Description
This is an elegant and sumptuous dish to serve on a very special occasion. I prepared it in a wood-burning oven, it can, of course, be done in a traditional home oven. The article relates my experience of cooking in a wood-burning oven, and leaving the chine bones on the roast. Julia Child recommends removing all the chine bones. A good conversation with a butcher will give you the results you want. The following recipe is for a 5-rib roast. Cooking times will be different depending on the size of the roast.
Ingredients
Scale
- A prime rib roast, fully trimmed
- sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of rock salt
- 2 onions, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and but into large pieces
- 1 leek, cleaned of dirt and cut into large pieces
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 pint of white wine
Instructions
- If using a wood-burning oven, start your fire about an hour before you are ready to put your roast in. The walls of the oven need to reach a high heat before putting in the roast. The fire should be burned down to red embers before putting in the meat.
- If using a conventional oven, preheat it to 325F (160C). While the oven is preheating, take the roast from the refrigerator to get it up to temperature before roasting. A cold roast will require a longer cooking time.
- Tie up the roast with kitchen string.
- Insert sprigs under kitchen string.
- Rub with olive oil, black pepper and rock salt and place into a large roasting pan.
- Place the roast into oven and bake it uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for another hour.
- At this point, uncover the roast and add the vegetables and wine. Re-cover and return the roast to the oven for approximately another hour.
- It is advisable to use a meat thermometer to check doneness. 120F (49C) is rare, 130F(54C) is medium rare, 140F (60C) is medium. Anything above that is well done.
- Remove the roast from the oven and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. This will allow the juices to “retreat back into the meat” as Julia Child so eloquently states it.
- While the roast is resting, rescue the juices form the bottom of the pan.
- Skim the fat and heat the juices to serve as gravy.
- Untie the roast, stand it on end on a carving board, slice and serve to your guests’ delight.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours