Last week in part 1 we made a beautiful Au Jus and my whipped savory horseradish cream sauce that can be used on any beef. This week I want to show you an easy way to make a juicy and tender Prime Rib or Rib Roast. Also since protein is such a huge percentage of our grocery bill, I would love to give you a couple tips to save on your grocery bill. I hope your family enjoys these recipes as much as mine does and as always Happy Eating !!!
Below is the video on my process to roast a beautiful rib roast full of slow roasted flavor and yet the least stressful rib roast recipe ( that is good ) that I have ever found.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR LESS STRESS ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Usually when we make a rib roast or prime rib we are making it for a special occasion. If that is the case for you as well, let me give you a few tips and tricks to help take the stress out of your event.
What I will do two days before my company arrives or the event in question, is to shop for all my ingredients. Then the day before they arrive ( or the event), I will prepare as much as possible. This leaves me free to focus primarily on my rib roast on the day in question.
I have even cleaned up and set the table the day before when company was coming. I do this because if I have company coming over, I don't want to be stressed out and ruin their time at my house and I don't want to miss out on spending time with my loved ones. I think the most important thing is a warm and relaxed environment!
FOR A SIDE DISH:
If my company is not keto, I will make a large batch of mashed potatoes the day before and refrigerate them overnight. If my company is keto or low carb, I will make a large batch of my fully loaded mashed cauliflower or my Italian Creamed Cauliflower ( which tastes similar to risotto and that video is coming shortly ). Then on the day in question, all I have to do is put the mashed potatoes or creamed cauliflower in a crock pot on low or warm and leave it until reheated and everyone is ready to eat.
I will also prepare all the ingredients for one of my favorite salads the day before. If you don't want to make a salad or mashed potatoes or creamed cauliflower, you can easily substitute one of them out for steamed asparagus with butter. If you really want to make it easier for yourself then make only steamed asparagus and butter.
The last thing I will prepare ( the day before ) is my Au Jus and Whipped Savory Horseradish Cream Sauce. See my previous post and previous video on how to do that.
The reason I chose all the recipes above to go with this rib roast is because they are all easy to prep ahead of time. You can make them in any combination you want. Make it as simple as you want.
I will usually get a rib roast ( prime rib ) that is around five pounds. You however can get any size you want to. I have a large family who can eat five pounds in one sitting on occasion, even if they don't I love left overs.
Tip 1:
You want your meat to be room temperature as much as possible, to help with even cooking. If you pull it out of the refrigerator and pop it right in the oven, the outside will be over cooked long before your interior is done to the degree you want.
I would pull your roast out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before you want to put it in the oven. The USDA Food Safety Information website recommends no more than 2 hours, however they stated that on hot days you might want to keep it to 1 hour. To be safe I stick with 1 hour.
Tip 2: You want your roast as dry as possible. When I pull it out of the refrigerator, in order to let it sit for an hour to warm up to room temperature as much as possible, I remove any wrapping or packaging which would retain moisture and dry it off with paper towels. I let the roast sit for about an hour and then blot it dry a second time with paper towels, before seasoning it and cooking it. If your roast or any piece of meat is too wet or damp, you will not get a good Maillard reaction. Well without nerding out too much on the science, it is basically the process where at high enough temperatures the meat changes color and flavor is intensified dramatically and also becomes more complex. It is more than just browning or caramelizing. It is a series of reactions that occur between the proteins and sugars in food and is induced by the right circumstances including adequate heat. Bottom line, its a good thing and a delicious thing that you definitely want to have occur with your rib roast.
Tip 3:
Don't salt or season your roast too early. Unless your going to dry brine your roast, which I can go into on another post if you guys would like me to, you want to salt & season your roast right before cooking. The reason for this is if salted too long before cooking ( but not long enough to dry brine ) the salt will draw out moisture and juices from your meat leaving it less moist.
Tip 3.5:
Rib Roast no matter which grade, is flavorful. It is a very fatty cut of meat and is absolutely amazing. As such, I don't like to season it any more than necessary. Right before putting it in the oven, I sprinkle Lawry's garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper or mixed pepper on it and thats it. You don't want to cover that rich beef flavor. The cream sauce and Au Jus compliments it perfectly, but doesn't cover it either.
Tip 4.0: When you cook your rib roast, make sure you cook it with the fat side up. The fat will warm up and crisp as it cooks and release it's juices as time passes keeping your roast moist and yet crispy and yummy simultaneously.
RIB ROAST ( PRIME RIB ) COOKING PROCESS:
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Place your rib roast in a roasting pan so you can catch all the juices as it roasts. Later we are going to collect those juices and add them into our Au Jus that we made previously. See my previous post and video for those recipes. If you're roasting pan runs a bit too dry and your having difficulty getting the juices from your roast, place it on the stove top and deglaze it with a little beef broth and then add that into your Au Jus if your making it.
Allow the roast to cook for about an hour. You can peek in there if you want while the oven is going, but after the hour is up, turn off the oven without opening it. Leave your roast in the oven. This is going to allow it to cook slowly in the remaining heat. The higher temperatures cause searing and Maillard to take place which means better flavor. The lower temperatures retain the moisture in your roast keeping it tender and juicy.
I always leave a note on the oven, reminding everyone to stay away and not open the oven. If the oven door is opened, your ambient heat will spill out and not allow this slow roasting process to proceed properly. If this happens it won't ruin your roast but it will detract from the moisture and tenderness. If this happens you will need to add to the cooking time at the end.
Note re: cooking times: There are no exact cooking times that anyone can give you, only estimates. The reason times vary is because there are so many variables that can change how long your roast needs to cook. Ovens can vary from one to another. The more people peek into the oven and let the heat out, the more your cooking time will change. The list goes on and on. What you should focus on the most is the internal temperature. If you have a remote meat thermometer use it. If not, use a hand held meat thermometer.
You need to leave the roast in the oven, in this ambient heat for at least 3 hours. When your an hour or more away from being ready to eat ( the time depends on the size of the roast and how well you want it done ) turn the oven back on to 325° F. Determine what degree of doneness you want. Allow the roast to cook to the temperature indicated in the chart above in the "Before Resting" column. For example, if you want it medium like me, once the internal temperature reaches 130°F - 135°F pull it out of the oven and allow it to rest ( or sit without cutting into it ) for at least 15 minutes. This allows the juices to draw back into the meat and it will continue cooking while it rests. After the resting period the roast should be the temperature you wanted to achieve.