Perfect Prime Rib Roast

Perfect Medium Rare Prime Rib Roast

Who says you have to wait for the holidays to cook up a delicious meat fest ………featuring a perfect medium rare Prime Rib Roast!  A friend asked for my help in cooking a boneless prime rib roast for a get-together this weekend.  It was her first attempt at cooking this cut of meat and I was oh soooo happy to help!  Prime Rib is one of my favorite meats and the process of preparing it for the oven is one of joy and delight.  Follow this recipe for a perfectly moist and tender medium rare rib eye roast every time!  Just make sure you have a good meat thermometer!  Cheers!

Ingredients

6 lb boneless or bone-in prime rib roast.

2 tbsp butter, at room temperature

Spice Rub

1 tbsp dried rosemary

3 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh ground black pepper (about 1 1/2 teaspoon)

Course ground sea salt or Kosher salt (1 tsp)

Preparation

It is very important that you allow the roast to come to room temperature to ensure even-cooking. This means leaving it out of the refrigerator for up to two full hours right before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Use a paper towel to pat the roast dry.  Drying off the roast will allow the outside to crisp nicely in the oven. 

Mix all the seasoning rub ingredients in a small bowl, crushing the dried rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper together with the 2 tbsp of softened butter.

Lovingly rub the seasoning rub mixture all over the roast, covering all exposed meat.  This is one of my favorite parts of the prep! 

Place the roast in a heavy metal roasting pan, bone-side down.  If you are using a bone-in roast, the bones will act as a natural rack in the pan.  If you are using a boneless rib roast, place a metal rack in the pan and then place the seasoned roast on top of the rack in the pan.

Start the roast in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees for the rest of the cooking time.  For the 6 lb roast that we used, we cooked it for about 2 hours, checking the temperature with a meat thermometer after the roast had cooked at 325 for about an hour and a half.  I think our roast had to cook a little longer than typical for its size because it was still pretty cold in the center when we put it in the oven. 

 Cooking times will vary depending on size of the roast and desired level of doneness. The following chart gives approximate times for to reach "rare" at various sizes.  The chart that follows and the meat temperature descriptions are taken from the website shown below:

http://www.primesteakhouses.com/how-to-cook-prime-rib.html

Cooking Time for Rare (120°)

(3) Ribs, 7 to 8 lbs. 15 minutes at 450°, Then 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours at 325°
(4) Ribs, 9 to 10 lbs. 15 minutes at 450°, Then 1 ½ to 2 hours at 325°
(5) Ribs, 11 to 13 lbs. 15 minutes at 450°, Then 2 to 2 ½ hours at 325°
(6) Ribs, 14 to 16 lbs. 15 minutes at 450° Then, 2 ¾ to 3 hours at 325°
(7) Ribs, 16 to 18 lbs. 15 minutes at 450° Then, 3 to 3 ¾ hours at 325°

Use your meat thermometer about a half hour before the expected end of the roasting time. Make sure to insert it in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the fat or bone. When the internal temperature reaches 120°, pull it out of the oven and cover with foil. Let the roast sit for twenty to thirty minutes. It will continue to cook during this time, reaching a temperature of about 125° to 130°. This resting period allows the juices and flavors to permeate the roast.

Rare meats measure in at 120° to 125° with a bright red center that grows slightly pinkish towards the exterior. Medium rare meats measure between 130° to 135° and are characterized by their extremely pink center portion that grows brown towards the exterior. Medium meats reach a temperature of about 140° to 145° have a light pink center, brown outer portions. Medium well is achieved at 150° to 155°. Well done is reached at about 160°

Carve your roast into slices with a good sharp knife and serve with horseradish and mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes.  It’s sooooo delicious and really not as intimidating to cook as it might seem.