Those of you that know me or that read this blog probably know my love (infatuation, obsession.) of steak, prime rib, fillet, etc. This Christmas dinner, I cooked another big time winner. Here was the menu:
Prime Rib
Creamed Corn (Gulliver's recipe)
Garlic Mashed
Salad
Bread
Simple right?
My dad brought a 10lb Ohio Signature Beef prime rib roast (hand trimmed by dad himself out at Dutch Creek Foods, about 5 bones worth, right from the middle of the rack. I'm a beef purest...so my goal is to emphasize the quality of the meat and bring out its natural flavor with certain select seasonings rather than "cover it" with something too strong. I'm into using fresh herbs with those spices to "crust" the outside a bit giving the meat an intense outer section that forms when the delicious fat is seared and all of the goodies bake into it. So without further delay...here's the prime rib preparation method from heaven. Merry Christmas.
- Get good meat. Use Costco or Sam's Club since they all basically get their stuff from the same packers/distributors. Of course if you have a local shop, get it there...but realize that most all beef, unless it's "Certified Angus" or "Ohio Signature" or "Amana" is basically the same if you get the proper grade. Forget SELECT. Only go CHOICE or higher. Spending the money on PRIME rated "Prime Rib" (misnomer since prime rib can be choice quality)...is probably not necessary since prime rib has fat galore and extra marbling doesn't matter with this roast in your cook's humble opinion.
- Coat roast liberally with olive oil. I mean every square inch. This helps sear and crisp up the outside of the roast.
- Use a mixture called SPOG...That's salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix up a batch using the following guess recipe. (The original I've long since forgotten from Village Meats where I worked in Glendora, CA during my high school years). If you were filling a tubular seasoning container...do about 1/2 salt, then put equal parts of the other 3 ingredients in the container to top it off. Shake and taste. Does it blend well? If not, keep adding little bits of the individual pieces that you'd like to taste more and you're all set. It's a magical seasoning that enhances meat's flavor intensely. COAT THE ENTIRE ROAST WITH A LAYER of seasoning. Don't just sprinkle dinkle along. That is amateur. Keep putting it on until there's a visible LAYER of seasoning. You must understand that this will melt away a bit and soak in a bit and create an outer layer of goodness that you must be committed to. Coat every square inch of top, sides, bottom, bones, etc. The oil will help the stuff stick. Then, add a bit more pepper and salt for good measure.
- Now, pull out the herb pack you bought from the store. I chose the "Meat Herbs" pack that has Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, and Oregano in the fresh "just cut" pack. You can use dry (heck that's even easier methinks) but I went the fresh route this year. After a couple hours in the oven, the herbs are crispy bits anyway. Chop up the entire pack, mix all the bits up with some olive oil so it's a bit of a paste, and coat the roast in it. Focus on the fatty cap on the top side.
- Put the roast in a pan with a rack that raises it up from the bottom to allow for juice collection and cook to your liking at about 325. I pulled the roast out at 120 degrees using my trusty auto set and forget thermometer that beeps when I've hit the target. Remember the roast will continue to cook and come up about 5 degrees more over the next 15 minutes or so of sitting. Always let it set up for at least 10 minutes.
Slice and enjoy.
The ends will be crispy but just underneath that delicious slab of beef will be medium rare and succulent. End cut for my wife always! The outer ring of meat and fat is the most amazing part. It's more done...but the crusted herb/seasoning is out of this world. If you cut the right sized bite..you can get the medium rare parts along WITH the seasoned bits and....are you hungry? Me too.
I did create a reduction au jus that used a bunch of butter, olive oil, beef broth, more of the same herbs, cabernet, mushrooms, garlic, and SPOG. I started with a full saucepan full, and ended up with enough to coat 6 people's serving. The flavor was intense and deep. I added some drippings from the beef pan while the roast was sitting during that last 15 minutes.
I'm going to raid the fridge now. By the way, this is how I prepare my steaks too (without the herbs). People just don't use enough outside seasoning or olive oil. Do these two things, and you'll find you're cooking steaks better than 99% of the places you'll pay for.
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