Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and for me, that means that Christmas dinner prep starts tonight! I always try to do something fun and new and special for Christmas dinner- a true once a year feast and this year I am redoing a recipe from a few years ago that was a favorite and gets begged for quite often. I’m talking Prime Rib Roast.

We all know that prime rib is considered a holiday delicacy, but It can be a scary prospect for many cooks. Just like my other holiday favorite, Beef Wellington, prime rib has no shortage of pitfalls. It’s an expensive cut of meat and seems a lot of work for something so finicky. However, this recipe is fool proof, I swear, and it melt in your mouth delicious.

Prime rib doesn’t have to be hard, let me prove it to you!

Marinade:

Ingredients:

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

Coarse salt

Pepper

Instructions:

While not necessary for tenderness, I always start by marinating my rib roast for 24 to 36 hours for the flavor.-and my favorite blend to marinate in is a mixture of 2/3 Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and 1/3 Rosemary Olive Oil.

Rub your roast with the salt and pepper, then add your marinade. Seal tightly and let rest in the refrigerator, turning occasionally for 2 hours to 2 days.

Now I have a vacuum sealer, so this really only takes a 4 Tbsp of vinegar and 2 Tbsp of oil for me to marinate a roughly 9-pound rib roast (4 ribs worth). Vacuum sealing also means that I don’t have to turn my ribs as often for even marinating. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, I suggest using the water submersion method to try to seal a large ziplock bag as tightly as possible around your roast. This cuts down on how much marinade you need and promotes even distribution. If all else fails, lay it in a covered pan in the marinade, alternately turning and basting for the next 36 hours in the fridge, but you will probably need more like 2 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of olive oil.

After the meat is marinated, make sure you let it come to room temperature, and the fun begins!

Herbed Standing Rib Roast:

Ingredients:

1 (4-rib) bone in standing Rib Roast (about 9 pounds), marinated and brought to room temperature

2 Tbsp House Olive Oil, plus additional for the pan

4 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 tsp Lemon zest (or try our California Lemon Peel)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Rosemary

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Thyme

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian Parsley

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Oregano

2 tsp Black pepper.

¼ tsp Red pepper flakes

Instructions:

• 1.Combine 2 Tbsp oil, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano, black pepper and red pepper in a bowl and mix well into a paste. Rub this paste over all sides of the roast and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• 2.Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush a large pan with oil and place the roast bone side down in the prepared pan.
• 3.Roast at 450°F for 25 minutes, the reduce your oven temperature to 350°F. Roast for an additional 1 ½ to 2 hours until the meat reaches the temperature of your preferred done-ness- 120- 125°F for rare or 130- 140°F for medium-rare.
• 4.Remove the beef to a cutting board and cover with foil, allowing it to rest and finish cooking for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Now this much meat can, theoretically, can feed up to around 16 people, but it’s so good that I allot the servings to about 8 people and we eat until we can’t feel our toes!

If you want to make a bigger or smaller roast, you can. Keep the herb paste the same, just to make sure you have enough, and keep the cooking instructions for the 25 minutes at 450°F the same, but just adjust your 350°F cooking time accordingly, checking consistently with a meat thermometer.

Merry Christmas!