Perfect Standing Rib Roast (Blast/Off-Oven method)

Planning to cook a tasty Standing Rib Roast? Try this method if you have a large joint for the most perfectly pink, juicy roast beef you've ever eaten. I call it blast-off because you start with the oven incredibly hot and then turn it off completely. But it is more commonly known as the no-roast method or off-oven method. The standing rib roast will have a great crust and be beautifully moist and juicy inside.

Jump to:

• ✅ When to use the off-oven method
• ❌ When NOT to use the off-oven method
• 📖 Ingredients List
• How to prepare standing rib roast
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Instructions
• 🔪 How to carve standing rib on the bone
• 🥩 How to make sauce from drippings
• 🍽 Serving suggestions
• 🍷 Wine pairing for roast beef
• ❄️ Storage & Freezing
• 🥣 Equipment
• 🍽 Other meat main course recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

✅ When to use the off-oven method

1. When your standing rib roast (also known as fore rib roast or prime rib roast) is over 5 pounds in weight (2.2kg). Two ribs (of the maximum of seven ribs) with the bone in will typically weigh around 5 pounds. If you have single rib of beef, this recipe will not work.
2. When you want a great sear on the outside but for the meat to be beautifully pink and juicy on the inside.
3. When you don't have anything else to cook in your oven at the time, as you cannot open it at all once it begins and vegetables (or anything else) simultaneously will alter the oven environment, which we do not want to do.

❌ When NOT to use the off-oven method

1. When your standing rib roast is under 5 pounds (2.2kg) which it might be if you have taken it off the bone or if the ribs are on the smaller side. The meat can become too dry due to the high heat.
2. When you have a gas oven, Aga or if your oven loses heat very quickly. The Off-Oven Roast Beef method is best for electric ovens that retain heat well. Your oven will need to reach the temperature of 500F/260C. Check how high your oven temperature goes, and use an oven thermometer to confirm this.
3. When you need to cook multiple items, and therefore will have to keep opening the oven. This will let heat out and affect the ambient atmosphere.

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📖 Ingredients List

1. Beef—This is a recipe for prime rib, also known as fore rib or standing rib roast. It is a ribeye steak on the bone and serves multiple people. In terms of what weight or how much to buy, the general rule is to allow one rib per two people. So, if you were cooking a standing rib roast for 6 guests, you would need a piece of fore rib with 3 ribs, and for 8 guests, you'd need 4 ribs, and so on.
2. Salt and freshly ground cracked black pepper - Do not use finely ground pepper, as it will burn in the oven's high temperature. We season the beef heavily overnight and leave it uncovered to dry out and for the seasoning to permeate.
3. Butter (optional) - Standing rib is a fatty cut, so I do not always use any additional oil or fat. But it can work well to rub some high-quality European-style unsalted butter over the meat to make it extra juicy.

How to prepare standing rib roast

1. Weigh your standing beef rib. You will need this information to work out how long to cook it at high heat before turning off the oven.
2. The day before you plan to roast the prime rib of beef, remove all packaging from it. Pat it dry with a paper towel and place it on a roasting tray or other tray that will fit in your fridge. Rest it on the bone so that both sides of the "eye" are uncovered.
3. Rub the butter (if using) and sprinkle a generous amount of salt and cracked black pepper all over the entire surface of the beef. Do not use ground pepper; it will burn.
4. Leave the standing rib roast uncovered in the fridge overnight. This dry brine method draws out the moisture in the beef that then soaks back in and allows for both a good sear on the outside and moist and juicy meat.
5. Take the seasoned standing rib out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before you roast it. This will take at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat your oven thoroughly to 500F/260C which can take up to 20 minutes. This is essential.

👩🏼‍🍳 Instructions

How long to cook standing rib roast (Blast/Off-Oven method)

For every pound of weight, you need to leave the oven on for 5 minutes before turning it off and leaving it in there undisturbed for 2 hours. One pound is equal to almost half a kilo (0.45kg). As an example, if your rib of beef weighs 5 pounds (2.2kg), you need to leave the oven on for 25 minutes before turning it off for the rest of the time.

How to cook standing rib roast (Blast/Off-Oven method)

🔪 How to carve standing rib on the bone

The easiest way to carve prime rib roast is to remove the bone first. You can do this by cutting carefully around the "eye" of the meat with a sharpened knife. I have found that using a flexible fish-fileting knife can actually be quite handy here! Then, using a carving fork to steady the meat on a carving board, carefully carve slices from the prime rib.

🥩 How to make sauce from drippings

1. Using a small hand-held whisk, quickly stir 2 teaspoons of flour into the beef fat drippings a little at a time to make a paste (a roux).
2. Then, stir in a ladleful of beef stock to loosen it into a velouté.
3. Stir this mixture into a saucepan of beef stock and cook over low/medium heat for 10 minutes until the gravy thickens.
4. Sieve to remove any lumps and serve with the standing rib roast.

🍽 Serving suggestions

Serve carved bone-in roast with easy garlic potato roses, gorgonzola baked leeks, and carrots en papillote. Or, a warm potato and asparagus salad. It's also delicious with a classic Béarnaise sauce.

🍷 Wine pairing for roast beef

A Bordeaux-style red wine is the best wine pairing for a standing rib roast. This pertains to a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. In addition to buying a Claret (which can be pricey), you can also get good Bordeaux blends from Napa Valley and Chile.

❄️ Storage & Freezing

Store leftover roast beef in an airtight container in the fridge and consume it within 2-3 days. You can reheat it, but it might dry out. I prefer to have it cold in salads or a sandwich with a bit of horseradish sauce.

🥣 Equipment

You will need a Large roasting pan, preferably with a rack, so you can collect the drippings beneath the bone-in rib roast.

🍽 Other meat main course recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

📖 Recipe