Classic Prime Rib with Horseradish

Kim Masibay is executive food editor at Art and Cook.

Instructions

Step 1
A day before you’re going to cook the roast, remove it from its packaging and place on a rack in a roasting pan; refrigerate, uncovered, for up to 24 hours to allow the surface of the meat to dry out.

Step 2
Three hours before cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator and let it sit, uncovered, at room temperature. Meanwhile, prepare the horseradish sauce.

Step 3
In a medium-size bowl, stir together the horseradish, sour cream, and salt until well blended. Cover and refrigerate to develop flavors. Can be made 2 days ahead.

Step 4
Heat oven to 200°F. Massage salt and pepper generously all over the meat.

Step 5
Set the roast, with its fat cap up and rib side down, in a heavy-duty roasting pan (the ribs serve as a natural rack), and place in the preheated oven. Cook until the meat’s internal temperature, measured on an instant-read thermometer, reaches 125°F, which is almost a perfect medium-rare. This will take about 3 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your roast. 

Step 6
Remove the roast from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Raise the oven temperature to 500°F. Allow the foil-covered roast to rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Its internal temperature will continue to rise at first, and then it will begin to drop. 

Step 7
Uncover the roast and place it in the 500°F oven. Cook until the meat’s surface is deeply browned and crisp, about 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the roast to a carving board and cut into thick bone-in steaks or thin boneless slices. Serve with the horseradish sauce.