Have You Heard of The “Prime Rib 500” Technique?
It requires a little faith but the results are spectacular!
Cooking a “Prime Rib”, (more accurately, Standing Rib Roast), can be intimidating, especially with the higher costs these days but it’s actually one of the most forgiving cuts!
For the sake of clarity, we should mention that the term “Prime Rib” refers to the USDA grade of the cut of Beef. The vast majority of Beef sold in Supermarkets is USDA Choice, which is of superior quality whereas USDA Prime is the Superlative, usually reserved for Restaurants and sold in limited quantities through some Supermarkets as only 2-3% of Beef qualifies as USDA Prime.
There is a somewhat new technique that’s becoming very popular when it comes to roasting a Beef Rib Roast, often called the “Prime Rib 500 Technique”
The technique involves preheating your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and cooking your Beef Rib Roast at that temperature for a period of 5-6 minutes per pound, then shutting off your oven completely for two hours!
Sound a little scary? Actually the process is virtually fool-proof and the results are stunning!
To understand why this technique succeeds is that a high oven temperature will ensure the outside of the roast is deeply caramelized (It will NOT burn unless you forget about it!) and then allowing the oven’s ambient heat, along with the roast itself) to continue the cooking process to produce a perfectly Medium-Rare Standing Rib Roast of Beef.
All you have to do for optimum results is follow a few simple rules.
Rule #1: The day before you plan to cook it, unwrap your roast, and dry with paper towels. Coat generously with Salt & Pepper and place the roast in a pan on a rack in the refrigerator uncovered.
This is more about Quality than achiving the final result. When the roast is unwrapped, the surface will dry out, (your refrigerator, besides being a chiller, is also a very effective dehydrator!) and the drier your roast is, the faster it will caramelize and crisp the outside surface of the roast and it will also concentrate flavors.
You only need the rack with a Boneless Beef Rib Roast. If you’re cooking a Bone-in Roast, just place it on a sheet pan. The dehydrating effect of the frig, along with the Salt, will guarantee a delicious Mahogany crust!
Rule #2: Pull the Roast OUT of the refrigerator a few hours before roasting!
This is a MUST!!! The colder the center of your roast is, the more energy is needed to penetrate the 5-6 inches of roast to properly cook it so the closer to room temperature the roast is before you put it in, the better the result!
This is what all professional Chefs do. The closer the entire roast is to room temperature before putting it in the oven, the smaller the differential in temperature between the well-roasted exterior and the rarest part of the roast.
It’s a good idea to tent the Roast with foil or parchment paper to keep flies and pests away.
There is ZERO safety risk in doing this because the roasting process kills all germs!
Rule #3: Do the math and have Faith!!! If you have a 10-pound rib roast, and you’re supposed to cook at 500º for 5-6 minutes per pound, that calculates out to 50-60 minutes at 500º F. Here’s the hard part: You CANNOT open the oven door!!! Opening the door will release critically important ambient and radiant heat trapped in the oven that’s required to cook the roast! However, you CAN do the following: After roasting for 30-40 minutes of the 500º cooking period, a quick glance at the roast is fine but keep it very brief and then close the door and let it roast for the calculated time. What is criticall important is that after the calculated time has elapsed, turn off the oven and DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR!
One last tip: When you preheat the oven and it beeps, telling you the oven is pre-heated, it’s FAR BETTER to let the oven continue to pre-heat for another 15 minutes before putting the roast in.
Rule #3: Buy an Instant Read Meat Thermometer!
This is the cheapest insurnace policy you’ll ever invest in! Depending on the size of your roast, you will need to get a temperature check after two-to-three hours. The basic temps are:
Rare: 125º F
Medium-Rare: 135º F
Medium: 145º F
We strongly recommend NOT going over 145ºF
If you’re not feeling quite as adventurous with the “Prime Rib 500º”, we offer this alternative that’s very similar and the results are very similar…
High Heat and then dial it back
This is the traditional method is what we’re all familiar with but with a few tweaks: Preheat the oven and put the roast in. Take it out when it’s done. This process is somewhat similar with a minor variation.
High-Heat Roasting: Preheat your oven to 450º
Step 1: Calculate the time needed. We use the “per pound X 20” method which means you multiply the weight of the roast by 20 to give you total number of minutes so a 5 pound roast X 20 = 100 minutes or an hour and 40 minutes. This just a ballpark number to help you plan. ALWAYS use an instant-read thermometer for the best results.
Step 2: Start your oven. The longer it preheats the better. Make sure to take your roast out of the refrigerator two to three hours before you plan to begin roasting so that the roast is as close to room temperature as possible. Put the roast in the oven and let roast at 450º for 20-30 minutes. This higher heat will create the darker, more flavorful crust.
Step 3: Turn the heat down to 325º and roast another 2+ hours (depending on the size of the roast), until the internal temp (with an instant read thermometer), registers 125º for Rare, 135º for Medium-Rare and 145º for Medium.
