Reverse Sear Standing Rib Roast

I'm not much of a prime rib fan so when Dave brought home a standing rib roast (aka prime rib) I wasn't super enthused and had no idea what to do with it...he goes 'my mom just put olive oil, salt and pepper and rosemary all over it and baked at 350' for 1 1/2 hours'. I looked at him like he was a stranger, rolled my eyes and said that I'd google what to do. 

Side note - Dave has never made a roast in his life, has no idea what temp to bake at (one time he called me while I was golfing to ask how to turn on the oven. true story.), or how long to cook anything other than meat on the grill. Just sayin'. 

I talked to Al, who is a great cook, and asked how he does it and he told me about the 'reverse sear' method which I'd never heard of. Traditionally you start hot to get a sear on the outside and then turn the oven down and let it roast until cooked to your preferred temp - this creates a roast that is more done on the ends and rarer in the center. So with the reverse sear you bake at a very low temperature until the internal temperature of the roast is 118' (or to your preferred doneness), remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes, then crank the oven temp to 500' and cook for 10-15 minutes. The result is the roast is evenly cooked throughout and has an amazing crispy flavorful crust. 

Al advised me to look at some youtube videos to see it done in action - I found one by Alton Brown that was pretty much exactly what Al told me to do; I followed it other than the internal temp, I roasted mine to 125' before pulling it out to rest, and I did not dry-age for the week beforehand, mostly because I didn't get the recipe until the morning I made it!

Click here to watch Alton in action, and I'll post the recipe below.

My prime rib turned out SO GOOD!!! Oh my gosh - thank you so much Al! I actually ate an entire piece which never happens hahha. YUM. 

PS: I learned from Alton that prime rib is actually mislabeled - it's a standing rib roast, they are rarely 'prime' grade. 

Here's the recipe I copied and pasted, click the above link to see how Alton dry ages and makes yorkshire pudding, and if want more info:

• When you’re ready to cookretrieve the roast from the refrigerator, and rub roast with the oil. Remember to rub the bones with oil, as well. Once the roast is completely coated with oil, cover the roast with kosher salt, using about 2 teaspoons per bone, and the pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast and set its alarm for 118°F. Set the roast on the lower middle rack in a cold oven and turn the oven to 250°F. Let roast until the meat hits its target temperature, about 3 hours for a 3-bone roast or up to about 4 hours for a 4-bone roast. (It is more important to keep an eye on the temperature than the time here; your times may vary depending on the exact weight and shape of the roast.)
• When the thermometer alarm goes off, remove the roast from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil, and let rest while preparing the pudding. (The roast’s internal temperature should rise up to around 130°F, then very slowly start to fall.) Pour off the drippings from the sheet pan into a heat-proof liquid measuring cup. Let the roast rest for 30 minutes. Hang on to the sheet pan and rack; you’ll use it again later.
• After 30 minutes, return the roast to the rack and sheet pan, then return to the oven. Crank the oven up as high as it will go; ideally 550°F, but 500°F will also work, and cook until the exterior of the roast is browned, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hot you can get your oven to run.

Another note: I don't have a probe thermometer so kept checking the roast with an instant thermometer until it reached the temp I was shooting for (125' -130'). I found this temperature guide on another youtube video:

120-125' = rare

125-130' = medium-rare

130-135' = medium

135-140' = medium well

140+ = well done

12.31.20: New Years Eve