If the warden asked me what I wanted for my “last meal”, I suppose it would be a Standing Rib Roast. Few cuts of beef have more flavor and it’s a special cut, since you rarely serve a rib roast for just two. There is usually company involved, which adds to the enjoyment.
It just so happened we were having company last weekend and Nancy suggested a standing rib. She didn’t have to ask me twice. I saw a beautifully trimmed rib at Kroger’s, about 5 pounds, perfect for four, and I brought it home.
A standing rib roast, also known as prime rib, is cut from the primal rib. It’s one of the nine primal cuts of beef. While the entire rib section comprises ribs six through 12, a standing rib roast may contain anywhere from two to seven ribs.
Prime rib roasts are called standing rib roasts because you can roast it “standing “ on the ribs so it does not touch the sides of the pan.
As much as I enjoy eating prime rib, I have not always been successful in cooking it. I have found that several of my meat thermometers are outright liars. They’ll say beef is medium-well when the cow is still moving. Sometimes they announce it’s a medium rare when it is actually well done.
Much of the problem comes from letting the beef “rest” after cooking. Meats will continue to cook even after they are removed from the oven, so you have to be careful.
But dammit, I wanted the meat to be medium rare and I found a recipe that “guaranteed” that result since there was no “resting” required. Here are the directions. I followed them exactly and the results were perfect.
Secure a prime rib – with the rib bones attached. A 4- to 8-pound roast works best for this recipe.
The night before serving, remove the wrapping from the roast and put it in the refrigerator uncovered. This helps the outside form a wonderful crust when cooking. Take the roast out of the refrigerator three hours before cooking so it will become close to room temperature. This is important. Thirty minutes before putting the roast in a pre-heated 500-degree oven, thoroughly coat the top and sides with kosher salt and coarse ground pepper. Make sure you know the exact weight of your roast since you want to cook it exactly 5 minutes per pound at 500 degrees. If a roast weighs 5.6 pounds, for example, you cook it (5.6 x 5) exactly 28 minutes before turning off the oven for two hours, when the roast will be a perfect pink inside and ready to carve. The results are non-fail if you follow the instructions and do not, whatever you do, open the oven door during the cooking process.
Our standing rib was so good, we may do another one for New Year’s Eve. Try this method. You’ll be pleased with the results.
Hot Oven Standing Rib Roast
4-8 pound standing rib roast
Kosher salt and pepper
Follow the cooking directions. That’s it