If you are a carnivore, Prime Rib is beyond tasty; and for my family, usually the staple of our Christmas dinner. But I (and by I, I clearly mean all of us) don't always want to wait to have it. On these days, I go hunting for a standing, boneless, rib roast. Just as yummy, less intimidating (because it doesn't have the bones), and slightly more affordable for a "normal" family dinner. In fact, Costco carries a great one. As I've gone on about before, roasting is one of my favorite perks of cold weather...minimal prep, oven lag time where I am not in the kitchen cooking, and delicious, slow baked flavor. It doesn't get much better than that. And this? Well this, is a great way to add a different roast to your resume that is sure to impress and satisfy anyone... Including the family.
Ingredients:
Approx 3lb rib roast, boneless
Unsalted butter, slightly softened
Salt
Pepper
Granulated garlic
Directions
About 1 hour before roasting, remove roast from fridge. Unwrap and place in a heavy bottomed roasting pan. (If you intend on making beef gravy, make sure you use a pot that can go from oven to stove top).
Rub entire roast with butter. You aren't trying to coat the roast with butter, like you would with your Thanksgiving turkey, just adding a little extra flavor, fat, and a vehicle for a crispy, browned outside.
Liberally sprinkle salt, pepper, and granulated garlic on all sides of the roast. Remember this is a large cut of meat, and your are seasoning the whole piece of meat here... 1/4 teaspoon is nowhere near enough. Rub into meat.
Preheat oven to 450. After roast has sat out for an hour, place in oven.
Bake for 30 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Since I have little kids at home, when I am cooking a roast for the fam. I cook to medium well. Slightly pink in the center, browner on the outside. For this, I will continue to roast for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. 145 on an instant read thermometer. If you prefer a slightly less done meat, or are cooking for company, or Christmas dinner, try an additional 1 hour 15 minutes for medium rare, or 1 hour and 30 minutes for medium. However long you cook it, once you remove the roast from the oven, remove it from the pan, set it aside, and let it sit. For thirty minutes. No joke. This seals on all the juices that keep your roast tender, and flavorful. If you cut it too early, they will all seap out. Let it sit.
I always plan what time I will be eating, and count backward from there. Dinner at 5:30? 30 minutes to sit. 1 hour and 30 minutes at 350. 30 minutes at 450. 1 hour out of the fridge. 3 and a half total hours. I pull that roast out of the fridge at 2pm, and go from there.
