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| Post Office Box 68, Waveland
Mississippi, 39576 (724) 459-6808 (Voice), (228) 216-6996 (Cell), E-mail: laviolette@datasync.com |
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| SLOW COOKING, FAST COOKING AND THE STANDING RIB ROAST |
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| A standing rib roast is a great entrée for special
occasions. It is one of our favorite dinners for just Paul and I and
it makes a wonderful impression when served to invited friends. What is it about standing rib roast that makes it so impressive? Its taste, of course and then its aroma and mouth-watering texture and finally, what is especially nice to me, its ease in cooking. All of these things make a good combination and a rib roast is a nice choice for a special dinner. Standing rib roasts sell by the number of ribs. Normally, a two-rib roast equates to 4 to 5 pounds and will feed 4 to 5 people easily. Roasts go up to as much as 7 ribs with an average weight of 16 to 18+ pounds, but since fixing it for just Paul and I means a much smaller amount, I will just discuss cooking a two-rib roast. You can extrapolate my remarks to a larger roast. Make sure the roast is at room temperature (about 1 hour out of the refrigerator) before you start. I like to season my roast with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder on the top fatty side of the roast. In addition, I rub the sides with a little soft butter to keep the sides moist. Place the roast, fat side up, on a rack that fits in a 2-½ inches deep roasting pan. There is an important two-step process to the cooking of a small two-rib roast, first hot and then cool. Also, to ensure you get a roast done to your taste, don’t trust your oven thermostat; it won’t tell you what is going on inside your roast. Get a good meat thermometer. Our two-rib roast should be started in a pre-heated 450-degree oven. Let it cook for about 15 minutes. For a small roast, this is essential to get a nice crispy exterior started. After these initial 15 minutes, remove the roast from the oven. Open the oven door and allow the oven to cool down to 325 degrees. Once cooled, place the roast back in the oven and continue roasting at the cooler 325 degrees for the remaining cooking time, basting the roast every 20 minutes or so with the accumulated fat in the pan. Don’t forget basting otherwise you will end up with a dry roast. (The initial high temperature crisping is not needed with large roasts. These roasts crisp automatically because of the longer cooking time they require. Cooking time is about 12 minutes per pound in a 325-degree oven.) Our two-rib roast should take about 60 to 70 minutes to finish roasting. Start checking the temperature after about a half hour of roasting and about every 7 to 8 minutes thereafter until the temperature for the desired degree of roasting is reached. An interior temperature of 130 degrees (as shown by your meat thermometer) should give you a medium to rare cooking. If you like it a little more done, 140 degrees will do. A temperature of 120 degrees will give a very rare roast. Remove the roast from the oven when the desired internal temperature is reached. Finish up your roast with a nice sauce. Drain the fat from the roasting pan and add a good beef stock. Heat the mixture to help dislodge any of the roasting juices and serve with the roast. If you plan to serve your roast rare, your roast will not generate as much in the way of pan juices and you will have to resort to a good stock to provide the “jus.” There is a trick that allows you to put your finished roast on hold for a couple of hours while you prepare the rest of your meal. Take the roast out of the oven and let the oven cool down to 115 degrees. Then replace the roast in the oven and leave it there with the oven set at 115 degrees (make sure the oven thermostat is accurate). You can keep your roast satisfactorily this way for about two hours. Don’t worry, it will retain its juices and provide you with a wonderful taste and texture when you sit down to eat. Another trick is to place the roast in a pan over hot water and cover the roast with a roasting pan cover. This may make the internal temperature increase about 10 degrees, but will gradually subside. You will still have a very nice roast to bring to the table. Fresh cooked green vegetables and a salad will finish out the menu. A dark beer or good dry red table wine will compliment the meal. |
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| Please Note: Annabelle Publishing
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| Copyright © 2006 Annabelle Publishing, All rights reserved. |
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