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Special Holiday Dinner
Star of the Show!
The Prime Rib Roast.
Don’t ask me what got into me….but a few years ago I decided it would be a “good thing” to make a huge prime rib roast for my whole extended family for Christmas Eve dinner! Nothing like heaping a HUGE amount of pressure on yourself at one of the most stressful, pressure-filled times of the year! :-) I had received a $100.00 gift certificate to a grocery store as some sort of bonus…and it occurred to me that it would be enough to purchase a VERY NICE prime rib roast…that would feed a LARGE group. So I had a nice discussion with the butcher and we decided how much I would need (the rule of thumb by the way is 1/2 pound per person) and I purchased this GINORMOUS piece of meat! I think it was just under $100! But keep in mind…that was going to feed a small army. :-) If I remember correctly…the last time I did this there were about 35 people to feed.
After the initial excitement of planning this special dinner started to pale…I was left with the thought….WHAT DO I DO NOW!?!? I had NEVER cooked a Prime Rib Roast before….even a SMALL one…now there was $100 worth of meat riding on me NOT SCREWING THIS UP! lol. No pressure!!!
So I turned to my friend Google and spent literally HOURS researching how to cook the perfect medium-rare prime rib roast! After contrasting and comparing dozens of methods I figured out that at the heart of a perfect prime rib is cooking it at an INTENSE temperature for a short time (usually 25 to 30 minutes)…followed by low and slow. There were lots of variations on this theme, but I decided on this particular recipe because it had all the essentials and because the guy who wrote it was funny! When in doubt….go for the person with the sense of humor. Either I got REALLY lucky…or this theory holds true. :-)
So without further yakking on my part….here is a FOOLPROOF way to make the PERFECT PRIME RIB. Courtesy of Nebraska Football Fan who also enjoys Catfishing.
Easy Prime Rib
1. Get a prime rib roast at your supermarket. It’s usually labeled bone-in ribeye roast.
2. Mix up equal parts of onion salt, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Approx 1/4 cup total.
3. Pat the salt mixture on both ends and the fat side of the roast. The salt may not stick as well on the fat side. Don’t worry about it.
4. Pre-heat oven as high as it will go. Usually 500 degrees, but NOT broil.
5. Stick the roast in a dutch oven preferably on a small rack that will lift it off the bottom. Bone side down (fat side up). Get a meat thermometer and stick it in the middle of the roast.
6. Cook the roast in the oven for 5-6 minutes per pound and then shut the oven off.
DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR FOR TWO HOURS UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH.
7. After two hours take it out and check the temp. If its 140 degrees it’s perfect. If it’s cooler, put it back in the oven at 375 degrees until it hits 140 degrees.
8. This procedure will yield a PERFECT MEDIUM RARE PRIME RIB. (Don’t ask me how to do medium or well done because cooking prime rib roast past medium rare is a felony.)
9. Get a package of Au Jus mix in the spice section of your supermarket and make following directions.
10. INVITE ME OVER FOR DINNER.
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| Adding slivers of fresh garlic to slits in the meat. mmm! |
Funny huh? ;-) I thought so…and decided to put my full faith into his instructions and followed them to the T!!!! I even printed out a sign that said “DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH” and taped it to the oven door…essentially taping it shut. My family, as usual, thought Mom had “lost it”…but I’m used to it by now. Besides, I definitely had the last laugh on this one. :-)
The ONLY thing I did different was I took the suggestion of several other recipes I read and, using a small knife, cut slits in the fat side of the meat and stuck in slivers of fresh garlic before roasting. mmmm mmmm mmmm. I do love garlic…and this method allows it to just MELT into the fat and the meat while it cooks.
I have now made this the last 3 Christmas dinners in a row and every year have received RAVE reviews. Even my Uncle SY, who is a self-proclaimed prime rib connoisseur, LOVED it! This is from a man who has traveled all over the world and had prime rib at some of the most expensive restaurants. I kid you not.
In our family we like to serve the prime rib room temperature with au jus and Creamy Horseradish Sauce. Well, I personally am not a fan of the horseradish…but everyone else seems to LOVE it.
Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 pinch white pepper, or to taste
1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco) (optional)
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Directions
Whisk the cream in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the cream should form a sharp peak that holds its shape. Season with the white pepper, hot sauce, and horseradish. Stir to combine.
Note: This sauce doesn’t keep very well. Just plan to use it the same day you make it.
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Ingredients |
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I personally am good with this menu the way it is…but some A LOT of people think a meal isn’t complete without bread. So I usually pick up a couple of sour dough baguettes at the bakery to appease the starch-hounds in my family. ;-) Here’s a bonus tip for you I learned from a chef acquaintance. The best way to reheat a baguette is to run it quickly under the tap with the water running and then put it directly into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until it’s crisp on the outside and warm on the inside. I’ve done it this way many times…and it works!
And that’s today’s….
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Johnny's Au Jus is da' BOMB!
Here is a link so you know what I am talkin' 'bout! (I live in the south now and I can't find Johnny's anything around here! My Mom would seriously bring it to me before we had the great supernatural powers of the internet!)
I can’t believe how bright your food posts are. Even in the winter time.
I love the taco seasoning post. gonna try that soon!