Top chefs say that 18 hours in a 120-degree oven is the route to prime rib perfection. So what's a home cook to do? Follow this recipe and you’ll get the Restaurant results you’re looking for.
Look for a roast with an untrimmed fat cap (ideally ½ inch thick). We prefer the flavor and texture of prime-grade beef, but choice grade will work as well. To remove the bones from the roast, use a sharp knife and run it down the length of the bones, following the contours as closely as possible until the meat is separated. Monitoring the roast with a meat-probe thermometer is best.
If you use an instant-read thermometer, open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature. If the roast has not reached the correct temperature in the time range specified in step 3, heat the oven to 200 degrees, wait for 5 minutes, then shut it off, and continue to cook the roast until it reaches the desired temperature.
TECHNIQUE
STEAKHOUSE PRIME RIB AT HOME
High-end restaurant chefs turn out prime rib that’s crisp on the outside and gorgeously rosy from center to edge. For similar results, we used nothing more than a hot skillet, a regular home oven—and a few tricks.
SUPER-CHEF APPROACH
BLOWTORCH THE MEAT Blasting the roast with the intense heat of a blowtorch jump-starts its exterior without subjecting the interior to any heat.
OUR WAY
SALT AND SEAR Salting the roast and then refrigerating it uncovered for at least a day (and up to four) not only seasons the meat thoroughly but also dries out its exterior for better browning. Searing the super-dry roast in a blazing-hot skillet develops a nice thick crust.
SUPER-CHEF APPROACH
ROAST AT 120° Using a specialized ultra-low-temperature oven—and leaving the roast in it for 18 hours—produces rosy-pink, ultra-tender results.
OUR WAY
ROAST AT 200° Roasting the meat as low as a conventional oven can go and then shutting off the heat and letting it finish in a turned-off oven produces incredibly tender and evenly cooked meat in about 4 to 5 hours.
