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Standing
Rib Roast of Beef |
My mother always selected roast beef by the number of ribs. She
said that a minimum of 3 ribs meant that the piece would be large
enough to cook as desired. Smaller pieces tended to become overdone.
The following applies to boneless rolled rib roasts also. If you
get a very large roast, you can make wonderful things from the leftovers,
like Beef Stroganoff, Roast beef sandwiches or hash.
Anyway, a three rib roast might weigh 4 lbs. For a Christmas dinner,
I usually get a 5 rib roast. This weighs in at about 6-7 lbs. Obviously,
this varies a lot. The usual suggested cooking time is 20 minutes
per pound. Using a meat thermometer is a good idea and I usually
cut a slice part way through near the edge when I think it’s
about time. Approximate time is about an hour for a small roast,
and up to 2 hours for the biggest.
If it’s pretty pink, but not purple, I take it out. The roast
will continue to cook for a while after being removed and if you
find it’s too rare after you start slicing it, you can always
put it back in and cook it some more. Too well done is not a disaster,
but is disappointing.
For a large roast, I often ask the butcher to remove the roast from
the ribs and trim and tie it up, so it is easier to serve, but I
use the rib section as a base for roasting it. It makes a sort of
rack and adds to the often meager drippings for making gravy. Also,
the cooked ribs are great to eat or for making soup. If you want
to just cook it as it comes, with the ribs still attached, you may
need to put the rib section back in the oven so it gets more well
done–this can be the next day if you want.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Some recipes call for a somewhat lower
temperature. Also, the meat will cook more evenly if it is allowed
to come to room temperature before roasting.
Season roast liberally with salt, (I prefer sea salt) garlic powder,
Italian herb seasoning and fresh ground pepper. Rub it all over
the surface. When roast is done, remove to a platter while making
the gravy.
There is a long discussion of making gravy in the recipe for leg
of lamb. But the main thing with roast beef is that there is
often not enough brown stuff in the pan to make a lot of gravy.
You have to pour off a ton of fat. I usually end up with about 2
-3 tablespoons of fat left in the pan, then add about 3 tablespoons
of flour, either directly in the pan or using flour and water mixed
together ahead of time. Start with a small amount of fat. This way
you won’t end up with a large amount of weak gravy. The volume
for any sauce or gravy is based on equal parts fat and flour first,
cooked, then a volume of liquid is added.
Example: 2 tablespoons of fat, 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 cup
liquid.
As the gravy thickens, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to
loosen all the good brown drippings. When you are finished, transfer
to a saucepan and keep warm. I don’t usually strain gravy,
but you can if it seems lumpy. I have never been too happy with
adding flavoring to make gravy more tasty. You can add a little
Worcestershire or beef “base” Williams Sonoma demiglace
can add a good amount of flavor. Some of the beef base or beef tea
type products are really too salty.
Horseradish is good with roast beef also. I use commercially prepared
horseradish.
-Kate
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