I remember the days when I wasn’t much into cooking that we would get our “prime rib fix” during holidays at the Four Seasons. They always had a dinner special at $75/head. With drinks and tax, that was an easy $300 dollar. Ouch!

It got me into thinking on how hard could that really be to make. The culture that I grew up in is not into serving bloody meat, no matter how good the quality. So I had to do a lot of research and read a few thousand blogs on what (and what NOT) to do.

Surprisingly, my first prime rib was a success. I used my culinary Mom’s  (Martha Stewart), and she didn’t fail me. As I keep making it, I personalized it, as what cooks often do.

This New Year’s Eve of 2016, I made one again. I have to say, this is my best by far.

You would need a prime rib (obviously). It comes bone-in or boneless. I use bone-in this time because that was the only kind left with the size I had in mind. The three of us are huge steak eaters but I wouldn’t go with more than 2 people per bone, which is the standard. I picked a 5 pounder because I need the left-overs for another recipe.

Thaw the  meat to room temperature—-this is not even an option. There’s quite a bit of “musts” to mind when cooking this. It serves well because you don’t really want to make avoidable mistakes specially when dealing with these kinds of meat that don’t exactly come cheap.

While thawing, I like to rub it with salt. I read that it was supposed to draw out excess moisture and dissolve some enzyme that contribute to toughness.

There are so many recipes with different seasonings but I always end up loving my basics: lemon pepper for the tangy taste, garlic salt because I believe that garlic is the cornerstone of every good dish, and a dash of onion powder. Quantities may vary. I have yet to have an “over-seasoned” prime rib, so don’t be stingy.

Heat up an iron skillet on high and add a generous amount of olive oil. At this point, start up you oven till it reaches 500F. When skillet is hot, sear your meat on every side. If you are confident about the heat of your pan, 3 minutes should be enough.

Place in a roasting rack. You don’t really need one if you are using bone-in meat, but I like to use a rack just the same. You may add some seasoning if it has fallen off while searing.

Pop into the 500F oven and cook for 25 minutes, after which, turn the heat low to 300.  What happens after this now solely depends upon how you want your meat : bloody rare or well done (gasp!). If you like your meat well-done, then let me just stop you right there. A well-done prime rib is a crime. I am certain you can end up in jail for that here in Texas….Seriously though, if you want to end up with medium-rare to medium, allow 15 minutes per pound. This is a very good guestimate that I use. Bottom line is, you have to end up with 120-130 in your meat thermometer (another “must” when cooking prime rib) for it to be considered medium.

If anything, this is the most stressful part of making prime rib—the constant checking of temperature. I don’t use a leave-in meat thermometer because I read that it is less accurate. So I check my meat every 15-20 minutes.

I take it out of the oven 5-10 degrees before my goal temperature because while resting, it still actually is still cooking in the inside.

Now cover this with foil and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes. That’s another “must”. Never cut your prime rib fresh out of the oven—-says everyone who has made prime rib roast. Just trust me on this.

My Billy loves gravy so I use the drippings to make one. It is so easy. Just add about 2T of flour onto the drippings. Cook flour for about a minute, then add 1 C of beef stock. As sure as the sun rises tomorrow, if you add stock onto flour cooked in grease, IT WILL THICKEN. So just keep stirring till it does. You can add sautéed mushrooms too.