Prime Rib, A Meatlover's Delight

You would think that the best Prime Rib I've ever tasted was in some fancy restaurant in San Francisco or Boston. It wasn't. Dh and I were visiting friends in Kingman, Arizona and we went to this restaurant on top of the mountain. It is not a fancy schmanzy restaurant with waiters dressed in black-tie. It is just your run-of-the-mill mom and pop run place. But wait till you try their Prime Rib, it just melted in your mouth. THE BEST!

After that experience, I've always been in the hunt for the perfect recipe. I'm an avid-watcher of Alton Brown's show 'Good Eats' on the Food Network. He did a show on Prime Rib. If you've watched Alton, you know that he uses a variety of techniques. Some of his techniques and/or tools will make you scratch your head and wonder if that will really work. This is one of those shows, he used a terra-cotta pot to cover the meat. If I had a clean one with no plants in it, I would've probably tried it too. But then, I don't have a clean one so I just used a regular roast pan with a cover.

I cooked this standing rib roast for Easter Dinner. I bought a four-bone roast which is more than enough for our family. I adjusted the cooking time since we want our meat medium. The ends of the prime rib came out medium-well which is just right for the kids.

Dry-Aged Standing Rib Roast

1 (4-bone-in) standing rib roast, preferably from the loin end

Canola oil, to coat roast

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper, to cover entire roast

1 cup water

1 cup red wine

4 fresh sage leaves

Preparation Three Days Before Cooking:
Remove any plastic wrapping or butcher's paper from the roast. Place the standing rib roast upright onto a half sheet pan fitted with a rack. The rack is essential for drainage. Place dry towels loosely on top of the roast. This will help to draw moisture away from the meat. Place into a refrigerator at approximately 50 to 60 percent humidity and between 34 and 38 degrees F. You can measure both with a refrigerator thermometer. Change the towels daily for 3 days.

Turn the oven to 250 degrees F.

Remove the roast from the refrigerator and rub with canola oil. Remember to rub the bones with oil, as well. Once the roast is completely coated with oil cover the roast with salt,about half a teaspoon per bone.


Next, rub with freshly ground pepper to coat the surface.

Place the roast over a glass bake-ware dish slightly smaller than the length of the roast. This will catch the drippings needed for the sauce.

Finally, place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast and set for 118 degrees. Put the roast and the bake-ware dish into the oven. Turn the oven down to 200 degrees F and roast until internal temperature is achieved.





Remove the roast and turn oven up to 500 degrees F.

Remove the lid and re-cover with heavy-duty foil. Allow the roast to rest until an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. is reached.

Place the roast back into the preheated 500 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until you've achieved your desired crust.

Remove and transfer roast to a cutting board. Keep covered with foil until ready to serve.

Degrease the juices in the glass pan. Place the pan over low heat and deglaze with 1 cup of water.

Add the wine and reduce by half.

Roll the sage leaves in between your fingers to release the flavors and aroma. Add to the sauce and cook for 1 minute.

Strain and serve on the side.


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