Cooking Prime Rib
It’s my opinion that prime rib is one of the easiest meats to cook. And it’s also appropriate for the best of special occasions, and is considered one of the most elegant entrees of all. If you’re looking to create a dinner for the ages, you can’t do better than prime rib!
To help you in your quest to prepare the perfect dinner, I’ve listed 4 important strategies:
Cooking prime rib strategy #1: Choose the best cut of meat.
If you really want to impress your dinner guests, ask your butcher for USDA Prime. It is the absolute superior grade of beef that is usually reserved for upscale restaurants. In fact, only 2% of all beef is graded by the USDA as Prime. If Prime is within your budget, go for it. The difference in tenderness and flavor is very distinguishable. However, if the food budget can’t accommodate a prime cut, then go ahead and buy choice. It’ll still taste good enough to impress your guests.
Cooking prime rib strategy #2: Precooking procedures are important.
Have your butcher trim some of the excess fat off your choice of cut, leaving a layer of fat to protect and baste your roast as it cooks. You should select at least a three rib bone portion, because anything smaller is less forgiving to cook. Before you begin the cooking process, it is crucial that you allow the roast to assume room temperature. This means leaving it out for up to two full hours right before roasting.
Cooking prime rib strategy #3: Choose your method of cooking.
There are two primary methods to use when cooking a prime rib roast: medium heat and searing. Both use an oven temperature of 325 degrees F. The only difference between them is that with the searing method, you’ll first sear the meat in an oven at 450 degrees F for about 20 minutes before turning the oven down to 325 degrees F for the rest of the cooking time.
Here’s a more complete description of each of the two methods:
Medium Heat Method.
Place rib roast in roasting pan, fat side up. Add salt and pepper if desired. Generally a coarser salt is used for prime rib, such as rock salt or possibly coarse sea salt. Sometimes kosher salt is used. If you’re adding an herb rub, add the rub after the salt.
Bake roast for specified amount of time at 325 degrees F according to table below plus an additional 25 minutes.
Searing Method.
Place rib roast in roasting pan, fat side up. Add salt and pepper if desired. Generally a coarser salt is used for prime rib, such as rock salt or possibly coarse sea salt. Sometimes kosher salt is used. If you’re adding an herb rub, add the rub after the salt.
Sear roast for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Bake roast for specified amount of time at 325 degrees F. See table below.
Cooking prime rib strategy #4: Cooking procedures.
Regardless of what cooking method you decide to use, the following instructions will prove to be useful: Every half hour or so, baste the ends of the roast with the drippings. When the internal temperature reaches 120′, pull your masterpiece out of the oven and cover it 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.
Conclusion:
When planning a successful dinner it is a good idea to know your guests preferences. Although prime rib is usually best served rare to medium, there are some who want it well done. And you may want to forget about dry rubs or basting the meat as this may cause the meat to be too spicy for some folks. Serving your prime rib with roasted potatoes and corn on the cob should make even the pickiest eater desire a second helping.
In this day and age, most of us are searching for ways to simplify our lives, including making mealtimes easier to deal with and enjoyable for all in the family. It’s gotten to the point where many people have turned to frozen foodstuffs in order to save time and energy! I don’t know about you, but for me the mere thought of keeping a stock of frozen items, checking to see which ones are still fit to be used, all while planning 3 square meals is disturbing! As an alternative, I think crock pot cooking is a fabulous idea.... Click here to read the rest of the article: The Joys of Cooking!
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