Cooking a Four Rib Prime Rib Roast

Instructions for cooking a four rib prime rib roast. This will serve 2 – 4 people.  Is Prime Rib for 2 possible? I’ve read that purchasing a smaller standing rib roast can be risky cooking. Here’s a recipe that will guarantee the right balance between outer crust and inner rare.

Is Prime Rib for two possible? A full prime rib has seven bones and can feed a crowd. Scaling down makes it very difficult to find the right balance between outer crust and inner rare. For Easter I announced I was going to attempt my first. I was a little nervous because it costs a darn fortune and I knew I’d be pretty darn angry with myself if I ruined the most majestic and the most expensive piece of meat I’d ever have in my kitchen.

I spent time Googling and reading a couple of cookbooks for research about procedures and cooking tips, and on Saturday morning we were off to Tony’s Market, the only place I’d trust for such a special purchase. With the help of a young butcher, we selected a four-rib roast which weighed in at about five pounds and rang up at a whopping $75.00. Even though I cooked this for just the two of us, this will actually serve 4 – 6 people.  We enjoyed lots of wonderful leftovers.

I followed a recipe I found in my Creme de Colorado Cookbook for Fall River Prime Rib with Hunter’s Horseradish Sauce. I mixed up the marinade of chopped parsley, grated lemon peel, thyme, juniper berries, garlic, Tabasco and olive oil and spread it on all sides of the roast. Instructions were to let this marinade for 24 hours.

On Sunday I cooked the meat, fat side up, in a 500 degree oven for fifteen minutes, then turned down the heat to 350 degrees and roasted for fifteen minutes per pound. I let it stand for ten minutes before slicing. I couldn’t believe my eyes with the first cut. The knife slid through the wonderful crust on the outside to reveal a perfectly rare prime rib roast. I have to admit, I was pretty darn tickled with myself.

The marinade was a heavenly combination of flavors. I’d use this when cooking other cuts of meats. And the homemade horseradish sauce was a very special treat for a very special meal.

Serve this with this easy and our favorite Horseradish Cream Sauce – enjoy.

And if you’re looking for more Prime Rib Roast recipe ideas, you won’t want to miss this Peppery Beef Rib Roast recipe courtesy of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

5 from 1 vote

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Fall River Rib Roast

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Total Time

2 hrs 20 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 -6

Author: Creme de Colorado

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme crumbled
• 6 juniper berries crushed
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 - 4 drops Tabasco Sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1-5 pound standing rib roast

Instructions

1. Combine parsley, lemon peel, thyme, juniper berries, garlic, pepper and Tabasco in blender. Add oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending until a smooth paste is formed. Add lemon juice and blend. Rub mixture over surface of the roast. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
2. Bring roast to room temperature before proceeding. Place roast in large heavy roasting pan and roast in preheated oven at 500 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting for 15 minutes per pound for rare, 20 minutes per pound for medium, or 25 minutes per pound for well done. Let roast rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Fall River happens to be in one of our favorite local destinations. It is a 17.1-mile-long tributary to the Big Thompson River in Larimer County, Colorado. The river’s source is near the Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park. It flows down the canyon and over Chasm Falls before its confluence with the Big Thompson in Estes Park.

A great side dish for this beautiful Prime Rib Roast is Slow Cooker Creamed Corn.  Just adding corn, butter and cream cheese to the crock pot, is a worry free, ready when you are, side dish. Plus using the crock-pot frees up a stove top burner.

And another lovely Holiday roast is this Cider Brined, Mustard Glazed Pork Roast. What a special (and easy) recipe to keep in your back pocket for the season of entertaining.