As the Christmas season approaches, many families begin to think about their holiday traditions, and a of the most beloved rituals is the festive dinner. At the heart of this special meal often lies a perfectly cooked roast, serving as the centerpiece that brings everyone together. Whether you’re hosting a large gathering or enjoying a cozy dinner with family, the right roast can create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Ultimately, the essence of a Christmas holiday dinner is about bringing people together around the table, sharing laughter, stories, and delicious food. With a thoughtful approach to your roast selection, you’re bound to create a memorable holiday experience for everyone at your table. Here are two spectacular roast ideas that are sure to inspire and dazzle your festive feast!
The undisputed king of all roasts. An exceptional feast begins with a standout centerpiece, and nothing captures attention quite like a Beef Rib Roast. This majestic cut commands the dinner table with flavor, texture, and elegance. As we transition from the Thanksgiving Holiday, where turkeys dominated the dinner table, we look to alternatives and it’s no doubt that the most popular choice is the Beef Rib Roast.
Prime Rib is a large cut of beef that comes from the rib section of the animal. It’s well-marbled with fat, which makes it extremely flavorful and juicy. When purchasing a Beef Rib Roast, you may be given the option of choosing between Prime and Choice. Prime is much harder to find, so you may only have the option of Choice. But what is the difference? Prime beef is considered to be the highest quality, with well-marbled meat that is tender and juicy. Choice beef is also of good quality, but has slightly less marbling than Prime. Whether Prime or Choice, most people will commonly refer to a Beef Rib Roast simply as “Prime Rib”. This article will defer to the “Prime Rib” description as well although it is important to establish the facts.
Beef Prime Rib Primal 101
A whole Prime rib primal consists of 7 ribs. The chuck end of the rib is situated closest to the animal fore quarter. It is commonly referred to as “the large end” or 4th-7th ribs. It has a deep rich beefy flavor and usually greater marbling. It also has a much more prominent rib eye cap or spinalis dorsi. This muscle is arguably the most tender and flavorful part on the entire rib. The loin end of the rib is located closest to the hind quarter. It is commonly referred to as “the small end” or 1st-3rd ribs and transitions toward the striploin of the animal. Although extremely tender and flavorful in its own right, the chuck end outshines it, in my humble opinion. I refer to this as the “white meat” vs “dark meat” quality of the beef rib. In simple terms, if you’re a “dark meat” person you will prefer the chuck end and if you’re a “white meat” person you will prefer the loin end.
A whole prime beef rib will weigh up to 15-20 pounds with a single rib weighing up to 2-3 pounds. A whole boneless prime beef rib can weigh up to 10-12 pounds. A boneless prime beef rib is a great option for those looking for added ease with roasting and carving.
How Much Will I Need
The general rule of thumb for a bone-in Prime Rib is 1 pound per person and ½-¾ pound per person for a boneless Prime Rib. However, I suggest slightly more if you are looking for next day leftovers. Who can resist next day Prime Rib leftover roast beef sandwiches dressed with a tangy, creamy, delicious horseradish mayo!! I sure couldn’t so allow 1 and ½ pounds for bone-in Prime Rib and 1 pound for boneless Prime Rib. I have taken and produced hundreds, if not thousands of rib roast orders at Christmas time over my 49 years in the business and without a doubt, EVERYBODY goes for the fence on this one!! So, there you go, Bone-in/Boneless…oh wait!…there’s another option! “Semi-boneless” A popular option is to have the bones removed then tied back on. Ask your butcher to do this for you. This makes it very convenient as it will allow you to cook your entire roast, with the bones attached, then cutting the string away to remove the back rib bones and allow easy carving.
Preparation and Roasting
How to cook a Prime Rib? Well, there are several methods such as overall minutes per pound; initial high heat for a period of time followed by lowering the heat and finishing for so many minutes per pound; initial high heat for so many minutes per pound the shutting the oven off for 2 hours. I have tried them all with limited success at best. However, recently I have discovered a method that is without question THE BEST! It’s called REVERSE SEAR. It relies more on temperature than time ensuring an exact degree of doneness to your liking. The browning or searing application comes at the end of the cook time.
RECIPE:
- 1. Salt and pepper the roast generously 24 HOURS prior to roasting and place on a rack on a cookie sheet and refrigerate un-covered.
- 2. When ready to roast, PRE-HEAT oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 3. Brush roast with olive oil; insert thermometer and put in oven.
- 4. Roast at 250 degrees Fahrenheit until internal temperature is at desired doneness.
120 degrees- rare
125 degrees- medium rare
130 degrees- medium
Note: A 7-pound roasts will take approximately 3 and ½ – 4 hours to reach 120 degrees. Also, there will be a carryover cook, while resting, which will result in a 5–8-degree increase. - Remove roast from oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 45 minutes.
- After 45-minute rest, remove foil tent, and put back in a PRE-HEATED 500-degree oven for 10 minutes. BE SURE TO PRE-HEAT YOUR OVEN PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF THE 45 MINUTE REST PERIOD.
- Remove roast from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes and it’s ready to carve and serve. There is no need to let it rest any further at this point.
BONE-IN PORK CROWN ROAST
A Pork Crown Roast is more than just food; it’s a show-stopping centerpiece. The circular formation of ribs creates a stunning visual appeal that can take the spotlight at any gathering. Imagine your festive table adorned with this magnificent roast, drawing everybody’s attention and admiration.
The Anatomy of a Pork Crown Roast
A Pork Crown Roast is comprised of 1 or 2 pieces of bone-in pork loin. It is important to note a Crown Roast needs to be a minimum of 10 ribs in order to form the circular shape creating the crown effect. Generally speaking, this will result in a roast weighing approximately 8-10 pounds. With that said, it is obvious that when considering a crown roast, it will be serving a MINIMUM of 6-8 people. I have had many customers over the years with interest in a Crown Roast for as few as 3 or 4 people. Unfortunately, it is not possible to form a Crown Roast for so few people. A good option is a Frenched Rack of Pork, which can be produced with a few as 4-8 ribs, yet still creates a stunning appearance.
The crown roast is constructed by cracking what is known as the chine bone. The chine bone runs vertically along the base of the loin just below the rib bones. By cracking, we cut through this bone just enough to gain access to meat behind it allowing the flexibility to form the circular shape out of the loin. Next, the rib bones are frenched. The term ‘frenched” is a process where by trimming away meat and fat at the top and in between each individual rib bone. This technique exposes the tips of the rib bones creating a crown-like appearance. The loin is then formed in a circular shape with the rib bones around the outside perimeter. At this point the loins are secured together using butcher’s twine to make the connection of one. This completes the process of constructing the Pork Crown Roast.
How much will I need
Interestingly enough, a Pork Crown Roast is one of the few roasts that generally does not use the typical “pounds per person” formula in determining ones needs. Rather, a “chop per person” approach is used. Typically, a 1 and ½ chop per person application is appropriate. Simply stated, 8 people would require 12 chops; 10 people-15 chops; 12 people 18 chops and so on.
How to cook a Pork Crown Roast
For what appears to be a rather daunting roast, Pork Crown Roasts are rather quite simple to cook. You are going to roast one at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes per pound. However, do not rely on this method solely. While it will get you close to where you need to be, it is paramount to cook it to a specific internal temperature. USE A MEAT THERMOMETER !…I can’t stress this enough! Know your internal temperatures! A Pork Crown Roast should be cooked to 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit. As an added benefit, a Pork Crown Roast, being circular in shape with an opening in the center, provides a great opportunity for stuffing. A stuffed Crown Roast of Pork makes one of the most spectacular presentations on the dinner table!
Here’s a great recipe for a Stuffed Crown Roast of Pork that will serve 6-8 people.
For the roast
- 1–10-pound Bone-in Pork Crown Roast (10 chops)
- Salt and pepper to season
- Olive Oil
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Brush entire roast with olive oil
- Season with salt and pepper
- Stuff center cavity of roast with the apple almond stuffing (recipe below) to form a dome at the same height as the tops of the rib bones.
- Place stuffed roast on rack in roasting pan and roast approximately 20 minutes per pound until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This will take approximately 2 hours.
- Remove roast from oven to a carving board. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 15-20 minutes
- Slice down in between rib bones toward the center of the crown, as if cutting a pie, to serve.
For the stuffing
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 and ½ cups chopped carrot
- 1 and ½ cups chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1–6-ounce bag slivered almonds
- 1-14 once bag Pepperidge Farm Classic Bread Stuffing Mix (or 4-5 cups bread of choice)
- 2-Granny Smith apples chopped in ¼-½ inch cubes
- 1- 1 and 1/2 cup raisins
- 2-3 cups chicken broth
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- In a small dry skillet toast slivered almonds over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant. Keep stirring so as not to burn. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large skillet heat 3-4 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, salt and pepper and sauté 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add carrots, salt and pepper and sauté another 3-4 minutes.
- Add celery, parsley, and thyme. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add toasted almonds and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Peel and chop 2 granny smith apples into ¼ to ½ inch dice. Add to bowl of water with the juice of 1 lemon. This will keep the apples from oxidizing. And set aside.
- Empty bag of stuffing mix into a large mixing bowl.
- Add raisins and vegetable/almond mixture to bowl of bread stuffing mix.
- Drain apples and add to bowl of stuffing mixing to combine.
- Begin to add 2 cups chicken broth in ½ cup intervals allowing dry stuffing mix to absorb the liquid until it will clump together by hand into a ball.
- Check final seasoning and adjust as needed.
For an added spectacular visual appearance for presentation, elegant paper frills can be added to your finished Stuffed Roast Crown Roast of Pork. Amazon.com: Regency Wraps Paper Frills, Elegant Decorative Holders for Lamb and Pork Chops and Small Chicken Legs, 5/8″ Diameter, Small, White, Pack of 8: Decorating Tools: Home & Kitchen
