As some of you might remember I, and most of my tribe belong to the Church of the Roasted Bovine where worship begins and ends with red wine and red meat. (Alleluia!)
For Christmas dinner this year I decided to do it up right with a giant (5 rib) slab of perfect, luscious, glistening prime (and I mean PRIME) rib. Oh boy.
Now first off, you supermarket shoppers need to understand that all meat is not created equal. Just because it looks like a nice piece of meat, (and maybe even costs like a nice piece of meat) doesn't guarantee you're going to love it going in to your mouth.
Three things contribute to great meat: grade, age and cut. Most supermarkets sell what is gingerly called "choice." At least two grades below the top stuff available at the best restaurants (and my house.) It is often difficult to find prime beef since it is relatively rare and is usually scoffed up by the stove trade before consumer markets have a chance to get their hands on it.
Next, a savvy meat buyer understands age. Particularly important in cuts of steak, dry or wet aging of meat adds greatly to flavor and tenderness. Dry aging, usually done for a period up to a couple of months, is particularly prized but must be carefully and skillfully done so that the meat leaves the butcher shop both safe and ready to cook having been trimmed of the dry age "rind."
Finally cut comes in to play. A skillful butcher knows exactly how to balance the correct amount of fat, bone and flesh density to create a cut that's attractive to serve, flavorful and easy to cook.
In meat, it pays to know your purveyor. What might be cheaper at the supermarket is anonymous. Meat prepared for you by a professional is always a better investment in taste and predictable quality.
When I ordered my Christmas roast, the nice counter man at the Meat House in York, Maine asked whether I wanted it bones in, bones out or cut and tied. The latter is my preferred configuration since it provides the cook, the carver and the eater with the best of both worlds: flavor that comes only from cooking with bones and ease of cutting and serving. Also ask your butcher to save the top layer of fat he or she will remove from the top section of the roast. You want it loose since you're going to season the meat beneath the fat layer before you roast.
Truth is, this fifteen and some pound rib roast nearly cooked itself, but below I offer my preferred method of preparing a lovely feast for friends and family.
There are several schools of thought about cooking roasts. Some people prefer the so-called high temperature method where the roast is seared and cooked quickly in a high temperature oven sealing in the juices and delivering a savory crispy crust. Others opt for low temperature-style -- cooking the beast low and slow to insure tender, succulent slices.
I prefer a combination of the two, especially with a honkin' rib roast that conceivably could take all damned day to cook on the low temp method. By starting the roasting process in a searing hot 450 to 500 degree oven, the exterior of the meat (and its flavoring agents) have a chance to quickly sear and caramelize creating a delicious, crunchy melt in your mouth contrast to the creamy, juicy inner section. By reducing the heat to 325 to 350 degrees for the duration of the cooking (figuring between 18 and 20 minutes per pound for medium rare) you have the perfect marriage.
Now here's how to do it:
First, bring your roast up to room temperature by leaving it on the kitchen counter for an hour or so while you putter about. (I know, I know... food-bourne illness patrol having stroke. Get over it. Restaurants and home kitchens have been doing this for centuries.)
Now preheat your oven to 450 to 500 degrees. (For larger roasts, choose the higher setting, there's more work to do.)
Mash up about 15-20 cloves of garlic in your food processor. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt to the garlic to make a thick paste.
Crush about a quarter cup of black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. Don't grind or pulverize them, you want some texture and variety in shape and size for more interest and flavor.
First spread the black pepper all over the top, bottom and sides of the roast. Follow with the garlic paste. Use your hands to massage the garlic and pepper into the flesh. Now, on top evenly distribute between 15 and 20 bay leaves. Slap the slice of fat on top and generously salt and pepper. Now, place the roast into a heavy roasting pan. Don't use a rack.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat but not touching a rib bone.
Pour two cups of red wine you wouldn't mind drinking into the bottom and slide it into the blazing hot oven.
Cook about twenty minutes then lower the temperature to 325 to 350.
When the thermometer reads 120 - 125 degrees, pull the roast from the oven and cover with foil. Allow the meat to rest for at least fifteen minutes before cutting and serving to allow the juices to reabsorb into the tissue. The meat will continue to cook by as much as ten degrees during the resting period. Take this into consideration if you're a fan of really rare roast.
When ready to cut, remove the foil, layer of top fat and butcher's twine holding the bones to the rib eye. Slice thickly and enjoy with horseradish cream and popovers or Yorkshire Pudding, Pan Roast potatoes or twice baked Russets.
Praise the Lord!
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