the pan drippings and then cook and stir till bubbly.

If cooking a prime rib has been intimidating to you before, I hope you've been inspired to give it a try until you've perfected it for yourself.