Beef Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib) for Christmas Mains Recipe

2 hrs 10 Minute Easy Beef Standing Rib Roast

2 hrs 10 mins mins Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2.5 kg / 5 lb standing rib roast / prime rib , bone in (Note 1)
• 1 onion , unpeeled, quartered (brown, yellow, white)1 onion , unpeeled, quartered (brown, yellow, white)
• 1 head of garlic , unpeeled, halved horizontally1 head of garlic , unpeeled, halved horizontally
• 5 sprigs thyme5 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs rosemary3 sprigs rosemary

GARLIC HERB BUTTER:

• 150 g/ 10 tbsp unsalted butter , softened150 g/ 10 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 5 garlic cloves , minced5 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 tsp salt2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper1 tsp black pepper

RED WINE SAUCE:

• 1.5 cups (375 ml) beef broth/stock, low salt1.5 cups (375 ml) beef broth/stock, low salt
• 2.5 cups (675 ml) dry red wine (Note 2)2.5 cups (675 ml) dry red wine (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch (optional, Note 3)1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch (optional, Note 3)

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Instructions

PREPARE BEEF

1. Bring Beef to room temp: Take beef out of the fridge 2 - 3 hours before cooking to bring to room temp (key tip for even cooking). Pat dry with paper towel.
2. Preheat oven to 240C/460F (standard) or 220C/430F (fan/convection). Adjust shelf so beef will be sitting in the middle of the oven.
3. Garlic Herb Butter: Mix together.
4. Place onion, garlic and herbs in a heavy based oven proof skillet (or use a roasting pan).
5. Slather: Spread a thin layer of butter on the underside of the beef (ie the bone side). Place beef on onion etc, butter side down. Spread most of the rest of the butter on the top and sides (reserve a bit for 1 baste).
6. Hot oven: Roast 20 minutes.
7. Slather 2: Remove, spread over remaining butter. Turn oven down to 120C/250F (standard) or  100C/212F (fan/convection). 
8. Slow roast: Roast for a further 1.5 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the juices in the pan, until the internal temperature is 48°C/118°F in the centre (for medium rare, Note 4). Start checking the internal temp early.
9. Rest: Transfer beef to plate. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 20 - 30 minutes. Internal temperature will rise to 52°C/125°F (medium rare).
10. Slice beef and serve with Sauce! For a classic Steakhouse experience, serve with Paris Mash and Garlic Sautéed Spinach.

RED WINE SAUCE:

1. Place skillet with onion and garlic left in it on the stove over high heat. Add wine and beef stock, rapidly simmer for 10 minutes until it reduces by 2/3 or so, down to 1.5 cups or liquid.
2. Lower heat to medium. Mix cornflour with 2 tbsp water. Drizzle in half and stir. Sauce will thicken in 1 minute or so. Add more cornflour water mixture if you want it thicker.
3. Strain into bowl, pour into sauce jug.

Recipe Notes

1. Standing Rib Roast - also known as Prime Rib. Use any cut of prime rib - with the bones attached, trimmed and frenched (pictured ie bones scraped clean of meat and excess fat, excess fat mostly trimmed away). OR with bones removed but then reattached by tying it with string, with or without a thick layer of fat. The choice is yours!

Get the best quality you can afford. We don't have standardised quality ratings here in Australia, but if you can, ski the supermarket and opt for your butcher instead. Get a smaller piece of better quality beef, rather than a large piece of lower quality!

In the States, prime rib is graded: Prime is best, then Choice then Select. 

2. Beef stock/broth - important to use low sodium here otherwise the sauce might end up too salty. If it's too salty, fix as follows: Add 2 to 3 cups of water and 2 potatoes chopped into 2.5cm/1" pieces (or small enough so they are submerged). Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes - ensure potato doesn't start to break down. Potato will absorb salt. Scoop out potato, reduce sauce again.

3. Wine - Use any red wine that's not sweet or too oaky that's good enough to drink. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlots are all good options. I always rummage in the discount bins at liquor stores for bargains where you can get good bottles discounted up to 90%!

Win sub: If you cannot drink red wine, skip the wine and just use beef stock to make a terrific beef flavoured garlic-gravy.

4. Internal Temperature of Cooked Prime Rib: The internal temperature will rise by 3 - 4°C / 5 - 7°F while it is resting so it needs to be taken out of the oven before it reaches your desired doneness. 

Here are the internal temperatures of cooked beef:

• Rare is 49°C/120°F. Remove from oven when it is 46°C/115°F.
• Medium rare is 51.7°C / 125°F. Remove from oven when it is 48°C / 118°F.
• Medium is 55°F / 130°F. Remove from oven at 51°F/123°F.
• Medium well done is 57°C/135°F. Remove from oven at 53°C/127°F.

COOK TIMES for different sizes: Doesn't increase that much with increased size because of the shape. Add 10 -15 minutes for each 1 kg/ 2 lb, but start checking the internal temp early just to be sure.

TIP: Once the internal temp hits 40°C/104°F, the internal temp increases by 5°C/10°F every 10 to 15 minutes. 

5. Cornflour/cornstarch is optional. This thickens the sauce slightly to a maple syrup consistency which is how I like it. But this sauce is essentially a Red Wine Jus and they are actually quite runny as they are not thickened in this way. It's a personal preference - so if you don't mind a runnier sauce, you can skip this.

6. Make Ahead: Best made fresh. Keeps warm for 1 hour and can be blasted in hot oven for a few minutes to freshen up the crust. For leftovers, I like to keep it whole then slice thinly. Microwave very gently until just warmed (and still pink!). Or slice thinly, bring to room temp, pile of rye bread with mustard and pickles and make the BEST Roast Beef Sandwich EVER!

7. Unpeeled onion and garlic: I leave them unpeeled because then they hold together better so they keep the prime rib elevated off the base of the skillet. Unpeeled onion collapses into a soft pile very quickly. The onion is strained out later when making the sauce.

8. Nutrition per serving. Calculated using an estimation of the bone weight, and assuming most of the fat is trimmed. Includes sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 671cal (34%)Carbohydrates: 2g (1%)Protein: 64g (128%)Fat: 44g (68%)Saturated Fat: 19g (119%)Cholesterol: 193mg (64%)Sodium: 941mg (41%)Potassium: 885mg (25%)Vitamin A: 85IU (2%)Vitamin C: 3.5mg (4%)Calcium: 34mg (3%)Iron: 5.7mg (32%)