Nothing says Sunday dinners or holiday meals like a prime rib roast. Coated with a flavorful dry rub and roasted to perfection, this prime rib will be a hit no matter when you serve it.
Combine sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried thyme in a bowl and mix together. Set aside.
Pat rib roast dry with paper towels.
Coat entire roast with dry rub, patting mixture into the meat.
Refrigerate uncovered for 2-4 hours.
Remove from fridge 1 hour before roasting.
Preheat oven 450 deg F (230C).
Spread quartered onions, carrot chunks, and garlic bulbs in the bottom of a baking pan/dish. Drizzle with extra light olive oil.
Place meat on top of the vegetables.
Roast for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 325 deg F (160C) and roast for approximately 55 minutes (see note below regarding doneness and temperature).
Transfer roast to a separate plate/pan and cover with foil. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Transfer all the roasted vegetables and juices to a pot. Add beef broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour the gravy mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl to filter out the vegetable solids.
If you prefer a thicker gravy, transfer the gravy liquid back to the pot over medium heat. Mix the 1 tbs tapioca starch and 2 tbs water into a slurry and stir into the gravy to thicken.
Slice rib roast and serve with gravy.
Notes
If using bone-in, a good rule of thumb is 2 servings per rib bone. So to feed 6-8 people, purchase a roast with 3-4 bones.
The temperature of the roast will continue to rise once removed from the oven and during its rest period.
A general guideline of 15 minutes per pound can achieve medium doneness, but measuring by temperature is much more accurate. (The temperatures below are a basic guide.)
Medium = 135-140 deg F (57-60C); remove from oven when thermometer measures 120 deg F (48C)
Medium rare = 130-135 deg F (55-57C); remove from oven when thermometer measures 115 deg F (46C)
Medium well = 145-155 deg F (62-68C): remove from oven when thermometer reads 130 deg F (55C)
The internal temperature of the meat can rise very quickly in the oven. If the temperature reads too low, let it roast longer, but continue to check every 5 minutes. Alternatively, use a temperature probe that stays in the meat during roasting and alerts you when it has reached the desired temperature.
For the vegetables used to make the gravy, remove all the skins and save the rest for eating alongside the roast, if desired. The onions and garlic are really flavorful!
A serving of gravy (about 2 tbs) adds approximately 90 calories.
While I have not done it personally, I have also seen roasting methods where you roast the beef at the low temperature at the beginning, with the hotter searing temperature at the end to crisp up the crust on the outside.