How To Cook The Perfect Holiday Prime Rib Roast

After all the fussiness of thawing, stuffing, brining and roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving, cooking a Prime Rib Roast for Christmas Dinner or New Years Day is a piece of cake. I still remember the sticker shock when I purchased my first Prime Rib Roast. Depending on the size of the roast you will be spending close to $100 or more. With that kind of investment, you want to make sure you don’t screw it up! Right? You want to be sure it’s cooked to perfection; juicy and tender, not too rare or too well done either.

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There are a few things to keep in mind when you are planning to serve up a Prime Rib Roast that will ensure you serve up a perfectly juicy, tender roast.

I highly recommend stopping at your favorite meat counter to have a conversation with the butcher. I typically order a roast ahead. That way I can order the exact size I need and pick it up when it best suits my schedule.

How large of a roast should you get? Plan on about half a pound per person.

When you order a roast tell the butcher you want a bone in roast. Then ask him to “cradle” the roast for you. He will cut away the bones (the ribs), and tie them back onto the roast. This is called cradling. You get the best of both worlds this way. Cooking the roast with the bones will produce the best flavor, and having the bones cut off the roast will make it simple to remove them and makes carving the roast so much easier.

Take the roast out of the fridge about 2 hours prior to cooking it to allow it to come to room temperature.

Once the roast has come to room temperature, rub the entire roast with a generous amount of Kosher salt, coarse black pepper and garlic powder. Be sure to coat the top, bottom and sides liberally.

Place roast, rib side down in a large pan. No need to purchase a fancy roasting pan for this. I just use the bottom portion of a broiler pan. It’s large enough to hold the roast and sturdy as well. No rack needed either. The bones provide a built-in rack for the roast to sit on as it roasts in the oven. You could also use a 13X9 inch pan. Use what you have that will hold the roast.

Add about a cup of water to the roasting pan. The water will create some steam in the oven and prevent the roast from drying out before it has had a chance to develop a nice crust.

To cook your roast to perfection it’s imperative to use a meat thermometer to make sure you cook it to the doneness you prefer. Insert the thermometer into the center of the roast, making sure the thermometer is not touching any bones.

Add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary to the pan. This will flavor the beef with just a hint of rosemary goodness as it roasts in the oven. This is optional but the rosemary adds a lovely hint of flavor.

How long will it take to cook your roast? There are a few things to keep in mind. How large is your roast? What temperature you are cooking your roast at? And how well done do you want it?

I found this handy dandy online calculator that made it easy to determine how long it would take to cook my roast to perfection. This 9.5 lb roast took 4 hours in the oven at 350 degrees, plus another 30 minutes resting time after removing it from the oven, to reach a medium-rare doneness.

Be sure to remove roast from the oven when it reaches an internal temperature that’s about 5-10 degrees lower than the doneness you want. Place a piece of foil loosely over the top as it rests. The roast will continue to cook once you remove it from the oven. The internal temperature will increase another 5-10 degrees as it rests.

There are various temperatures and techniques to cook a roast. Some recipes start with a very high temperature, then reduce the temperature after the first 30-45 minutes. If you are like me and have only one oven with numerous sides that need to go in the oven alongside the roast, it’s extremely helpful to be able to cook everything at the same temperature.

That’s all it takes! I told you it was easy!

Oh, and once last very important thing!!! Don’t forget to whip up a batch of Horsey Sauce! You can’t have a prime rib roast without a generous dollop of Horseradish Sauce. Find out how whip up this Amazingly Delicious, Insanely Easy To Make Horseradish Sauce.

I hope this gives you all the information you need to serve up the perfectly cooked Prime Rib Roast for the holidays. It’s so very easy to do and the holidays are the perfect time to serve up this very special treat.

LEFTOVER IDEAS: Leftovers make the best French Dip Sandwiches! Use additional leftovers to make nachos, or burritos, or a steak hash the next day. YUM!

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Romans 15:13

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