I almost instantly decided to make a rib roast--a.k.a. prime rib. Now, "prime rib" is often a bit of a misnomer, because "prime" describes the grade of beef, as opposed to "choice" or "select". Typically, you can only find "prime" rib in a restaurant (and you'll pay for it!); most grocery stores carry "choice" as their best grade of beef. I found a gorgeous 3-bone "choice" rib roast on Monday, but since NYE wasn't until Friday, the butcher recommended that we put it in the freezer until Wednesday, and then transfer it to the refrigerator. No big deal.
Well, that's not exactly how it turned out.
We took it out of the freezer around 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday and placed it in the fridge. When I unwrapped it at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, the middle was still FROZEN!!! HORRIBLE!! I knew that if I put the roast in the oven with the center still frozen, I would get a well-done outside and a rare inside--no good. I finally decided to run to the grocery store and ask the butcher what to do. I love my butcher.
He (along with my mom and multiple bloggers) suggested that I put the roast in a cold* water bath until I needed it (not until 6:30 p.m.) and it would almost certainly be thawed in time. If not, he would have another roast waiting for me to pick up. Feeling relieved, I returned home and did as instructed.
When I took the roast out of the bath at 6:00 p.m., it was perfect! Thank you, butcher!!
So, now onto the cooking. I read countless recipes, reviews, blogs, and "meat" websites about how to prepare and cook a prime rib roast. For every technique I read about, however, there seemed to be 10 other techniques that were completely different. And, of course, everyone's technique was "the ONLY way to cook prime rib, and it comes out perfect everytime." Awesome. I had narrowed it down to two cooking methods: (1) 350 degrees for 1 hour, let it rest in the oven for 3 hours, then 350 for another hour (recommended by Paula Deen and grandmothers everywhere), and (2) 450 for 15 minutes, then 325-350 degrees until the meat thermometer reads 125-130 degrees. I was torn between the two because the first method hardly had any bad reviews, but took longer and seemed like it could turn out disastrous, while the second method seemed more straightforward. Finally, I consulted my copy of Professional Chef and decided on the second method.
Before putting the roast in the oven, I rubbed it with salt, pepper, and a few cloves of smashed garlic. Oh, and I can't forget the butter smeared on the cut sides to make it GOOD. Then, into the oven it went: 450 degrees for 15 minutes in order to "oven sear" it, then 325 degrees until the oven thermometer (I highly recommend this one) read 128 degrees.
Almost 3 hours later, including 20 minutes resting time (allowing the internal temperature to rise 10 degrees), it was perfect and delicious. The outside had a beautiful crust and the inside was medium rare. We served it with roasted brussel sprouts (do yourself a favor and try these) and mashed potatoes (secret recipe that my family has come to know and love).
Dinner was great and the wine was even better. Spending time with good friends was the perfect way to ring in the new year.
Here's to a great 2011!!
* Warm water with partially cook the meat and makes it susceptible to bacterial growth.
The pictures don't lie dinner was amazing! I of course second the recommendation for the brussels sprouts recipe. The only thing I am sad about is that the mashed potato recipe is a secret because they were YUMMY ;)
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