Pacific Rim Kitchen: Prime Rib Recipe

2014 Christmas Prime Rib at Joe and Ann's.

Prime Rib Recipe

Served with Horseradish Cream Sauce
(see horseradish sauce recipe at end of post)

The prime rib roast comes from the center of the rib section, which is an area that gets very little exercise in a living cow. This leaves the meat very fatty and tender. There is a layer of fat around the eye of the meat and the muscle itself is beautifully marbled.

My brother-in-law Gail Klopp gives a prime rib roast to his son and son-in-law for Christmas. He has been known to get the roasts wrapped in fat at the butcher shop. Prime rib is an over-the-top cut of meat that when properly done will leave you feeling pampered and loved.

I used to cook them on the rotisserie at work and I’ve done them in the oven as well, but the one I look forward to is the Christmas Day prime rib at Joe and Ann Dupuis' house.

Joe is my nephew, and like the men before him in my family – he cooks. Our family is well peppered with foodies, and we’ve come out of it with some excellent cooks, and Joe and Ann are among them. Ann’s crab cakes are a Christmas ritual, and on the beach trip I can usually be found at the Dupuis house for breakfast, where Joe will be fixing crêpes for what is usually a pretty large group.

Joe does the Christmas roast on the BBQ. I believe he has previously cooked it on a Webber, but lately he’s doing it in a Traeger Pellet Grill. The benefit of this grill is the indirect heat, the somewhat smoky flavor it imparts, and I noticed Joe seemed to have advantageous control of the heat, which is important.

Prime Rib Recipe

Heat Covered BBQ to 425 degrees.

Table 1: What size Roast to Purchase

Table 1: Roast Size, Cooking Times and Number of People Served

Number of Ribs	Cook in Beginning at 425°	Finish Cooking at 250	Number of People Served
3 Ribs 7 to 8 pounds	20 minutes	1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. Check often, as times are not exact.	Six people
4 to 5 Ribs 9 to 13 pounds	20 minutes	1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. Check often, as times are not exact.	Eight to ten people
6 to 8 ribs 14 to 18 pounds	40 minutes	2 ¾ hour to 3 ¾ hours. Check often, as times are not exact.	Twelve to fourteen people

Preparing and Cooking The Roast

Cut the ribs back away from the roast leaving a flange of connective tissue to hold the ribs to the roast (your butcher will do this as well.)

Joe's Wet Rub

Thyme 2 Tablespoons

Rosemary 2 Tablespoons

Tarragon 2 Tablespoons

Kosher Salt 1 to 2 Tablespoons

Cracked Pepper 2 Tablespoons

10 to 12 chopped garlic cloves

½ to 3/4 Cup Olive oil

Apply rub to roast by spreading a portion of the rub between roast and the ribs that have been cut away from the roast. Lay the rib bones back on the roast and tie the ribs in place with kitchen string. Rub the rest of the roast with remaining rub.
Place roast in refrigerator for about 4 hours to marinate.
Remove roast and bring it back to room temperature. This is an important step. If the bones are cold the meat around them will not cook at the same rate as the rest of the roast.
Place roast on BBQ grill with bone side down.
Invest in a good meat thermometer. The best one for this application is a thermometer with a probe that has a digital read out box on the outside of the BBQ. They are either connected by a wire, or they are wireless and some models will transmit to your cell phone so you don't have to go outside to check your roast. The lid to the BBQ stays closed and you can set the digital read out box on the outside of the BBQ.
Cook at 425 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. The smaller the roast, the less time you will need at this high heat (see table 1).
Reduce heat to 225 degrees and cook until thermometer reads 130 degrees for a rare to medium rare roast (12 to 15 minutes per pound). See table 2 for cooking times on a medium or well done roast. ---Regardless of what this recipe calls for, check the thermometer often and watch the roast carefully. The cooking times will varry, and you don't want to overcook the roast.
When the roast has reached desired 130 degrees for a rare to medium rare roast (see table 2), remove roast from heat source and let stand covered on cutting board for 30 minutes. Devise a foil tent to put over the roast. Do not set roast in front of open window or in a drafty area. The roast will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat (aproximatly 10°), and it should cook to the desired temperature of 140°.

Temperature Guide / Table 2

When checking the temperature of the roast, place the thermometer tip in the thickest part of the roast. Make sure you’re not touching the bone with the thermometer.

*Meat will continue to cook when removed from the oven. The temperature will raise about 10 degrees, so remove roast from oven 10 degrees lower than desired level of doneness.

Table 2:

Level of doneness	Remove roast from oven at this temperature	Finished Temp.	Visual
Rare	120° to 125°	130° 135°	Bright red center and pinkish toward edge
Medium Rare	130°	140°	Very pink center light pink surround
Medium	135°	145°	Lt pink center W/brown surround
Medium Well	140	150°	Not pink / lightish brown with some moisture left in meat
Well Done (why would you do this)	150 to 170	160 +	Meat uniformly brown with the texture of shoe leather and no moisture

Horseradish Cream Sauce

½ cup cold heavy cream

2 Tablespoons of sherry vinegar

¼ to 1/3 cup of prepared horseradish

Salt and pepper to taste

In Conclusion:

As I said, this is an over-the-top cut of meat and is perfect for a special occasion. I look forward to the Christmas prime rib because Joe has perfected this recipe over the years, so its excellent, but its also made with love and shared with family and friends. Our holiday traditions are in transition. Our children are getting older and the family is spreading out and getting bigger. It seems to grow exponentially, but no matter how it changes we take the love with us. By recording family recipes we take a piece of our history into the future to share with the next generation. There are more holiday recipes to come. I encourage you to record and share your family recipes. There is no better time than the present. From my family to yours, happy holidays.