There's not much I can tell you about Prime Rib - except it's incredibly easy - and worth the price! I cooked one for our Christmas Eve feast - my first one and I don't mind telling you I was a bit intimidated at just the thought! I had doubts about just how easy every recipe I read (all 15 of them) said it would be. With visions of a raw center, burnt crust, tough and stringy meat left on plates because no one could choke it down, I refrained from preparing one in the past - but this year, armed with Bobby Flay's technique, I finally had the confidence to give it a go!
My countertop roaster worked great - I would have used my ovens but they were packed with rolls and pies! So in the roaster it went, all 7 pounds of it, on a rack so the meat wouldn't braise on the bottom. Here's the deal - I salt and peppered the roast, stuck in a few cloves of garlic and put it on the rack in the oven, and let it bake for two hours then I checked the internal temperature - it was 140 degrees, perfect for rare, which is what my carnivores requested. It was done - no mess, no fuss! I did take the drippings, added some red wine and beef stock and made an au jus which we proclaimed just awe! If you've felt intimidated by Prime Rib, get over it and make one for your family for your next special dinner - it's dang easy and dang good!
Roast Prime Rib With Thyme Au Jus - Adapted From Bobby Flay
(The only adaptation I made to Bobby's recipe was to increase the internal temperature from 135 degrees to 140 degrees, just seemed like the right thing to do!)
1 bone-in prime rib (6 to 7 pounds)
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt and coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups red wine
4 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Thirty minutes before roasting the prime rib, remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make small slits all over the prime rib and fill each slit with a slice of the garlic. Season liberally with the salt and coarse pepper, place on a rack set inside a roasting pan and roast for about 2 hours until medium-rare, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 140 degrees. Remove the meat to a platter, and tent with foil to keep warm.
Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over 2 burners set on high heat. Add the wine to the drippings in the pan and cook over high heat until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock and cook until reduced by half. Whisk in the thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Slice meat as desired and serve with thyme au jus.
Even though it appears a caveman worked this over, you can see there was enough of a range to please everyone from rare to medium to well-done - it was a huge hit and will definitely be making a repeat appearance next Christmas Eve, if not sooner!