Prime time for prime rib

When it comes to the main dish during the holidays, turkey may be king for Thanksgiving but Christmas is the prime time for some prime rib.

If you’re hungry for that savory, mouth watering cut of meat with a great crust then your best bet is to go to the Historic Hotel Wolf in Saratoga or 307 Pub & Grub in Encampment. If you insist on doing it yourself, then there are some ways you can make sure to serve up the tastiest prime rib for friends and family.

The best place to get a prime rib roast is at Valley Foods. The beef sold at your local grocery store is USDA Prime or Choice and the experienced staff in the meat department can cut your prime rib roast to order. There are many ways in which you can prepare a prime rib for the holidays, but for the purpose of this article we’ll focus on two: oven roasted and smoked. Both recipes we’ll be using come from Hey, Grill, Hey.

Restaurant Style Rib Roast

To begin with, you’ll need an 8-10 pound bone-in prime rib roast. You’ll also need one tablespoon of coarse ground salt and one tablespoon of black pepper. Adjust the measurements as needed to cover the entire roast.

For the garlic herb butter, you’ll need the following:

• 16 ounces softened butter
• 8 cloves minced garlic
• 2 sprigs of finely minced rosemary
• 2 sprigs of finely minced thyme
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

This garlic herb butter will help enhance the beef’s natural flavor without being overpowering. You’ll want to use fresh garlic and herbs, which can also be found at Valley Foods in the produce section.

Before you’ve seasoned the prime rib with the salt, pepper and garlic herb butter you’ll want to tie it before roasting. This is a very important step as, otherwise, the meat will pull away from the bone and overcook. To twine the prime rib, you’ll need butcher’s twine or kitchen twine and scissors. Follow these steps from Grill Masters Club when twining your prime rib:

• Using 12-inch lengths of twine, tie a loose knot around one end of the meat and pull until snug to make an anchor knot.
• Pull a length of twine away from the anchor to create a large loop.
• Loop it around the prime rib.
• Space it about one-and-one-half inches from the anchor knot and tie a second knot.
• Pull more twine to create a third loop and secure it one-and-one-half inches from the second knot.
• Continue tying the roast crosswise at one-and-one-half inch intervals until the roast is evenly tied.

If you are unsure about twining the prime rib yourself, the Valley Foods meat department will be more than happy to do it for you.

So, know you’ve got your prime rib twined and seasoned. It’s time to roast in the oven. As with any cut of meat, time and temperature is an important factor. Keeping in mind that most people like to have their prime rib rare, cook your roast at around 35 minutes per pound at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. So, for an 8-10 pound prime rib roast, you’ll be looking at around six hours of cook time. You’ll also want to factor in another 30 minutes to rest the prime rib roast and another 15 minutes for the final sear.

For a medium prime rib, increase the time to 40 minutes per pound. Your ideal internal temperature is 120 degrees Fahrenheit for rare doneness, 125 degrees for medium-rare or 130 degrees for medium doneness.

Remove the prime rib and rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the butter and the drippings from the baking sheet and set aside. Increase your oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and, once it has reached this temperature, return the prime rib roast to the oven until you reach your ideal temperature: 130 degrees Fahrenheit for rare, 135 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium. Rest for 15 minutes and then drizzle the butter and drippings over the prime rib roast before carving.

Smoked Prime Rib

If you’d rather smoke a prime rib, the preparation process is similar in terms of twining the roast. Instead of a garlic herb butter, however, you’ll want something that will still highlight the taste of the beef but cut through the smokey flavor.

Set your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and season your prime rib roast using the following ingredients:

• Half cup horseradish mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

Again, you can adjust the amount of salt and black pepper to fully cover the prime rib roast.

Combine the horseradish mustard, Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic in a bowl and slather it over the roast. Then, season the roast liberally with salt and pepper.

Place the roast in your smoker directly on the grate and smoke until the internal temperature has reached 120 degrees to 130 degrees Fahrenheit depending on desired doneness.

Remove the roast and cover it with aluminum foil. Increase your smoker’s temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When that temperature has been reached, return the roast to the smoker until the internal temperature has reached 130 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the prime rib roast rest for 15 minutes before carving.