Holiday Rib Roast

There are three versions of rib roast on Wayne's Dinner Wish List, and it looks like the only difference is what is used to season the meat. So, I decided to combine them all into one post, particularly since I doubt we'll try all three recipes this year, and I'd like to finish up this series.

The first one is quite simple, using only salt, pepper and fresh rosemary to season the rib roast. Plan on 1/2 pound per person and bring the beef to room temperature. Coat on all sides with salt and pepper, then place on a bed of rosemary on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast in a preheated 450° oven for 30 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and continue roasting for 15 minutes per pound (110° for medium-rare). Let sit for 20 minutes before carving and serving.

The second one is just as simple, using a packet of dry onion soup for flavoring an 8 pound standing rib roast. This recipe also suggests roasting for 30 minutes at 450°, then at 350° until done, except in their opinion medium-rare is 120°.

The third one (see below) is a bit more complicated, and probably more deserving of the Christmas dinner table, but only because it adds a mushroom sauce to serve over the beef. 

You'll notice a variance between the suggested final temperatures. The last time we cooked this roast, we followed instructions that said to remove it at 110° for medium-rare. That seemed perfect to us. Remember that the internal temperature continues to rise as the meat sits, and it's possible to reheat underdone meat, but you can't un-cook it if it's overdone.

For Christmas 2020 we used the first recipe, although we removed our 8-pound roast after 1 1/2 hours total instead of 2. It was perfect!

We also sauteed some mushrooms (see recipe #3) and they were a delicious addition.

Rosemary Garlic Rib Roast

• 3 pounds boneless beef rib eye roast
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary (or other favorite herbs)
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic (about 20 cloves)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 cups mushrooms, sliced (use a variety)
• 1 cup beef bouillon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Tie the roast and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix together the rosemary and garlic; add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a cast iron skillet. When hot, sear all sides of the meat. Remove from heat and brush the herb mixture all over the roast.

Put the meat (in the skillet) into the over and cook for about an hour, until thermometer reads 120° for medium-rare. 

While the roast is resting, sauté the mushrooms in another skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons butter until cooked through and no liquid is left in the pan, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove roast from the cast iron skillet and bring the skillet to the stovetop. Add bouillon to the pan and deglaze the pan, scraping all the bits from the bottom. Allow to simmer until thick.

Add the mushrooms to the sauce, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until the sauce is silky. Then, place the roast back in the cast iron with the sauce and spoon some of the sauce over the roast.

Garnish serving platter with fresh rosemary if desired.