One of the most flavorful cuts of beef is the prime rib. Some of the best meat in the world is sticking to these rib bones, meltingly tender and sweet with the slightly gelatinous tissue that holds them together. Make sure you choose a cut that is USDA prime with a nice marbling of fat that runs through the meat. Have your butcher remove any excess fat, and make sure he leaves about a 1/2" thick fat cap. Unfortunately for us, the more calorie-laden and artery-clogging that piece of prime beef is, the better it will taste. So if you are diet conscious, indulge infrequently - but you might as well do it right when you do it at all.
My prime rib recipe is pretty simple as long as you have a really good meat thermometer to gauge your temperature. I chose for this recipe a 4-1/2 pound prime rib for three adults and a child. A day before you are ready to cook it, season it well with kosher salt and garlic powder and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day, slice up some garlic (4-5 cloves) and cut slits in the meat and the fat cap, and stud the roast with the garlic slivers pushing them down into the meat. Make sure you keep the fat cap on. Place the meat, bone side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Then make a paste using another 3 cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt, some fresh ground black and white pepper (about 1 tsp of each), fresh thyme and rosemary (1 tsp of each), and enough olive oil to make the paste. I put it all in a stone mortar and pound it until it reaches the right consistency.
Then I slather the fat cap with the paste and then I place it into a preheated 325 degree oven and I roast it for roughly 20 minutes per pound (1 hour 30 minutes) until it reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees for medium rare. Take it out of the oven and let it rest until you are ready to slice individual pieces. As your meat rests, it will continue to cook for another 5 to 10 degrees. If you want it to be rare, take it out at 115 degrees. After-wards, reserve the drippings and while your meat is resting, make your au jus. Place your roasting pan over two burners and deglaze your pan using a cup of red wine. Then add 1-1/2 cups beef stock, some minced garlic, and more thyme. Reduce your au jus for about 20 minutes over medium heat and you are done!
Your prime rib roast will be perfect every time. The fat will simply melt in your mouth and you will be left with the delicious sweetness of the meat.
