Well another great Christmas has come and gone…..the tree was a huge success, the Christmas dinner a thing that should have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens and everyone seemed well please
d with all the gifts they received. Dinner was a particular success with my “Polder Remote Temperature Probe”. I cooked the traditional old favorite…Prime Rib, or as the technocrats may tag it….Standing Rib Roast. This is a particular favorite of mine because the results border on fine dinning with a damn near “Fast Food” effort.
Allow me to recount the preparation of this savory feast……
First we take a trip to the purveyor of fine meats of your choice….normally I get my roast from Sam’s Club, their meats are some of the best I’ve ever had, but this year I aquired my roast from D&W. They had Black Angus standing rib roast for $5.99 a lb. Black Angus is the Nirvana of beefs for my taste. I ordered a 5 lb roast…..”Small End” with the bones hinged.
Let me explain all of that in plain English…..”Small End” refers to the cut of the rib near the end of the total rib…..the meat is more flavorful there, the meat is more dense. The “Hinged” part is cutting the bones away to a “hinge” of meat at the rear of the roast…..it just makes it easier to remove the bones after the roast is done. The bones additionally act as a stand for the meat to cook on. Make sure the roast is “Tied” as well…..this helps the meat cook because the “Eye” of the rib won’t pull away from the exterior portions so readily. All of this is really easier than it sounds….Just ask for small end ribs with the bones hinged and the roast tied.
OK….now on to preparation….this should take a sparkling 5 minutes if that….first remove the rib from the refrigerator at least 3 hours ahead of time….preferably 4 hours. Anytime between removing the roast and cooking the roast….salt and pepper the exterior….I do it generously…..then I cut small 1/2 ” long x 3/4″ deep slits in the fat on top of the roast and insert small slices of fresh garlic….usually 2 large cloves or three smaller cloves sliced up do the job just fine…that’s it….done until cooking time. OK, we need to have a “Poulder” cooking probe….or anything that will give an accurate temperature inserted into the heart of the roast…..I usually do this from the larger end towards the smaller end at an angle downward….approximately 45°. This is a an advantage if you have a traditional meat thermometer in that you will be able to read the thermometer while briefly opening the oven door.
Now to the actual cooking…..preheat the oven to 450-475°. OK, now place the rib in the oven and let it roast for 12 minutes and then turn the over down to 325°. BTW, use a shallow pan to roast the rib in….I use a pan with 2″ sides on it….I also line the pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up….this is all done with the roast on the 2nd from the bottom shelf….that makes the roast sit about in the middle of the oven for good air circulation. About an hour after starting this enterprise you can check the temperature….be careful to keep opening the door to a minimum if possible….MASSIVE amounts of heat escape everytime you open the door….that’s why I like the remote thermometer….no door opening. When the roast reaches 118 to 120° for rare or 125° for medium rare…..pull the roast…..you will want to cut off the strings and the bones prior to carving….this is best accomplished in the pan it was cooked in…..then transfer the roast to a cutting board (use paper towels to do this….that roast will be hot).. and tent it with aluminum foil and let sit for 15 minutes (by allowing the roast to sit the juices can settle back into the rib)……then carve as suited to the guest.
This whole process should take approximately 2 hours from inserting in the oven to serving the roast…….that’s give or take 10 minutes…mostly give…You will want to size your roast @ about 1 lb per person….that’s it….once you do it you’ll be a Pro for life….hope you give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed!