Prime Rib Roast with Jus

When ordering the roast, ask your butcher to remove the ribs and then tie them back on. (Any meat roasted with the bones always has more flavor.) This will make carving much easier.

Remember when cooking a roast this size, one of the benefits is that there will be meat at all levels of “doneness.” If you roast it to an internal temperature of about 122°, the ends will be medium well, the next slices will go from medium to medium-rare, and the center will be rare. We like to save the very rare center cut pieces for left-overs, as they will still be less than well-done after reheating.

Ingredients:

4 -rib standing rib roast (8-10 pounds) This will provide about 10-12 servings.
1 ½ pounds meaty beef bones (Anything will work here: oxtails, shank, beef necks etc.)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 large onions, peeled and cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil for the roast plus a bit for the onions
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ½ cups beef broth, preferably homemade
1 ½ cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions:

Take your roast out of the refrigerator about an hour before starting to cook so it’s not so chilled to begin with.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Rub the meaty beef bones with the tomato past and place in a heavy roasting pan. Scatter onions around the bone, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, toss to coat, and place the pan on the lowest rack of the oven. Cook for about 25 minutes, toss the onions around and flip the bones over. Roast for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, set the roasting pan aside, and lower the oven temperature to 250°.

Rub the ends of the roast with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the roast very generously on all surfaces with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and brown the roast well on all surfaces except the bottom where the ribs are tied on, about 4-6 minutes per side.

Place the roast into the pan with the bones and onions, rib bones down. They will act as a roasting rack. Place the pan into the 250°oven and roast for one hour. Remove from the oven and check the temperature of the roast. It should be about 70°. [A note here: A digital thermometer with a cable is ideal because you can check the temperature without opening the oven. If you don’t have one, however, an instant read thermometer will do the trick.]

Return the roast to the oven.

Roast for an additional hour and a half to two hours. Check the internal temperature. It should be 122° for rare to 130° for medium-rare to medium.

You’ll need to hold the roast up when browning the ends.

Remove the roast from the oven. Transfer it to a cutting board, preferable one with a well to catch the juices, cut the strings and remove the ribs, tent with foil to keep warm, and allow to rest before carving, for at least 10 minutes.

In the meantime, make the jus. Pour off any fat that has accumulated in the roasting pan. Add about ½ cup of the broth to the pan, place it over medium-high heat, and bring the liquid to a boil, scraping the cooked-on drippings on the bottom of the pan to release into the broth. Add the rib bones into the pan,along with the remaining broths and the thyme and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce slightly. Add any juices from the cutting board that have accumulated. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a bit of salt and/or pepper if needed. Strain jus into a gravy boat for serving.

Remove foil from the roast. Set it browned-side up and cut into ⅜” slices.
Serve while hot, passing the jus separately.