Cooking Prime Rib--tips from a rancher!

Who better to ask than a rancher how to cook the perfect prime rib? Many people are overwhelmed by a prime rib roast and it is a relatively expensive cut of meat. So you don't want to screw it up--but it is really pretty easy!

My first piece of advice is to do some research. I downloaded an app from Certified Angus Beef and it is awesome! Called Roast Perfect, you can download it for all cell phone types. It has recipes, suggested cuts of beef, recommended size of roasts for the number of people you are hosting and helps time your cooking. 

I found a recipe and, of course, adjusted it for our tastes. I softened two sticks of butter and mixed in our Blythe Family Secret Seasoning mix--it is a recipe I created a few years ago and you can find the recipe here: The Best Seasoning Recipe Ever!

Anyway, I then got the roast out of the refrigerator, dried it off with towels and then literally frosted it with the butter seasoning mixture. I have heard mixed advice about whether you should let meat come to room temperature before putting it on the grill or cooking it. Chefs on have told me to put it on the grill cold from the refrigerator to maintain a cool red center, and others have said to let it come to room temperature. So I think do what works for you. I tend to cook it straight from the refrigerator! 

Next, I use a digital meat thermometer. You do not have to have a digital one, but a meat thermometer is essential! Use the Roast Perfect app as a guideline, but every oven is different and each person's tastes are as well. We wanted the center to be medium rare. And the thermometer helped to monitor the exact time to remove it from the oven. 

My thermometer is an iGrill and it will communicate with my phone by Bluetooth. And I set it so it would alert me 10 degrees before I wanted the roast done. So we were aiming for medium rare--that's 130 degrees. 

Now, as the Roast Perfect app suggested, we started the roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes and then turned it down to 325 for the rest of the time. This puts a perfect seared crust on the outside and wow, it was beautiful! 

Finally my iGrill alerted me when the middle of the rib roast reached 120 degrees and we took it out of the oven to let it rest under a tent of foil. The temperature will continue to come up. We sliced it when it was at a perfect 135 degrees! At this point, make sure everyone is nearby and ready to eat--because there is no holding the roast at this temperature!! You must eat it RIGHT NOW!!!! 

And it is now worth the time and the little bit of work! A beautifully tender and juicy prime rib roast! Wow! Nothing better--and it wasn't even hard!

One more thing...before you ask, this is an Aspen Ridge prime rib and it was a gift to my daughter when she left her recent job for a major career change. (Seems like they must have liked her at that job!) I have bought Certified Angus Beef prime rib before as well. I like the CAB best, because that is what we raise! I like knowing I am buying from ranchers just like me--heck it might even be my own rib I buy!

By the way, I have not been compensated for any of my brand comments above--just telling you what works best for me. But I wouldn't turn down a CAB prime rib if it were offered....#justsayin!