The Perfect Prime Rib with Healthy Horseradish Sauce

There’s nothing like a beautiful roast for your Christmas or Holiday feast! I tend to avoid red meat, with the exception of bison, most of the year. But I can’t resist treating my family to a traditional prime rib for our Christmas dinner. I serve it with a healthy horseradish sauce and gluten-free popovers (a.k.a. Yorkshire Pudding).

I find that the art to perfecting this rib roast is to keep the ingredients simple, as the quality of this cut will speak for itself! Your focus should be on the cooking technique. The most important element to the cooking process is a good quality meat thermometer. This will help you determine the exact timing for a perfectly cooked roast. And you don’t want to deliver anything but perfection for this dish!

This roast may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite easy if you follow the steps I have provided for you.

Ingredients

• 5 rib roast* (prime or choice with USDA label, about 10 lbs.)

• 2 t salt

• 3 T ghee, softened (or more depending on size)

• 2 T fresh Rosemary (chopped)

• 2 t fresh Thyme (chopped)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°. Let roast sit out until it gets to room temperature. This is important to ensure that the roast cooks evenly. Trim roast of excess fat, but be sure and leave the layer of fat on the side of the roast opposite the ribs. This layer serves as a protective barrier and a natural baster for your roast. Pat the roast dry with a paper towel. Place the roast, rib side down and fat side up, in a deep roasting pan. Using a metal rack is optional as the ribs serve as a natural rack.

Combine the ghee, salt, and herbs. Smear the cut ends and the top of the roast with the ghee mixture.

Cook the roast at this high heat for 15 minutes. This serves as a searing process. Turn the oven down to 325° for the remainder of the cooking time. Begin checking the internal temperature of the meat, using your meat thermometer, about 30 minutes before the expected done time.

Insert meat thermometer in the thickest part of the center of the meat without touching any bone. Remove roast from the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 120°-125°. Cover roast for 20 minutes. It will continue to cook outside the oven.

Carve the roast with a long, sharp knife. Cut end piece first and then continue to cut servings at approximately ½ inch thickness. Serve with healthy horseradish sauce.

*5 ribs serves 10 people. If you want to serve more, you can get up to 7 ribs. If you want to serve less, you can get as few as 2-3 ribs. Follow the instructions provided above for all sizes, and then adjust the cooking time based on the size of your roast.

For cooking times for various sizes, refer to the following chart below. These measurements are based on a 450°/325° oven temperature and an internal temperature of 120°-125° (rare). Remember the roast is going to sit for 20 minutes after it is taken out of the oven, where it will continue to cook up to 130°-135° (medium rare).

Remember a good meat thermometer is very important for cooking this roast!

Size	Weight (approx.)	Cooking Time	Servings
3 ribs	+/- 6-8lbs	1.5 hours	6
5 ribs	+/- 10lbs	2.5 hours	10-12
7 ribs	+/- 15lbs	3.5 hours	15-17