Cooking Perfect Prime Rib
Recipe Credit

(beef)

Cooking Perfect Prime Rib
Cooking Perfect Prime Rib

Yield: many servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

Prime Rib Roast (standing rib roast),
      at room temperature (very important)
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Pat the room-temperature standing rib roast dry with paper towels or napkins. Smear the cut ends only of the roast with the butter.
    Do NOT salt the outside of the rib roast, as salt draws out moisture from the meat while cooking. You may use other seasonings, if desired, but it is not necessary. Cooking the unsalted roast will result in a juicy, delicious roast to serve.
  3. Place the roast, ribs down or fat side up, in a heavy stainless-steel roasting pan or other metal roasting pan. Note: Select a roasting pan that has sides at least 3-inches deep. The rib bones are a natural rack; you won't need a metal one.
  4. Sear the roast for 15 minutes at the higher oven temperature (450°F.) then reduce the temperature to 325°F. for the rest of the cooking time. Every ½, baste the cut ends of the roast with the fat accumulated in the roasting pan. Do Not cover the roast.
  5. About 45 minutes before the estimated end of the roasting time, begin checking the internal temperature. (use a good instant-read digital meat thermometer.) Note: Play it safe and start checking early, as you don't want anything to go wrong. This is very important if you are adjusting for High Altitude Baking. Invest in a good meat thermometer.
    Insert the meat thermometer so the tip is in the thickest part of the beef, not resting in fat or touching bone. Cook until rib roast reaches an internal temperature of 120°F. (or temperature for desired doneness.)
  6. Remove from oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let sit approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cutting into the meat too early will cause a significant loss of juice. Do not skip the resting stage.
Residual Heat or Carry-Over Cooking:
Residual Heat or Carry-Over Cooking: Remember, the rib roast will continue to cook as it sets. The temperature will rise to 125 degrees F. to 130 degrees F. internal temperature (medium rare) at 15 to 20 minutes.

If allowed to rest as long as an hour, the temperature will rise even higher. So, pay attention to how long you let the cooked prime rib roast sit.

Definition: Carry-over cooking is caused by residual heat transferring from the hotter exterior of the meat to the cooler center. As a general rule, the larger and thicker the cut of meat, and the higher the cooking temperature, the more residual heat will be in the meat, and the more the internal temperature will rise during resting due to carry-over cooking. This means the meat must be removed from the heat at an internal temperature lower than your desired final internal temperature, allowing the residual heat to finish the cooking.

The Reverse Sear method flips the process. After first slow roasting the meat 25 minutes per pound @ 250°, the meat is rested, then seared at 500° just for a few minutes before serving.
Holding Cooked Rib Roast:
  • To hold cooked roast until serving time, immediately turn off the oven and leave door ajar after removing roast.
  • Let roast sit 15 minutes on counter and then return roast to the oven, door closed, for up to an hour or even 2 hours for the biggest roasts.
  • Check the temperature every 15 minutes. If will rise approximately 10° F at first, then gradually subside.