Oven Roasted Prime Rib

In my past life I was a waitress. College requires it, I think. So, while I studied the works of the Italian Renaissance during the day, at night I served over priced soup and lobster tail at one of the area’s most loved restaurants of the time. Since then, more restaurants have come in and taken over the market, and the place I worked has kind of fallen from its high horse.

I mean that. It was stuck up. The woman in charge? Don’t even get me started. I think she thought being the managing hostess of a steak restaurant was right up there with lead singer for Guns n’ Roses. Not that she’d have even known who the band was anyway, as she was out of touch. But, the money was good, it kept me in designer jeans and gas money, and on Sundays if you worked a double shift (yes, 9-9, all day) you could eat anything you wanted for a whopping half price on your 30 minute break.

I always wanted the Prime Rib special. On Sunday, I could get a 6 ounce for $5.

They did a great job with prime rib, and for several years, they were the only restaurant in the area that made it. Then one day I quit, as all waitresses eventually do, by throwing in my apron and telling them to suck it. I think I may have actually wrote the words “suck it” in my good riddance letter. I really can’t recall, but that sounds familiar.

That felt so good. And you know what else, bartender that I worked with but can’t really remember your name? Just because we made out for 4 hours doesn’t mean you were all that hot, and I really hope you got a new couch. Also – you’re not Irish. It was cute at first, that accent, but, really, I didn’t buy it. I was just bored and you had cable.

But the prime rib special…I miss that.

Soon after quitting I started getting prime rib every time we went to Texas Steakhouse. That went on for many years – I never deviated – Prime Rib, medium rare, button mushrooms, baked potato, and all the soft yeast rolls I could shove in my mouth without exploding.

Then several months ago I went back to our local Texas Steakhouse all ready for my meal, when low and behold, no. more. prime. rib. Not as in out for the night, but Off The Menu.

What?? And, they must have changed the yeast roll recipe, because they were awful.

What the what??

Sometimes I just want a freaking good slice of prime rib. Juicy, dark pink. Not too much seasoning on the outside (who needs all of that? Hello, Outback, I am talking to you here), and just the right amount of tenderness.

I found it, y’all.

I was sent a 4 bone prime rib from Certified Steak and Seafood, an online meat/seafood retailer.

I’ll be honest, seeing the vacuum packed rib did not give me high hopes. It looked small. It looked frozen (yes, it WAS frozen.) It just looked…kinda sad. No way was it going to serve very many people, despite the website saying it could feed 10.

But that wasn’t going to deter us from making it. It’s meat, after all, and I’ve never turned down a piece of prime rib. My dad is a huge meat lover too, so we invited my folks up for Sunday dinner and hoped for the best.

Once it was defrosted, we applied a rub, and then into the oven it went. We used the amazing Steam Assist feature on Gilda, my new KitchenAid range. With the push of a couple of buttons, Gilda set herself to steam the rib as needed, with no assistance from us at all. No basting needed either, just perfectly cooked, juicy, medium rare prime rib. What went into the oven small and none too appetizing puffed up in glorious fashion (so much, in fact, that we had to adjust the oven shelves to allow for how tall it had gotten!) When done, it was, without a doubt, the most gorgeous piece of red meat I’ve laid eyes on. Salivating ensued.

But how would it taste?

In a word, incredible. Absolutely incredible. I sat across from my dad, who swore when we laid a bone in piece on his plate that he’d never be able to eat it all. After oohing and ahhing over its tenderness and perfection, he surprised himself (but none of us) that he managed to eat every bite. He compared it to meals he had had in some of the finest restaurants. He wanted us to take some of it to HIS dad, my grandfather, who worked as a meat cutter for much of his life. He couldn’t stop going on about it, and rightly so…it was amazing.

Certified Steak and Seafood. Seriously, look it up. I will definitely be ordering from them again. If everything is as even half as good as the rib, you can rest assured it will be one heck of a meal!

Oven Roasted Prime Rib

Rating: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 8-10 Servings

Ingredients

7-8 pound Bone In Prime Rib
2 tablespoons softened butter (we used Kerrygold)
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Defrost the prime rib, if frozen.
Preheat oven to 450.
Pat the meat dry. Using a sharp knife, cut several 1/2 inch deep strips into the top and sides of the meat. Use your hands to rub the meat down with the softened butter, then sprinkle the seasonings evenly over the butter.
Place the meat in a roasting pan and bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325, and bake for 1 1/2 additional hours, or until a meat thermometer registers 120 when inserted in the middle of the meat. Baste occasionally as needed.
Once meat reaches 120, remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil. The rib will continue to cook out of the oven. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before cutting to redistribute the juices.
Cut to desired thickness and serve.

Disclaimer: I was sent the meat as an item to review, but was not paid for my positive opinion. I truly loved it, and will never promote a product I do not fully and honestly endorse. As an aside, I was also supplied my range from KitchenAid, but again, was not paid for my opinion.