Peppered Beef Prime Rib Roast with Horseradish Cream Sauce

This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

This year definitely looks a little different, but one thing a lot of us can say is that we tried new things and learned to improve the skills we had (example: everybody and their sourdough 2020 haha). Now that the year is almost ending, let’s continue that spirit and learn how to perfectly cook a Prime Rib Roast! This traditional holiday roast has generous marbling, great beef flavor and can feed a crowd. At the store, Prime Rib can go by different names including Standing Rib Roast, Holiday Roast, Rib Roast or Ribeye Roast. It can be found in the meat case with both boneless and bone-in options. The Rib/Ribeye Roast comes from the rib primal which gives it the rich, beefy flavor everyone loves. It is savory, finely textured and typically has generous marbling. Many people are intimidated by larger cuts but I hope this guide helps you! Our gatherings will definitely be smaller this year, but cooking a delicious Beef Prime Rib Roast is a family tradition and feels very special to us. If you’re on a tighter budget this year, get creative and stretch one meal into multiple other meals that’ll feed your family for an extra day. I’ll list a few leftover ideas at the end of the recipe! For more holiday inspiration, head over to BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com/Holidays, along with shoppable recipes so you can find and buy ingredients for your perfect beef holiday meal online and have it delivered directly to your door. Their website really has all the information you need to cook any cut of beef to perfection.

This recipe is very simple, and inspired by one that I recently saw Chef Jet Tila make during a Zoom event a few weeks ago. He suggested that roasting a Prime Rib low and slow was the way to go. I tried it and sure enough...perfection. If you take this approach you can feel confident that your meal will be incredible. Here are some steps to follow for my recipe:

PREP & PREHEAT
Season a larger cut of beef like this generously, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days for the flavors to concentrate. This will also help form a beautiful crust. I season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and a thin layer of Dijon mustard which really helps the crust form and gives amazing flavor. When ready to cook the Prime Rib Roast, preheat your oven to 325F.

ARE WE DONE YET?
Place the beef fat-side-up in a roasting pan — preferably with a rack, which improves air circulation and promotes more even cooking. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer with the tip positioned in the center of the cut. A meat thermometer is one of the best investments I’ve made for my kitchen, it really does take the guesswork out of cooking. An ovenproof thermometer that stays in the roast is preferable to instant-read ones, because you don’t open the oven multiple times or poke multiple holes that might cause too many juices to run out. If using an instant-read thermometer, insert toward the end of cooking time for about 15 seconds, remove and continue to cook if needed. Here are some cooking temperatures to help guide you based on the size of your Prime Rib Roast. Remember not to overshoot your target temp because it will continue to rise after pulling the roast from the oven (Usually 10-15 degrees more as it rests). My 5lb Boneless Ribeye Roast took about 2 ½ hours (with resting time) to reach a perfect medium rare which is how we like it.

GIVE IT A REST
Transfer the roast to a carving tray or cutting board, then cover it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest awhile. Larger roasts need more time to rest, often up to 15–20 minutes. I pulled mine at 130F and the temperature rose to 145F after a 20 minute rest. Those few extra minutes are a great opportunity to make the sauce or prepare any sides.

CARVE & SERVE
The most important tool for properly carving your roast is a sharp knife — be safe! If you’re using a meat fork, don’t pierce the roast to hold it in place. Use the back of the fork instead (tongs work great, too). Always cut across the grain for maximum tenderness.

You’ll need a boneless roast for my recipe, it’s always a good idea to call your butcher or meat counter ahead of time to order the cuts you need.

I prepared some roasted vegetables that I had in the house to go with my Prime Rib Roast, along with a horseradish cream sauce that can be made ahead of time. If you prefer a gravy, use the pan drippings by adding some beef stock and cornstarch then whisking over medium-low heat until thickened.

Peppered Beef Prime Rib Roast
1 (5lb [2.3kg]) beef Prime Rib Roast
3-4 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3-4 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Horseradish Cream Sauce
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons grated horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

To Serve: Roasted vegetables - I had a combination of golden beets, delicata squash, romanesco, acorn squash, red onion and purple potato. Steamed green beans and peppery fresh arugula are also great.
Special Equipment: Meat thermometer, deep roasting tray or sheet pan, wire rack, sharp knife, cutting board, aluminum foil.

Guidelines:
Season your Prime Rib Roast with the salt, rubbing generously over all surfaces. Spread the Dijon mustard all over the beef using the back of a spoon or silicone pastry brush, then evenly sprinkle the pepper and thyme onto the roast. The Dijon mustard will help the pepper and herbs stick. Place fat side up on a wire rack within a deep baking sheet or roasting dish, cover with foil and refrigerate for 1-2 days for the flavors to concentrate.

When ready to cook your Prime Rib Roast, preheat the oven to 325F (160C). Uncover the roast, insert your ovenproof thermometer if using, and place the roasting dish on the center oven rack. Cook for 2 hours or until the internal temperature is between around 130F, the temperature will continue to rise 15 degrees as it rests to reach a perfect 145F for medium rare. The crust should be a nice golden brown thanks to the Dijon mustard. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

To make the sauce: Combine ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chef Tila recommends about 1lb of Prime Rib Roast per person, because this will ensure enough for leftovers. For me, that’s the best part. Here are some leftover ideas including a quick Beef Noodle Soup recipe!

Philly Cheesesteak Eggs! - Sauté ½ sliced white onion and green bell pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup roughly chopped leftover Prime Rib Roast, create hollows and crack in one egg per person. Sprinkle over some provolone or cheddar cheese then place a lid on to cook until eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper then serve! The cheese will caramelize a little, it’s delicious.

Open Faced Mediterranean Beef Sandwiches! - Toast some whole-wheat bread and spread each slice with some sun-dried tomato pesto. Add some crumbled feta, chopped olives and thinly sliced leftover Prime Rib Roast. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter with fresh herbs (basil or oregano).

Beef Noodle Soup! - Bring 32 ounces of beef broth to a simmer. Slice in some fresh ginger and 1 thinly sliced scallion to flavor the broth even more. Add two bundles (180g) dried udon noodles and cook for 4 minutes until tender. Add some fresh bok choy, sliced mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes then divide soup into bowls. Top with thinly sliced Prime Rib Roast and more chopped scallion. Serve with sriracha or pepper flakes to taste (Serves 2)

Do you know about the Beef Drool Log? The original ‘Beef Drool Log’ was introduced in 2019 and on average, it made people drool and watch for nearly 10 minutes. This year, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is taking the ‘Beef Drool Log’ a step further by introducing three new versions of the ‘Beef Drool Log’, including:

A 27-minute video of the Drool Log slowly cooking that narrates ideas of all the recipes you can make with beef courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.
A 30-second video of the Drool Log called Meatitation that encourages people to take deep breathes and relaxxxx around the Drool Log.
A 15-second video of the Drool Log that reminds people if they’re missing the movie-theater blockbusters, then Drool Log is the feature-length film for them.

Hilarious. I hope you enjoy your holiday meal, no matter how you celebrate :-) If you do decide to try this method and cook a Prime Rib Roast, I’d love to see! If you plan on sharing, please tag me #thedaleyplate @thedaleplate and #BeefItsWhatsForDinner @BeefItsWhatsForDinner on Instagram or Facebook. Thank you!