Active Time
1 hour
Total Time
4 hours
Nothing says Christmas quite like a standing beef rib roast. For starters, it's got good bones. And those bones give it stature—there's nothing petite about this hunk of beef—so it is a commanding presence on your holiday table. That other holiday favorite, beef tenderloin, can't begin to compare in brawn or beefiness.
The rib meat has the most marbling in the steer, and it's that marbling that gives the roast its deep, minerally essence. The Pinot Noir jus condenses a bottle of wine into a richly hued and nuanced sauce that not only complements the roast but cuts through its richness.
And while the beef rests after its turn in the oven, a minor amount of its marvelous rendered fat anoints carrots and potatoes, which helps goad them toward their own golden goodness.
Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Christmas Classic. Menu also includes Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans and Tiramisu Yule Log .
Ingredients
Makes 10 servings
Beef:
Jus:
Special Equipment
Preparation
For roast beef:
Step 1
Pat roast dry and put, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan.
Step 2
Coarsely crush peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or folded kitchen towel (not terry cloth) with a meat pounder or bottom of a heavy skillet. Stir together peppercorns, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, thyme, and rosemary in a small bowl.
Step 3
Rub roast all over with oil, then coat it all over with peppercorn mixture, pressing to help it adhere. Let coated roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third. Roast beef roast 20 minutes.
Step 5
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 110°F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Transfer to a platter (keep fat and pan juices in roasting pan) and let stand, uncovered, 40 minutes (temperature of meat will rise to about 130°F for medium-rare).
Step 6
While roast stands, put second oven rack in upper-third position and increase oven temperature to 450°F. Line 1 sheet pan with parchment paper.
Step 7
Strain pan juices from roasting pan through a sieve into a glass measuring cup (reserve roasting pan). Drain potatoes well and toss in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons melted beef fat from roasting pan and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, then spread out on parchment-lined sheet pan. Toss carrots in same bowl with another 3 tablespoons beef fat from pan and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, then spread out on other rimmed sheet pan. Roast vegetables in upper and lower thirds of oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until golden, 25 to 30 minutes for carrots and 30 to 35 minutes for potatoes.
Make jus while vegetables roast:
Step 8
Skim off and discard any remaining fat from pan juices. Set pan over 2 burners. Add 1 cup of wine and deglaze pan by boiling it over high heat, scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Pour into pan juices in cup.
Step 9
Cook shallot in 1 tablespoon butter with remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add wine mixture in cup, along with remaining wine in bottle, and boil over high heat until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes.
Step 10
Add broth and continue to boil over high heat until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Strain mixture through a sieve into another saucepan and whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces) until incorporated. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Step 11
To carve roast, slide a carving knife along inside of ribs to separate meat from bones, then cut ribs into individual bones. Slice meat and serve with vegetables and jus.
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Reviews (9)
Back to Topsince we will only have 2 for dinner my daughter bought a small standing rib roast. It has 3 bones and was cut in half, to 3-4 inches thick. Would it be better to cook it like it is or cut in half again and cook 2 pieces. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Any tips would be also.
Barry
12/23/2023
Made for Christmas last year. Making it for the heck of it now.. family raved about how good this is.
Anonymous
Atlanta GA
5/28/2022
Great recipe! My roast was half the size, so finished sooner than later. I rubbed the roast with homemade garlic oil used 3 tbl of each chopped herb in spite of my smaller roast. Don't be shy with your seasoning (but always go light on the salt)! I don't have a roasting rack, so I cooked the roast on a bed of onions and wilting celery (not a true mirepoix—I roasted the carrots separately). Perhaps because of the vegetable bedding, I didn't need to deglaze the pan. I used some of the drippings for yorkshire pudding and the rest for the jus. I used a bottle of Pinot Project for the jus. You don't want to use an expensive Pinot, but don't be cheap either. It all came out FABULOUS! Definitely only us beef broth for jus, I don't know why it even suggests chicken broth as an optional substitute—It is not one.
oceanstar9
Upper Montclair, NJ
12/26/2020
Absolutely simple and delicious recipe--made this Christmas Eve and it was perfect... my roast was 6 lbs so there was way too much salt/pepper/tyme that I applied ... I kept it at 450 for the first 45 mins and then dropped the heat - we like the meat medium and it was spot on... had it rest for 45 no more and it maintained juices just right...
Anonymous
New York
12/31/2016
I made this for Christmas dinner for two, so 6.11 lbs instead of 10. Flavor was superb! But, have question about the recipient -- Did the recipe contemplate using a convection oven? Even after letting the meat set at room temp for 1 hour before applying the herb rub, and 1 hour afterwards, and following the oven temperature sequence, the meat was NOT cooked even to rare after 1.75 hours and had to be returned to the oven for another 30 minutes. I used a heavy roasting pan with 3 inch sides and rack. Anyway, I believe I would have gotten a better result using my cast iron Dutch oven (without lid) which is 5 inches to the rim. I nearly had, but wanted to follow the directions exactly.
kristie495
Guilford, CT
12/26/2015
I made this for Christmas 2013 and for a dinner party - fantastic. The jus was a tasty alternative to gravy.
colpatcampbell
Indianapolis, IN
1/7/2014
This was prepared for Xmas 2013 dinner. It was gooooddd!!! But I did some prep before. I "dry aged" the beef in the refrigerator 3 days prior to cooking. It came out very tender and full of flavor from the herbs and seasoning. Would omit the Pinot Noir Ju. That was a perfectly bad waste of good wine. I would make again but with a different type of jus but that is just me.
FranClod
New York City, NY
1/3/2014
@cliffmills Prime Rib is a very traditional Christmas meal for many people in the US and UK. Especially when paired with Yorkshire pudding.
novak64
Berkeley
12/2/2013
I don't have a problem for the most part, with the recipe except for suggesting chicken broth in the reduction, I would always make sure I used beef broth. The major fault I see with this selection, is suggesting that a beef roast is the perfect and right selection or choice for serving at Christmas. Since when does beef become the preferred choice over traditional turkey at Christmas? I would gladly make this recipe for any day except Christmas or Thanksgiving.
cliffmills
Canadian retired in Mexico, avid cook
12/2/2013
Yes the very best way to fix Prime Rib Roast
DaveSSmith1
Pikesville, MD
12/2/2013
