Standing Rib Roast
The Christmas table's grand centerpiece: a bone-in rib roast with a peppery, garlicky crust and a rosy interior from edge to edge. The method is calm and mostly hands off, and it works every time.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Standing Rib Roast, in 5 ideas
- Salt the night before, always. Dry brining seasons the meat to the center and dries the surface, so the crust browns deeply instead of steaming.
- Low heat first, blast at the end. A gentle roast cooks the interior evenly from edge to edge; the final hot blast is only there for the crust.
- A thermometer is not optional. With a roast this special, guessing is how good beef turns gray. Ten minutes is the whole distance between rare and ruined.
- The rest is part of the cooking. Forty minutes under foil lets the juices settle back into the meat; slice too early and they run all over the board.
- Save every drop of dripping. A quick jus from the pan, dark and beefy, is the only sauce this roast really needs.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in standing rib roast, 3 ribs (about 6 lb)
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
- 1 cup beef stock, for the jus
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
How to make it
Method
The day before, rub the salt all over the roast, into every side and crevice. Set it on a rack over a tray and refrigerate uncovered overnight, so the surface dries and the seasoning sinks in.
Two hours before roasting, take the roast out of the fridge. Mash the butter with the garlic, rosemary, thyme and black pepper, and rub it over the whole roast. Set the roast bone side down on a rack in a heavy roasting pan.
Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Roast until a thermometer pushed into the thickest part, away from bone, reads 120°F (49°C), about 3 to 3 1/2 hours for a 3 rib roast.
Lift the roast out, tent it loosely with foil, and rest it for 30 to 45 minutes. The temperature will coast up about 5 degrees as it sits. Pour the drippings into a small pan, add the beef stock, simmer for a few minutes, and skim. This is the jus.
While the roast rests, heat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Return the roast, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is deep brown and crisp all over.
Rest the roast 10 more minutes. Carve the whole loin away from the bones in one piece, running the knife along the ribs, then slice the meat 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
Serve on warm plates with the hot jus spooned over, a pinch of flaky salt, and the bones alongside for whoever calls them first.
Order the roast ahead and ask the butcher for the loin end (ribs 10 to 12): it is the most tender section, with one large, even eye of meat and the least gristle.