5 minute read
From The Kitchen:
FROM THE KITCHEN: IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT PRIME RIB
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RECIPE BY BEN FORBES
INGREDIENTS:
First and foremost pick a really good piece of meat. For me that comes from a locally raised animal from a rancher that I know personally or from a butcher who knows you as well as he does the rancher he buys sides of beef from. Ok, then I personally like some age to my beef. You can get dry-aged beef anywhere from 45 days to 90 days at a good butcher shop. Why dry aged you ask? The reason is that there is a lot of water in meat and you know this if you’ve ever bought meat in a foam tray from your local supermarket. That water signifies meat that is purging its natural water from it as it has sat in a box for months before the meat cutter ever takes a blade to it. At Forbes Meat Company we take the fresh beef and set it on a shelf so that that moisture evaporates and the natural enzymes in the beef slowly start to break down the fibers to create a significantly more tender and flavorful piece of beef.
SEASON:
The next thing you want to do is season your roast a day or two before you cook it. I suggest kosher or sea salt, fresh chopped garlic, fresh crushed black pepper (the pre-ground stuff on the grocery store shelf lacks the robust flavor and aroma), and lastly a good amount of fresh thyme. You can do rosemary as well; I am just in love with the aroma and flavor of thyme.
MAKE AHEAD:
Drizzle some olive oil on the roast this will help the spice rub to the beef. Hand chop or mince 8 cloves of garlic and spread them over the roast. Then add about 1/4 cup of kosher salt over the roast. It won’t all stick and don’t worry; it may seem like overkill but it takes a lot of salt to penetrate the meat and a lot of it will fall onto your block anyway. Then rub 2 tablespoons of fresh cracked coarse black pepper. Finally add 4 tablespoons of fresh chopped thyme. Place the rubbed roast in a bag overnight.
HOLIDAY MORNING:
When you have set your dinner time, the first step in cooking the roast begins by bringing the roast to room temperature. If you pull the roast out of the refrigerator the meat is about 40 degrees. When you put it in the oven at this temperature it won’t sear as well as it will at room temp. What you need to understand is that the cooking starts when you bring it out of your refrigerator. By allowing the roast to come to room temp you’re just doing what the oven would do to the cold roast right out of the fridge but that cold roast will have a cold center that the room temp roast doesn’t and most importantly is the quality sear you get at room temp. I would pull my roast out of the fridge at least two
to four hours before cooking. It all depends on the size of the beast and the temperature in the kitchen. Four hours is a safe amount of time for any piece of meat to be out of refrigeration especially since its about to go into the oven.
LET’S GET COOKING:
Ok, now lets turn on the oven. Tender meat starts with high heat. I crank my oven up to 400 to 450 degrees. Those of you have a convection oven 400 is good. Place the roast on a rack inside a roasting pan with a bit of water in the bottom of the pan made a 1/4 of an inch this will keep the drippings from smoking. Take your roast that has been at room temperature for the last 2 to 4 hours I would do 2 to 4 depending on the temperature in your kitchen and place it in your oven uncovered. Let it roast at this temp for about 15 minutes. This will sear the outside creating a nice crust with all the seasonings on the outside and it helps to lock in the juices as well. After 15 minutes you can drop the heat to a roasting temp of 375 and cook until the meat thermometer reads 120/125 degrees. How long will that all take? Again depending on the size of the roast times will vary and if you’re not a pro cook whole prime ribs daily in the same oven over and over you need to have that thermometer and thats just that. Yes you can have an estimated time per pound and an overall estimated cooking time of 14 minutes per pound or approximately 2 and a half hours total cooking time but the most important thing is that you use that thermometer and check it early so you don’t overcook it. You want to pull the roast out before its done cooking. Why? Because it will continue to cook as it rests on your kitchen counter and you prepare the table for your guests.
NOTES:
A roast should be allowed to rest for at least 20 minutes. During this time it will continue to cook and you’ll be happy you pulled it early as you will find that when you bite into it, it will be juicy and not dry. I suggest pulling the roast out of the oven 15/20 degrees below the desired final temp you choose. Rare is 130 so pull the meat out at 115/120 Medium rare is 145 so pull it at 130 Well done, just don’t do it, why? The ends will be well done and the second cut from the ends will be medium rare and then you’ll be into the rare by the third cut. We hope that you enjoy this recipe and this meal as much as we have over the years and this it helps you to create a memorable holiday for you and your family. Love people and cook them delicious food! ~Ben Forbes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Forbes Meat Company is a small sustainable local butcher who supports local ranchers and serves the local community by selling local meats at 5 Points Farmers Market. He operates a small production facility at 220 E Broadway Blvd in Tucson AZ. His specialty is whole animal butchery and does custom butchery for families that raise their own animals as well. They offer over thirty hand made sausages of which they creat every spice blend from scratch. Meaning that they hand blend each spice blend for every flavor. From Green Chorizo to lamb Marquez every link will leave you wanting more from this amazing local butcher.
