Organic Herb Crusted Rib Roast

When planning the menu for our Fed, White and Blue dinner a couple of weeks back, I wanted the very best ingredients I could find.  Our meat was organic and hormone free thanks to KOL Foods, our produce was local and the company was exceptional.  Next week, I’ll be posting some more insight and recipes from our dinner but for today, my buddy Chris of The Epicurean Pig has stepped up to share his prep of our main dish, an organic herb crusted rib roast. 

Here’s how it looked — 

[sociallocker][/sociallocker]

Chris did an exceptional job preparing this rib roast.  The texture, color and flavor of the meat itself was truly the highest quality meat I have ever eaten.  It’s no secret that I have a great relationship with the KOL Foods team and have cooked with their organic meat a number of times before — if you have been wondering when to place your first order, I’d say the time has come and this is a great recipe to start with.

Now — over to Chris: 

What happens when you combine amazing food, great people and fantastic wine? The same thing that happens when you mix rosemary, garlic and olive oil into a paste for a rib roast crust… Magic. 

Despite being 1,800 miles from home, I was graciously welcomed into the Silver’s household and felt instantly connected. Food and the craft of cooking has a way of bringing people together, creating friendships and bonds that transcend typical social or cultural barriers. What might have been a typical Friday night dinner for the Silver family was anything but that for typical for a non-kosher Californian, getting ready to experience his first Shabbat dinner.

The menu was expansive for the night. The guest list included Iron Chef and Cut Throat Kitchen judge and author Simon Majumdar. Aside from keeping the gin and tonics flowing (I brought a local gin from Spirit Works), I was assigned to meat duty: a beautifully marbled, kosher rib roast.

Feeling the pressure, I kept it simple, which when presented with beautiful product from the team at KOL Foods, is the best thing you can do. Let the ingredients shine. The other trick to this rib roast was managing the salt. Knowing that the kosher meat had previously been salted, I had to be somewhat restrained in my seasoning — and if you’ve ever cooked with me, you know restraint and salt are two words rarely uttered in the same sentence.

So when making the paste for the roast, consider your salt tolerances. Serve with a great Cab or Zin.  We were drinking the Hagafen Prix Reserve Cab.

Herb Crusted Rib Roast

Here are the ingredients you will need for this epic herb crusted rib roast: 

• 5-6 lb standing rib roast of beef
• 6 sprigs of rosemary, stems removed
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of Kosher salt (depends on whether you are using Kosher beef and your general salt preference)
• 2 tablespoons ground pepper

Here’s how you prep and cook the rib roast. 

• Blend all the ingredients together (not including the roast) in a food processor. Reserve 2 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of pepper.
• Let the roast sit out on the counter for at least an hour so it will come up to room temperature. This is key when cooking any meat.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 
• Place the rib roast fatty side up and bone side down in a roasting pan or oven proof tray. 
• Rub the herb, garlic oil mixture over the top and sides of the roast. Season the rest of the roast with the remaining salt and pepper. 
• Roast for 25 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to roast until desired doneness is achieved. Figure 20 minutes per pound for medium rare.
• Let rest for at least 15 minutes. 
• Carve and serve with a great olive oil (we used a spicy Frutteto Blend from Dry Creek Olive Oil Company).