Make this walk-away boneless prime rib your holiday centerpiece
A beautiful prime rib roast is usually a special-occasion centerpiece, one that’s surrounded by equally special side dishes. All that makes for a busy day in the kitchen, and when you add in the worry of an overcooked roast, it can be overwhelming.
We’re here to calm your nerves. Our method allows you to do the prep work, start the roast, and then leave it alone and, more important, not worry about it overcooking while you attend to the rest of the meal. The key? Some simple — and we mean simple! — math.
The method involves starting the roast in a hot oven for a predetermined amount of time based on its weight, and then shutting off the oven and letting the roast climb slowly to medium-rare over the course of the next two hours in the oven’s residual heat. With a little elementary math, this method works for any size roast. And since it’s seared in the oven rather than on the stovetop, the process is far less messy.
We tinkered with this equation and ended up with three minutes of “on” time per pound for a boneless roast. So, for a 3 1/2-pound roast this walk-away method requires 11 minutes at 500 degrees before turning off the oven completely and leaving it alone for two hours.
After a 20-minute rest out of the oven, the roast yielded perfectly juicy, medium-rare slices. What’s more, I had two hands-free, worry-free hours to prepare side dishes to go with it. Happy holidays, indeed.
Easier Prime Rib
Serves 6 to 8
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons pepper
1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) boneless prime rib roast
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