Prime Rib: Yummmmy- and worth the wait!

The Orange and Blue exhibition football game was this past weekend, and the day came and passed with lots of success for GatorTailgating. We had friends up to stay with us, the weather was perfect, and we cooked up some delish beer-can chicken with a tasty rub. A great day to tailgate.

But then it was all over, and the sad fact that more tailgating  is a full 4 months away hit us like a season-ending SEC loss. Low-spirited, we zipped up the tents, loaded up our coolers, and trudged unceremoniously back to our cars. None of us has any patience, after all, and here we were, forced with a 4-month wait… Although, to be fair, the boys have it way easier than I do- Sprout’s arrival coincides with the return of football/tailgating season, so I have the added luxury of waiting around with an ever-increasing belly girth to keep me company!


But, I digress. I decided that there surely must be a way to pass the time, something with a juicy, meaty reward that also has the added bonus of teaching us a thing or two about delayed gratification.


Of course! Prime Rib!

Lookit that beauty. Now, this is what’s called in the meat department as a “standing rib roast.” One bone should feed two people. I say should- Mike and I polished off this baby our ownselves. Be smart, err on the side of caution and buy the biggest hunk of meat you can afford. No matter where you get your rib roast, you will not be sorry!


*I ask my butcher to cut the meat off the bone and tie it back on with twine- this helps tremendously when carving the meat later.


Here’s what you need:

Standing rib roast. Butter (REAL butter, now! No cheating!) Salt. Pepper. That’s it!


First, turn the oven onto 500 degrees, and remove all but one rack- place it in the second to lowest setting. While the oven’s heating up- it takes awhile to get that hot- let the roast come to room temperature.


Next, take a big hunk of butter and rub it in your hands to soften and warm it. You’re about to become the world’s best meat masseuse.


Take your hunk of meat, stand it rib-side down in a roasting pan (I just use the bottom half of my broiler pan) and give it a good rubbing. Really get in there and massage the butter into the meat.

*You didn’t think this was diet-friendly, did you? C’mon, I’m preggers. What’s the point?


Once your rib roast is slathered up good and buttery, sprinkle on a generous amount of salt and pepper.

It’s important to make sure it’s standing on the bones in the pan, so the meat is up above its own juices and can roast evenly.


Now, pop that hunk o' hunk o' buttery beef in the 500-degree oven and let it roast for 30 minutes. 30 MINUTES ONLY!!


…..and then turn the oven off.

Here’s the next part, which is when all the most wonderful things in the history of prime rib happen. You leave the roast in the oven for 2 hours.

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!! GIT YO’HANDS OFF THAT HANDLE!! BACK AWAY FROM THE OVEN!!


See, the residual heat after turning the oven off will slow-roast the prime rib until it is absolutely perfect- cooked slightly medium at the ends, but a warm pink medium-rare all throughout the rest of the roast. So you wanna just leave it well enough alone. Go mow your lawn. Walk your dog. Watch a movie. Anything to keep you from peeking, because once you let some of the heat out, the cook time is ruined- you can’t get that heat back. Yikes!

In 2 hours, after you’ve nibbled your nails to nubs and paced the floor in anticipation, it’s time to take the roast out of the oven.

Cut the twine, remove the bones, and feed them to any good dogs you may have in the vicinity. We didn’t have any good dogs around, only bad ones, but they’ll do it a pinch.

Next, take the remaining roasty goodness and slice it for the number of servings you need.

I strongly advise you to not let the hungry mob gathering in your kitchen serve themselves- the first person in line will quite possibly walk off with the whole platter, never to be seen again.


At some point, you’re gonna want to set out some sour cream to mix with a spoonful or two of prepared horseradish.

We love creamy horseradish upon our prime rib, but it’s really up to each individual to mix it to their own degree of spiciness- plus it’ll create a diversion so you can make off with more roast.

I’m just sayin’.

So here you have it, folks, the best prime rib ever, ever EVER. This method is guaranteed to work regardless of the size of your roast, is eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-your-head tasty, and may help pass the time until tailgating season.


Be warned, though- whoever you feed this to will spend the rest of the day in a meaty stupor, stammering their undying affection for you. If you feel this could get annoying, I recommend scheduling an appointment immediately following the meal so you can get some peace and quiet.

Enjoy!