CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB ROAST GUIDE

What is more festive than a prime rib roast and accompanying sides? Inspired by San Francisco's famous House of Prime Rib - here is a guide to recreate this experience at home.

It's not always possible to travel to or even get a reservation at the famed House of Prime Rib. I hope this guide allows you to recreate this delicious meal in the comfort of your home and wow your family and friends into thinking you are the absolute best host. Preparing a prime rib roast is much easier than you think.

24-48 hours before you plan to serve your meal

Go to your butcher and pick up your beautiful prime rib. Bone in will give you more flavor. Usually, the bones are cut off and tied back on with twine. For presentation purposes, you can ask your butcher to french the bones. We love Olivier's Butchery in Dogpatch, SF. We have also gotten prime rib from Whole Foods and it was delicious. Make sure to take note of the weight of your prime rib.

Generously salt all sides of the prime rib and set it on a rack, uncovered, in the refrigerator to desiccate/dry age the meat.

9 hours before

Remove the prime rib from the refrigerator to let it come to room temperature for ~6 hours. This will ensure even cooking. 

3 hours before

Preheat your oven to 500*. Make your butter spread. This is really up to you and what you like. I like to use

• Softened Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Herbs (Thyme, Rosemary, etc)

Place your prime rib on a baking rack and pan and generously spread the butter mixture all over. I also put plain butter on the baking rack to prevent sticking. 

Time for math. Multiply the weight of your prime rib x 5 and round up to the nearest minute. This will be how long to cook your prime rib at 500* before turning off your oven. For example, my prime rib was 8.11 pounds, so I will multiply 8.11 x 5 = 40.55, rounded up is 41 minutes. Cook your prime rib for that amount of time then turn of the oven (do NOT open the oven or you'll let the heat out) and let it cook for another 2 hours with the residual heat. 

1 hour before

Make your sides. Some typical sides include creamed corn, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, fully loaded baked potato, Yorkshire pudding, popovers. Here are the sides I like.  

Creamed Spinach

    1 pound baby spinach

    4 slices of bacon diced

    1 clove of garlic

    1 medium onion, diced

    1/2 teaspoon white pepper

    1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter

    1 cup heavy cream

In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, saute bacon, onion, garlic. Add spinach, seasonings, butter, cream and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes

Creamed Corn

    2 cans of corn 

    1 cup heavy cream

    1/4 cup white sugar

    1/2 block cream cheese about 4 ounces

   1/4 cup unsalted butter cubed

    salt and pepper to taste

    Add all ingredients to pan and cook for 30 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

-2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and quartered

-1 clove garlic, finely chopped

-1 cup milk

-2 tablespoons butter

-salt and ground black pepper to taste

          Peel potatoes and soak in water

Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until potatoes are fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain potatoes and add milk, butter, garlic, blending it in with a potato masher until potatoes are smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. 

Horseradish sauce

    Combine mayonaise/sour cream and horseradish to your liking

Enjoy!