Standing Prime Rib Roast

What do you normally have for Christmas dinner? Growing up, we always had turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings. It was the same thing mom served for Thanksgiving, and we loved it. When I started The Hungry Pinner, I decided to change things up and serve ham for Christmas since my husband loves it so much. I’ve done that for the past few years, and I decided it was time to change things up again. After a lot of searching, I ended up choosing this Standing Prime Rib Roast recipe as the centerpiece of my 2021 Christmas menu.

I considered making a roasted goose, but then I discovered that a standing rib roast (A.K.A. prime rib) is also a popular main course. According to this 2020 survey of The Most Popular Christmas Dishes at Taste of Home, it’s far more popular than goose (#55) and even more popular than ham (#11). Prime rib comes in at #6, just below turkey (#3). The top two dishes? Roast potatoes and mashed potatoes, respectively. Gotta love those carbs!

This prime rib roast also called standing rib roast is marinated with a dry rub made with coriander, cumin, paprika. Cooked to a perfect medium-rare, then served with a pomegranate glaze. The perfect roast to serve on special occasions.

Recipe Author: Veena Azmanov
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The Ingredients

This recipe has a good-sized list of ingredients, and I had to do some shopping. I had honey, olive oil, and brown sugar on hand. I also had all the ground spices and some whole nutmeg that I grated.

That left me to pick up the garlic, thyme, rosemary, pomegranate molasses, and prime rib. The last two gave me a little trouble. I had to try two stores before I found a bone-in beef rib roast. It wasn’t Prime grade, though, and I had to settle for Choice. There’s a little less fat marbling and it’s $5 less per pound, but the butcher assured me the difference isn’t noticeable (he was right). I bought a 4.1-pound roast for $95. It’s the most expensive cut of meat I have ever bought, and I don’t mind telling you I was petrified I would ruin it!

The last item on my shopping list was pomegranate molasses, and I couldn’t find it at any of my usual grocery stores. I ended up ordering a bottle from Amazon for $8. I had to sample it when it arrived, and I can tell you it’s exactly what it sounds like. Thick, syrupy, and sweet with a tangy punch. I loved it!

Standing Prime Rib Roast Ingredients
Bone-in beef rib roast, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, garlic cloves, whole nutmeg, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, paprika, pepper, salt, olive oil, mustard, brown sugar, honey, and pomegranate molasses

The Process

Making this Standing Prime Rib Roast did take a while, but most of that time was inactive. Waiting for the roast to marinate, warm up, cook, and stand before carving gave me plenty of time to work on the rest of dinner and watch some TV. My active time was about 15 minutes. Here’s how my time was spent:

  • 12 minutes to make and apply the rub
  • 3 minutes to make the glaze
  • 2 minutes to prep
  • 1 hour 29 minutes to cook
  • 15 minutes to stand
  • 2 hours 1 minute total

Dry Rub

Slightly over the 1 hour 45 minute total listed, but not by much. I should note that the above does not include time for the roast to marinate overnight (optional, but I did it) or 3 hours to come to room temperature before cooking.

My Standing Prime Rib Roast started out with making and applying the dry rub. It’s not in the recipe, but the post gives the option of applying the rub and allowing it to marinate overnight. I decided to do that since it barely any extra work and would impart extra flavor.

The dry rub was incredibly simple. Lightly toast the coriander seeds, then mix them in with everything else and crush with a mortar and pestle or food processor. I opted for my mortar and pestle since I find it easier to control. It does take longer, though, so keep that in mind.

Once the spices were blended, I mixed in the olive oil, dried the rib roast, and applied the rub. Then I re-wrapped it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Bone-in beef rib roast coated in the dry rub made with spices and olive oil
Bone-in beef rib roast coated in the dry rub made with spices and olive oil

Pomegranate Glaze

The next day I was a bundle of nerves! It was time to cook the roast, but I had a few things to do first. I began by taking the roast out of the refrigerator a good two hours before I planned to cook it. The instructions emphasize this for even cooking.

I mixed up the pomegranate glaze at the same time. This was even easier than the dry rub. Just add all the glaze ingredients to a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Then set aside until it’s needed.

Standing Prime Rib Roast right out of the oven, before carving
Standing Prime Rib Roast right out of the oven, before carving

Roasting

I loved the author’s technique for roasting. Using high heat to start off ensures the outside sears, sealing in the juices. I really appreciated not having to sear the roast on the stove first!

I made a small change to the recipe and put the meat thermometer in before putting the roast into the oven. The recipe says to add it after the first 15 minutes, but my way seemed easier. No worrying I would burn myself (I already do that enough!).

I also followed the suggestion of tucking some foil underneath the bones to elevate them. Additionally, I used my roasting pan with a rack.

After 15 minutes, I generously brushed the roast with the pomegranate glaze, turned the heat down, and waited for my meat thermometer to beep. I also set my phone’s timer because I’m paranoid. Hello, $100 roast on the line!

I followed the suggestion in the notes to cook the roast until it reached 120℉ because I had to spend some time taking photos. Despite taking it out of the refrigerator to warm up for a few hours, my roast took an extra 29 minutes to reach 120℉.

The recipe’s blog post gives the option to baste more than once, and I did baste a second time. I figured I might as well while I was checking for doneness after an hour. I was left with plenty of glaze, though.

Once the roast was done, I tented it with foil and used a large nonstick skillet to reduce the remaining glaze. Unfortunately, there were no pan juices to thin it. Instead, I had a big burned-on mess because I forgot to line my roasting pan with foil. Doh! Otherwise, things went pretty smoothly, and I ended up with a beautiful medium-rare roast!

Standing Prime Rib Roast served with Dijon Tahini Green Beans and Slow Cooked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Standing Prime Rib Roast served with Dijon Tahini Green Beans and Slow Cooked Garlic Mashed Potatoes

So how was it?

Clear & Accurate Directions
Accurate Time(s)
Appearance
Taste
This herb-crusted Standing Prime Rib Roast was a spectacular centerpiece to my Christmas dinner! My 4-pound rib roast took a little longer to cook than the time listed even though I followed the instructions to a tee. Still, the results were undeniable--it was perfectly medium-rare and juicy inside with a beautiful crust on the outside. The flavorful dry rub was just amazing, but it was a touch too salty outside pieces. Also, I loved the glaze on the roast but found it a little too strong to use as a dip. While it was a deliciously sweet and tangy sauce, I felt it overpowered the flavor of the meat, and that's what I wanted to taste the most. That might be because I didn't have any pan drippings to thin it, and I didn't have any beef broth on hand either. The instructions were thorough and walked me through the whole process. I was incredibly nervous about cooking such an expensive cut of meat, but the detailed directions were reassuring. My first ever standing rib roast was a huge Pinterest success!
The Hungry Pinner
The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

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This herb-crusted Standing Prime Rib Roast was a spectacular centerpiece to my Christmas dinner! My 4-pound rib roast took a little longer to cook than the time listed even though I followed the instructions to a tee. Still, the results were undeniable--it was perfectly medium-rare and juicy inside with a beautiful crust on the outside. The flavorful dry rub was just amazing, but it was a touch too salty outside pieces. Also, I loved the glaze on the roast but found it a little too strong to use as a dip. While it was a deliciously sweet and tangy sauce, I felt it overpowered the flavor of the meat, and that's what I wanted to taste the most. That might be because I didn't have any pan drippings to thin it, and I didn't have any beef broth on hand either. The instructions were thorough and walked me through the whole process. I was incredibly nervous about cooking such an expensive cut of meat, but the detailed directions were reassuring. My first ever standing rib roast was a huge Pinterest success!Standing Prime Rib Roast