How to Select and Cook The Perfect Holiday Rib Roast

by Deb West (RSS feed)
Dec 7th 2009 at 10:02AM

There are many elements that contribute to the perfect holiday meal. A beautifully set table, good wine, the guests and for many families, the beef rib roast has become part of the tradition. It can be daunting to figure out how to select, and cook a good roast.

Really the first step to a good meal is to start with the best ingredients. This is just as important with meat as it is with fresh fruits and vegetables. Lobel's of New York is an old fashioned family owned butcher shop that has been serving the city with the finest meat for over 50 years. They along with other purveyors such as Dean and Deluca, recently winning the Luxist Reader's Choice Award for Best Online Gourmet Food, have made it easy to have quality meat delivered to your doorstep.

Not only will Lobel's send you the perfect piece of meat but they have many suggestions on their web-site to help you pick and prepare the perfect roast. Their tips include:

To estimate the size of roast you will need by weight, rather than number of ribs, as the size of the eye varies and will affect the final size of your roast. They suggest 1 -1 1/4lbs per person. (see Lobel's chart here)
To think ahead about the size of your roasting pan. An average dry-aged beef rib bone is approximately 2 inches in length. Do the math ahead of time to make sure your roast will fit in your pan.
Bring the roast to room temperature before roasting.
To use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness but to not poke your roast full of holes! You want to keep the juices in the meat. Wait until you are close to the estimated cooking time before you start to test. (see Lobel's chart here)
Let your roast sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Lobel's offers several types of rib roasts, including Dry-Aged Waygu bone-in roasts which range in price from $359.98 for a 4lb roast to $1259.98 for a 14lb roast that comes with complementary horseradish and cream sauce. The USDA Prime Dry-Aged roasts run from $115.98 to $405.98 for the same sizes.

Dean and Deluca will ship you either a frozen or fresh 5 bone 9.9lb rib roast for $275.00 from their exclusive supplier Brandt Beef. A perfectly cooked version is pictured above.

Tags: beef, Dean and Deluca, DeanAndDeluca, holiday dining, HolidayDining, Lobels, Rib Roast, RibRoast, roasting tips, RoastingTips

Filed under: Dining

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

onebuck54 Dec 13th 2009 7:46PM

For this kind of money you can buy a whole STEER on the hoof!

stephanie Dec 14th 2009 6:30AM

Anybody that falls for this bull**** is out of their minds. I have been a butcher for 30 years. Unless this cow came from outerspace, you shouldnt pay any more than $8.00 per pound, and thats even high, but they jack up the prices around the holidays.

Katie Dec 18th 2009 12:15PM

I have never bought from d&d for meat but i love their chocolate! Their baskets are very nice for get well gifts. And lobel's has awesomly meaty meats! I dont know about Dean and Deluca, but lobels has had the same prices up the whole year. So they dont jack up the prices just because of the holidays.

Also, I just did a quick look on their site... here is why their meat is so good and the price it is..

"Our rigorous meat selection process differentiates our product from meat available in most stores. We only buy USDA prime beef, which accounts for less than 2% of all beef. But within the prime beef category, We take only the finest cuts, paying up to a 10% premium to get the best. We then dry agethe beef for four to six weeks, a process our family sees as an art, and one that can mean the difference between a good and a great tasting piece of meat. Steaks, filets and roasts from Lobel’s are unlike any others on the market, which prompted a Wall Street Journal writer to note of a Lobel’s steak, "It was so perfect—in looks, taste, and texture—that we were tempted to eat it raw. The buttery flavor was beyond comparison."

I'll bet that the $8 a pound beef doesnt come close to this stuff!