OH GEEZ guys, I made big meat. Perfect, wonderful meat. 
I told you that we had THREE THANKSGIVINGS, so to mix it up with Jay's mom's side of the family we did a prime rib with all our favorite sides. It was REALLY delicious, and so easy to make!
In other news, guess what? My car has been making some funny noises but recently they've stopped but then yesterday there was a SMELL in the car kind of like burning rubber? I smelled it when I left the office to get lunch and couldn't figure it out and was JUST SURE that my car was burning up from the inside out. Then, weirdly, when I got back into my office I smelled it again! Did I smell like burning rubber?
Heh, made ya click. No. I did not smell like burning rubber. You know what smelled? The permanent marker Z written on the top of my Coke Zero. No burning rubber. You should feel better about yourself in general after that story. And also pity me.
When you purchase prime rib, you'll want to portion about a pound per person for bone-in, and 1/2 bound per person for boneless. We accidentally bought bone-in roasts, so I cut them off and stuck them in the freezer. Lots of prime rib methods call for cutting the ribs off but then tying them back to the roast for flavor during cooking but UGH, what a pain. I totally didn't do that and there was FLAVOR FOR DAYS. Go boneless. It's easier.
You need a prime rib (sometimes called a rib roast), salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. That's it! Like that chicken I made last week, SIMPLE is best when you're roasting big meats to let the flavor of the animal really be celebrated. If you can, take the meat out of the fridge an hour our two before cooking it - room temperature meat roasts real nice-like, so try to remember.
Like with any meat prep, I like to get everything all set out - oven preheating to 500F, roasting pan, string, spices, etc before I open the meat. That way I'm SET to get grody and don't have to scream at Jay to GIVE ME MORE SALT while I'm up to my elbows in cow blood. It happens. So, grab a huge dish and put the spices in the bottom. 
Then, roll the spices around all over the meat, pressing in as you go - you really want a nice crust on this bad boy. 
Tie the roast in a few places with string, too. The reason for that is this: when you roast meat, it RELAXES in the oven, so it'll spread a lot. That's totes fine, but if you want to maintain the roast shape throw a few strings over the thing, mmkay? Tie 'er up. 
Now, we roast hot then cooler to achieve a nice crust and evenly cooked meat. Place the roast in the oven at the preheated 500F for 15 minutes, then without moving the meat turn the heat down to 300F. Then continue to roast the meat for 45 minutes to an hour and a half (this all depends on the size of your meat and your preferred doneness, so BUY AN EFFING MEAT THERMOMETER) until the meat is cooked to your liking. We're rare people, so I take the roast out when the internal temperature reads 130 - the meat will continue to cook a bit while it rests, and 135F is the ideal internal temp for rare. Let it cook to 140-150F if you'd like it a little more done!
And now, a make-ahead note: We made this to take to Jay's fam's thanksgiving, and we made it early in the day (sunshine!), then reheated it at Jay's grandmother's house. This prevented us from having to be there at 10am, and when we got to the family gathering we popped the meat back in for 20 minutes at 350F and it was perfect! Warmed through but not cooked too much more.
When the roast is done cooking, let it rest FOR A LONG TIME. 20 - 30 minutes tented with foil. It won't be piping hot when you serve it, and that's a good thing because it means that your meat will be juicy and tender and flavorful, not dry and grody. 
While the meat is resting, you can make the horseradish cream! Grab some horseradish, sour cream, heavy cream, and worcestershire sauce. 
Add the ingredients to a small food processor or bowl, and blend or whisk together! Taste, and add more horseradish for spice or a pinch of salt if you think it needs it. 
When you're ready to eat, remove the string from the meat, slice the prime rib and SERVE. I like thin slices, but others like 'em thick, so go with your gut on this one. 
Look. At. That. Incredibly tender from the slow roasting, fat kind of melting away, this is just WONDERFUL if you're a carnivore type.
The thing that Jay and I fought over was the crust. The starting at 500F during the roasting really lets the spices sink in to the fat layer (cook that on top, btw, and don't cut it off!), and DAMN fat with spices tastes good.
This is Christmas, friends, I promise. The cool horseradish with the super rich beef is a great combo here, and what a nice changeup from ham or turkey! Or duck? Is that a Christmas thing?
Make this soon - even if not for a holiday! If you can find prime rib on sale it isn't terribly expensive, and you don't need a ton of it to be satisfied. You can slice leftovers super thin for sandwiches too and just....sigh. Perfection. Enjoy this!
Prime Rib with Horseradish Cream
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 120
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
FOR THE BEEF
- 1 boneless prime rib, about 4 pounds
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
FOR THE HORSERADISH CREAM
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon ground prepared horseradish, plus more to taste
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Remove the meat from the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours prior to cooking. Preheat the oven to 500F and prepare kitchen string and a roasting pan for use.
- In a large shallow dish, combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add the beef and rub the spice blend all over the outside of the roast. Place the prime rib in a roasting pan with a rack (if you have one, don't fret if you don't) and tie a few times with kitchen string.
- Roast the prime rib at 500F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 250F to keep cooking. Cook for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours more until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 125F for rare, 135F for medium-rare, and 145F for medium. Let the roast rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- For the horseradish cream, combine all ingredients using a whisk or small food processor. Taste, and add a pinch of salt if needed and more horseradish to your taste. Serve with the prime rib.
Notes
- Spice mixture may be added to the beef several hours before or the night before for extra flavor.
- To make ahead, roast to 10 or so degrees below the desired temperature. To reheat, place uncovered on a roasting rack in a 350F oven until the outside is crispy and sizzling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Shared with Weekend Potluck!
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I like to add a little bit of mustard powder to the rub. It does bring it up a notch.