We eat more chicken than any other protein in America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms. (As Southerners, we certainly get the appeal of chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, chicken chili, and beyond!). Come holiday time, turkey and ham tend to take centerstage for many families. Other showy and succulent cuts of beef and pork are also sometimes invited to the party, like pork crown roast and beef tenderloin.
All of these are tempting options. But if you ask Marietta, Georgia-based chef Alton Brown to pick an all-time favorite, it seems like beef rib roast would be a strong contender.
"If I only ate meat once a year, this would be the meat I’d eat," Brown shares in the caption for a recent Instagram post, which shows him standing behind the often-misunderstood cut of meat.
"For me, there can be only one: The standing beef rib roast," Brown says in a YouTube video he filmed to accompany his Holiday Standing Rib Roast recipe. "Often misidentified as prime rib. Sure, some standing rib roasts are prime grade, but few are."
As for Brown’s beef, he selected choice. (As a refresher, beef is typically "rated" for quality as prime, choice, or select—from best to still very good, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.)
"Either way, it's an expensive hunk of meat, so you'll want to cook it right," Brown explains on his website.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-904238668-v-6a275dd432954230bff795febe3c755d.jpg "This Is The Recipe Alton Brown Would Make If He Could Only Eat Meat Once Per Year (1)")
Beef Rib Roast, The Right Way
Since it's pricey and often part of a holiday feast, Brown says it’s important not to rush the process to bring your best beef to the table. Don’t worry, beyond the rib roast, you just need oil, salt, pepper, some cheesecloth, and a meat thermometer. Oh yes, and some patience. Just like Brown's go-to Christmas soup and his brilliant twice-baked brownies, fans say the results are definitely worth the wait.
"I used this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. Nobody complained about the lack of turkey," one fan shares in the Instagram comments. Another adds, "Thank you for one of our favorite Christmas traditions! We look forward to it all year."
You need not reserve it for Christmas alone, either: "I was once tasked with cooking the New Year’s Eve feast for my entire in-laws family. Of course they selected prime rib for 10 people," an Instagram follower recalls. "Thanks to your foolproof method we cooked the most fantastic meal. I’ll always remember that!"
How To Make Alton Brown's Rib Roast
Planning ahead is the secret to success, Brown explains in the recipe. Start by purchasing a 3- to 4-bone standing rib roast, ideally from the loin end and with the fat cap in place. For enough to serve 6 to 10 (depending on how hungry everyone is), it should clock in at around 7 to 10 pounds.
- Place the rib roast on a rack situated inside a sheet pan, then wrap the meat in three or more layers of cheesecloth. This "will allow air flow while preventing the outer surface of the roast from hardening," Brown says.
- Position the roast with the ribs facing down, then transfer the pan to the lowest level of your fridge. Allow the roast to hang out between 34°F and 38°F for 5 to 7 days.
"Although this isn’t classical 'dry aging,' which involves a lot of complex enzymatic action, this drying will remove some of the moisture from the roast, thus intensifying its flavor," Brown says, "and give us a much better char." (For reference, Brown’s beef lost about 3 ounces of weight during the process.)
If you’re discovering this recipe the day of or day before you’d like to serve rib roast, no need to worry. Feel free to press fast-forward by simply seasoning the meat with salt. Place the meat on the wire rack inside a sheet pan and allow it to hang out, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours before proceeding.
- Whether you opted to age the full week or just a few hours, remove the roast from the fridge and peel off the cheesecloth (if you used it). Rub the roast and bones with neutral oil, such as safflower or canola, to act "kind of like a primer coat for the spices to come," Brown says in the video.
- Then season the rib roast with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt per bone (no need to salt again if you followed the shortcut method), plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper total.
- Let the meat rest at room temp for an hour. Place a probe thermometer in the center, and set the alarm to chime when the meat reaches 118°F. Using that same roasting rack inside of a sheet pan set-up, start the roast in a cold oven, then adjust the oven heat to 250°F. Cook the rib roast until the meat reaches 118°F, which should take between 3 and 4 hours
- Remove the roast from the oven, carefully transfer it to a cutting board, and cover with foil to rest for 30 minutes. After that, pop the roast back on top of the rack atop the sheet pan, and crank up the heat to 500°F, 550°F, or whatever the max temp might be. The goal is to brown the exterior of the roast, which will happen in about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven’s highest heat.
"Since the interior is already rested, you can move to carving as soon as your fingers can take the heat," Brown says in the how-to video.
- Slice nice thick slabs, pair with your favorite holiday sides, (we happen to think these five-star Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts and this cozy Savory Corn Pudding would be brilliant pairings), and raise a glass of good cheer to a roast very much rocked.
