Ingredients:

1 Prime Rib Roast
Lots of chopped garlic
Lots of black and white pepper
A bit of fresh ground sea salt
1 large baking or roasting pan
1 recipe Horseradish Cream

Spoon Mage™ Notes:

Let your butcher guide you in selecting a great roast. If you make this only once a year, do it right and get prime. Prime rib roasts are often on sale during holidays! The small end is near  to the tenderloin and the large end is near to the chuck. I prefer the flavor of the ribs near the chuck end, the marbling creates such a lovely flavor. The small end is so incredibly tender though. If you would choose a rib eye over a tenderloin, get the large end. Adore tenderloin steaks? Get the small end.

Each rib of the roast will serve two healthy appetites or three light eaters. A three rib roast is good for anywhere from 6-9 people. Allow for a little extra meat because nothing in the world makes a more delicious leftover sandwich.

Allow the roast to come to room temperature by letting it sit out of the fridge for an hour before preparing. If you have cats, put the roast in the microwave or the unheated oven…just saying.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450ºF degrees.

While the oven is heating up, use the tip of a good sharp paring knife to make small slits all over the roast. They should be an inch or two long and should be a good inch deep. Use your fingers to stuff the little pockets full of garlic.

Sprinkle the exterior with salt and both kinds of pepper. Rub it in good. Insert an oven safe meat thermometer in the thickest meatiest part to near center of the meat. Position the thermometer so you can see it without having to remove the roast from the oven.

Place the roast in the pan, rib side down, fatty side to the top on the lowest rack in the oven. The ribs will act as a natural broiler pan, elevating the meat for better air flow.

Roast for 25 minutes. During this part the roast may get a little smoky due to the high temperature and height of your roast compared to your oven – so turn on the exhaust!

Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF degrees.

Roast until the meat thermometer registers 130-135ºF for med rare or a little higher if you want it more medium. The meat will be dry if you go beyond 145ºF.

Total cooking time, (including the first 25 minutes at a high temp) for a 3 rib roast of 6-7 pounds will take about 2 1/2 hours. A 4 rib or heavier roast will take about 3 hours or longer. A good guide is approximately 20 minutes per pound. Meat temperature is more important than time. Set the table with flexible side dishes in case they need to sit and wait for the roast. Or make side dishes while the roast rests.

Remove the roast from the oven and place the pan on hot pads. Loosely tent with foil for about 20 minutes before carving. Do not skip this part as it gives the juices a chance to redistribute and allows the internal temperature to rise just a bit more for a perfectly done roast. This brings the cook time for a 3 rib 7 pound roast to 3 hours. Don’t leave the roast in the oven once it reaches the right temperature. It’ll be ok sitting under the foil while you finish dinner.

Reminder:

Each time you open the oven door, you lower the temperature in the oven which increases the time it will take to cook your roast, so try not to do too much peaking unless you are monitoring temperature near the end.

Make some gravy:

Rib roasts makes the most awesome gravy in the world, guaranteed. If that is your plan, place the roast to rest on a platter so you can get all the good stuff from the pan. Drain off most but not all of the fat from the roasting pan. Leave a couple tablespoons of fat and all the good browned bits in the pan. Set the pan over a burner set to medium. If your roasting pan is not stovetop safe, pour the necessary into an appropriate pot.

Then add some flour or cornstarch and stir it up a bit to incorporate. A rounded tablespoon should be just right.

Add some low salt beef stock and stir – making sure to scrape up and loosen the browned bits.

Bring to a good simmer and stir a bit until the gravy thickens. It will only take a few minutes.

If you added too much stock and have some of the great instant granular roux that Tony Chachere makes, use it. It will be delicious. If you need to watch salt, just use the flour or cornstarch and skip the instant roux as it is quite salty. Instead of Chachere’s product, make a slurry by combining some of the hot stock with the flour, stirring until the lumps are gone. Then stir it into the pot.

Taste and season with pepper.

Take a few mindful breaths and focus your attention on the texture, aroma, and flavors.

To hear the angels sing, add a dollop of horseradish cream.