Prime Rib (Christmas 2006)

from Good Eats

Notes from Christmas 2006--we had a 2 rib, small-end, approx. 4 pound prime rib and roasted it to 122 degrees. After it rested for about 30 mins. and the temperature climbed to 129/130 degrees. We returned it to the oven for an additional 10 mins. at 500 degrees, then let it rest for another 20 mins. It was pretty much medium rare in the center sections and a little bit more towards medium on the end. We thought it came out perfectly. We also discarded most of the grease from the roasting pan before deglazing, and poured any juices from the final resting of the roast into the finished sauce. Our 4 pound roast took about 3 1/2 hours at 200 degrees to get to 122 degrees. So it was nearly 4 1/2 hours from counter top to table. We let the roast sit out on counter top for about 2 hours before putting it in the oven.

Let's face it: prime rib is a really expensive cut of meat. However, it's a lot cheaper to cook it at home than to have it in a restaurant. And then there are the left-overs (see my Parmesan Caesar dressing recipe).

Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees (rack in middle of oven). Rub a bone-in prime rib roast with a little canola oil and season it with Kosher salt. Place the roast on a rack placed in a shallow roasting pan (a cast-iron frying pan would work great). Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat (make sure it is not touching any bone). Place it in the oven and turn down the heat to 200 degrees. Roast until it reaches 118 degrees. Remove it from the oven, covering it loosely with foil. Let it rest until it reaches 130 degrees (this will take at least 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, turn the oven heat to 500 degrees. When the roast has reached 130 degrees, remove the foil and return it to the oven for about 10 minutes or until nicely crusted. Remove it from the oven and let it rest on a carving board while you make the reduction sauce. Place your roasting pan with its juices on the stove on high heat. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of water. When reduced by half, add 1 cup red wine and 3 or 4 fresh sage leaves. Continue to reduce until you have 1 cup total. Strain into a gravy boat.

Eventhough we let our roast sit for over 30 minutes, it only went to 126 degrees. We were hungry, so we put it back in the oven at that point for the final browning. Next time, I think I might cook it until it reaches 120 (see Christmas 2006 note at top of page) degrees instead of 118. Ours was a fairly small roast; a larger one might have had the ability to climb to 130 degrees.