Blackened Prime Rib Roast
7 lb. rib roast - bone in (note: any cut will do
according to Everett, but he likes it cut from the small, or loin end.)
coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Place the roast on a rack over a pan with paper
towels in the bottom to catch drippings. Air should circulate around the roast.
Age in the refrigerator for about 5 days. Trim off the dry parts before cooking.
It is a good idea to weigh the roast after aging and trimming.
Mix up a bit of coarse salt and freshly ground
black pepper. The amount depends on the size of the roast, but a couple
tablespoons of each can't be very far off. Sometimes, I put granulated garlic or
garlic powder in this mix. Cracked coriander and a little dill seed would be
good as well. I can't see how you could go wrong with a teaspoon of each of
these in the salt and pepper mix.
Sear the meat by one of the following methods:
1.) Heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place beef on
a rack in a roasting pan and leave it in 30 minutes. Remove the roast and let
rest for 30 minutes while you let the oven cool to 200 degrees F. You can cover
the roast loosely with foil if you want.
2.) Sear all sides of the beef in a pan.
3.) Sear all sides of the beef on a really hot
grill. Watch the fire if you do this one.
Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and
roast in a 200 degree F. oven until the meat is done to your liking or about 30
minutes per pound. I always use a good digital thermometer. I like to cook the
beef to about 138 degrees F. and let rest about 1/2 hour before slicing (this is
really important, the rest makes a large difference on the even distribution of
juices in the meat). Because the roast is large, roasting at higher temperatures
causes over cooking of the outside and under cooking on the inside. Don't think
much of doing something with the juices, you'll be able to soak up most of them
with a potato chip. With this method, the juices stay in the meat. (Back to that
resting business!! If you cut it too soon, you'll see all your juice run out
onto the cutting board.)
While the beef is roasting, prepare the spice mix
to blacken the beef. You really have a lot of leeway here, but a good mix I've
used follows:
2 t. salt
2 t. fresh ground pepper
2 t. ground white pepper
1 t. ground cayenne pepper
1 t. ground sage
1 t. thyme
1 t. garlic powder
Mix these spices in a small bowl and set aside.
Get the equipment ready to blacken the beef.
You'll need a big skillet that can take unlimited heat, such as a big cast iron
skillet. You'll also need a good propane cook stove that can deliver at least
15,000 Btu to a single burner (30,000 or more is best.) A turkey fryer, Cajun
fish fryer, or standing propane camp stove all would work great. Just before you
slice the beef, fire up the stove/burner with your skillet on it.
Slice the roast in about 3/4 to 1
inch slices. You can even leave the bone on (if the butcher didn't slice it off
and tie it back on) if you really want big, beefy portions. Arrange the slices
on a platter and sprinkle the top surface with the spice mixture. When you think
the skillet is far to hot, place a couple of the slices, spice side down in it
with tongs or a long fork. Make sure you do this with the motion going away from
you. Leave for about 30 to 45 seconds. Sprinkle spices on the top side in the
meantime. Watch for flames. They're okay, just don't let them burn you while you
do the spices. In fact, if the skillet is hot enough, it will likely flame. Flip
over and let go for another 30 to 45 seconds.
This meal is wonderful with salad
and baked potatoes.
Editors note: This is perhaps
one of the best recipes I have seen for prime rib. This recipe has great
technique and very good explanations for why you are doing something. Try this
recipe and I am sure you will not be disappointed!
This recipe submitted by:
Everett Short
Alpha Angus Farms
