Prime Rib Roast: The Closed-Oven Method

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Gather the ingredients.

2. Step 2

   The night before cooking the prime rib, unwrap the roast and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator. This will dry out the surface, making it easier to get a nice brown color on the roast.

3. Step 3

   Three hours before you want to begin cooking, take the roast out of the fridge and place it on a sheet pan at room temperature.

4. Step 4

   Half an hour before you start roasting, preheat your oven to 500 F and season the meat generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Step 5

   Now it's time to do your calculation. Simply multiply the weight of your roast (in pounds) by 5. That's your total roasting time in minutes. For instance, if you have a 4-pound roast, 4 × 5 = 20 minutes. An 8-pound roast? 8 × 5 = 40 minutes. Remember that number.

6. Step 6

   When you're ready to cook, set the roast in a roasting pan with a rack, fat-side up. If you're nervous about the cooking time, you can insert a meat thermometer or a digital probe thermometer into the deepest part of the meat, being careful not to hit bone.

7. Step 7

   Put the meat in the preheated oven and roast it for however many minutes you calculated above. When the time's up, turn off the oven, and walk away. Do not open the oven door for any reason for the next 2 hours.

8. Step 8

   In 2 hours, take the prime rib out of the oven, carve, and serve right away. If you used a thermometer, you'll see that the internal temperature of the meat has reached 130 F, perfect medium-rare.