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May 14, 2020

A Prime Rib roast is undoubtedly a crowd-pleaser. It's succulent texture and seasoned flavor is enough to satisfy any meat eater. Often meat dishes like these can be time-consuming and complex to cook. However, a standing rib roast is deceptively easy and is a reliable meal.

This rib roast recipe will delight all your dinner guests.

What You Should Know About Standing Rib (Prime Rib)

Standing rib is a cut of beef from the primal rib of a cow. Also known as prime rib, this cut consists of anything between two and seven ribs. It has a reasonable fat content marbled through the cut. This means the roast beef is the right amount of tender and juicy without being too fatty.

As we’ve talked about in other articles, cows that have been grassfed is the kind of meat you want. If your dinner guests can appreciate high-quality meat, it'll be worth doing your research. (To make it easy for you, you can just order from our farm) ;)

Although very similar, prime rib is different from ribeye. Ribeyes make for great steaks, Prime Ribs make for great roasts!

Things To Keep In Mind Before You Cook a Standing Rib Roast

So, you've decided you want to cook a rolled rib roast. However, there are a few things to bear in mind before you get stuck in your recipe.

How Much to Buy

Whether you're cooking roast beef for a dinner party, or a weekday meal for the family, you want to make sure you buy the right amount, so everyone finishes with full stomachs! You can generally expect to get one to one and a half servings per pound.

On average the rib roasts we sell as Seven Sons are around 3lbs.

Cost

This section of cow is a premium cut of meat that does not come cheap. But, you get what you pay for, and it's worth the money if you want a mouthwatering meal.

How Does Everyone Like It Cooked

As the prime rib roast recipe is done as one in the oven, as opposed to frying each portion individually, it's ideal to know how everyone prefers their meat. Prime rib will usually cook medium-rare: tainted pink in the middle, and crispy on the outside.

However, you might want to leave it in the oven that bit longer if your diners prefer their beef well-done. Likewise, if your majority likes it rare, consider taking it out the oven slightly earlier.

Cooking Time and Temperature

This will vary on how well-done you want your roast beef. Unlike some foods, there are many different ways to cook a prime rib roast. Most rib roast recipes vary from one to the next. Generally, you can roast it like this:

At a low temperature for a longer period of time. This would entail setting your oven to around 325°F and letting the prime rib cook for around an hour or a little longer. You can turn the oven off and let it cook in residual heat for another couple of hours.
At a higher temperature for less time. Cook at 450 °F for the first half hour, then reduce the temperature to 235°F. It'll take around 15 minutes per pound.
Vary between high and low. You can turn the temperature high initially to sear the outside of the beef. Then, turn down the oven after 30-45 minutes.

There are pros and cons to slower or quicker cooking time. It also comes down to opinion, too:

If you cook the prime rib slowly, it will shrink less. It is also more likely the standing rib roast will cook thoroughly and evenly.
Yet, cooking on a higher temperature for less time creates a more golden exterior and richer flavor. Just be careful you don't overcook or forget to preheat the oven.

Make Sure You Have the Right Utensils

Cooking a prime rib roast is easy. Although it is simple, that doesn't mean it will miraculously taste delicious all by itself! By equipment, we don't mean fancy and expensive kitchen tools.

For this rib roast recipe, ensure you have the right roasting tin, and a thermometer if you want it cooked to perfection. The best thermometer you can use is an instant-read meat thermometer.

The best size for your cooking pan is one that is slightly bigger than the prime rib. If the pan is too big, then the juices will spread out and evaporate. You want to ensure the roast beef can soak up the juices all throughout cooking.

Ingredients For The Perfect Prime Rib

For the roast beef itself, there are very few ingredients you need. Typically you will need the essentials, which are:

Prime rib
Oil
Herbs
Spices

There are no definitive herbs and spices for this kind of roast. Meaning you can pick what you want to coat your meat in to suit your palette, or to go with what it is you might be pairing it with.

You could choose a more restaurant-grade marinade, exotic, or super spicy for your rib roast recipe. However, we are going to stick with the classic seasoning: the you-just-can't-beat-it style. We are also pairing it with an optional red wine jus.

These ingredients are to serve six people, and you can adjust to suit your party's requirements.

Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Serves 4

1 (3lbs) rolled rib roast (prime rib)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the jus:

2 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoon olive oil
6 fluid oz. of red wine
6 fluid oz. of port
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
1 pint beef stock
½ teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons grassfed butter

These ingredients will deliciously envelop your rib roast. Make sure to get fresh herbs if you can and to use salt and pepper. As we said, you may add any other seasonings you wish.

Mustard, paprika and bourbon whiskey are some ingredients you may want to experiment with to add for an exciting flavor. Although, not all together!

How To Cook a Standing Rib Roast: Step-By-Step

Now it's time to get nurturing your dinner-party, holiday season, crowd-pleasing centerpiece.

Step 1:

Before you get cooking your rib roast recipe, you'll want to make sure you get the preparation right. Leave your prime rib to stand at room temperature for around one hour. This step will optimize even cooking and color throughout the beef.

Step 2:

Crush the garlic cloves to make a paste-like consistency. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Once it has sat at room temperature long enough, unwrap your prime rib and coat evenly in the seasoning mix.

It's best to place your beef in the roasting pan before covering with the herbs, as not to compromise any of the seasonings. Make sure there is some oil or cooking spray on the base of the pan for optimum moisture.

Before preheating the oven, ensure your oven rack is in a position where your roast beef can sit directly in the center. Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Step 3:

Once you have preheated your oven, put your roast in the oven to cook. This step is when your meat thermometer is crucial through the cooking process.

Cook the roast beef at 500°F for around 15-20 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. The meat will then need to cook until it is almost at desired doneness. You can use a thermometer to perfect this. The cooking time should take around 30-45 minutes more but regularly check the oven to avoid over or undercooking the standing rib roast.

Here are some guidelines of what temperature you should be looking for on your meat thermometer:

For rare | 115-120°F
For medium-rare | 120-130°F
For medium | 130-140°F
For medium-well | 140-150°F

There are a couple of things to keep in mind during this part of the standing rib roast recipe:

Make sure you insert your thermometer right into the center of the meat for an accurate reading.
The meat will continue to rise in temperature once out of the oven. So, take it out when it's roughly 5-10 degrees lower than you want it.

Step 4:

Remove the prime rib from the oven once its total time in the oven. You will need to let it rest again.

You may want to spoon some of the juices from the pan over the prime rib roast to help it soak up the flavor. Once you've done this, cover the beef in foil and allow at least 30 minutes for it to stand.

Step 5 (optional):

While letting your prime rib sit, it's a good time to make the red wine jus. Follow our steps:

Saute the shallots in a frying pan until they are golden. This should take a total time of 5 minutes.
Pour in the wine, port, and add the rosemary and bay leaf. Simmer for ten minutes, or until it is reduced by half.
Add all of the beef stock and cook until the liquid has reduced again by half. Strain the jus, discarding the herbs and shallots.
Pour the jus back in a pan and bring to the boil. Take off the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and season if you wish.

With this red wine sauce, you can use the drippings leftover from your standing rib roast. Why let any of the juicy goodness go to waste?

The Last Step:

This is all about the finishing touches and how to serve up your prime rib. Now that you've come this far, you don't want a minor slip up to be your downfall to a mediocre prime rib.

Once your standing rib roast is ready to serve, make sure you slice against the grain. If you notice the directional lines in the grain of the meat, try to cut perpendicular to them.

Plate up with your sides and pour over your red wine jus. Here are some ideas for what you could serve your prime rib with:

Crispy potatoes and seasonal vegetables
Garlic sautéed spinach
Creamy mashed potato

Conclusion

By following this how-to standing rib roast recipe, you should be able to cook the meat dish of your dreams. Once you've mastered this, there's no reason you can't experiment with different variations of prime rib. Bon appétit!

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Footnotes1. https://practicalfarmers.org/research/fatty-acid-comparisons-of-grain-and-forage-fed-pork/

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