It’s the season for festive dinner parties and there are few main courses more extravagant that a Standing Rib Roast. This is perhaps the premier cut of beef, and getting it just right is something of a noble obligation. I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino to give us some tips on preparing this showstopper.
Jerry agrees to say that the Standing Rib Roast is a very dramatic piece of meat. All of our Maryland beef producers offer it, but the first tip is to be prepared to spend more money than you think, because without fail, this is the priciest cut of beef. So get ready for sticker shock. A good cut can get over 3 figures.
First things first: what part of the cow are we talking about?
It’s the rib cage and the meat that is attached to it. A cow has 13 pairs of ribs. The front half is called the “chuck ribs” and the back half is called “the primal ribs” You’ll probably never see a full 13 rib rack, but you can see, say, up to 8 primal ribs.
As for the famous prime rib well that’s where it comes from. There’s a whole long attached to the ribs, which is tender and well marbled and very flavorful. And getting at that chunk of meat, seasoning it, roasting it, and carving it up is what the whole process is about.
Most standing rib roasts have 3 or 4 ribs, serving about 2 people per rib. Jerry says you can get bigger, but 3 or 4 is normal. And you do want to get a roast with the ribs still in, because it gives the entire cut more structure. Some butchers will cut off the ribs without asking you.
Speaking of the ribs, one attractive option is to ‘French them.” This is a matter of presentation. You get the butcher to trim the excess meat around the tip of the ribs, so you have nothing but bone, which looks nice and clean after it’s been roasted.
This is something you can do yourself, but a butcher will probably do a tidier job.
So, the big question is do I want to keep the roast intact or do I want to cut away
the prime rib meat away from the ribs? I think the latter approach is smart for two reasons.
Remembering that you can tie the roast back onto the ribs, cutting it away lets you season the entire roast and sear all of it, if you want to. Also, it makes carving the meat so much easier when you get it to the table. The butcher’s string shouldn’t be much of an issue at the table.
For seasoning, we recommend copious amounts of salt and pepper. Also highly recommended, let the seasoned roast sit overnight. You’ll be surprised how deeply the salt will penetrate the meat. Also, you can work in some things like rosemary, thyme and garlic into the rub.
As I was researching my own rib roast for Thanksgiving, I discovered there are two approaches to searing and roasting. You can sear it at the beginning, in a skillet, or by putting your room temperature roast into a super-hot oven for about 20-30 minutes. This will give the meat a nice outer crust. Then you let it roast low and slow for another two and a half hours at about 250°. The other method, called “reverse searing”, is to literally reverse that, and cook it low and slow for two and a half hours, take it out when it gets to 118° and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Then you can blitz it with high heat to give it a good crusty exterior. About 20 minutes will get the job done.
And what us the internal temperature of the meat you’re shooting for. You want the final internal temperature to be 130° and no more if you want it medium rare. Reverse searing eliminates that grey band of cooked meat at the top of the roast that you get with the sear-first approach. Just keep in mind, the roast will continue to cook for about 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven.
And of course, you’ll want to whip up a batch of Yorkshire Pudding to go along with it, with lots of gravy, and a big red wine!
