Mine is "aging" in the refrigerator right now, a 12 pound/7 rib roast. it's rubbed with salt and pepper and will not be cooked until Monday.

I intend to start it on 450, then switch to low and cook it to medium rare, that's how I've always done it, but we cut it from the bones to serve, so it can be sliced more thinly. I was always told "one rib for every two people", and one whole rib is usually more than anyone wants with all the accompaniments, so we remove the meat from the ribs, slice it and the bones are saved for snacking later and then stock.

I can't help with the convection issue, Elery had a convection oven and I never cooked one single thing in it that came out right, ever, and I used the darned thing for over three years. When I got my ovens installed, I made darned sure they were not convection!

Merry Christmas.

Annie

My tip for rib roast is after seasoning, rub flour onto the exposed fat. It helps to get a nice brown crust on it but also reduces fat spattering in the oven.

I cook a prime rib roast every Christmas eve and I prefer it quite rare but with a very crisp crust. I oven-sear mine to get the crust just right (make sure you have an appropriate fat cap on the roast to begin with)........allow the roast to come to room temperature, season as desired and place fat side up in a HOT (450F) oven for 20 minutes, then immediately turn the oven down to 325F and cook to an internal temp of 115F, about 1 hour and 20-25 minutes for a 3 rib roast. It will continue to cook while out of the oven so adjust your timing to the degree of doneness you prefer. It comes out perfectly cooked every time!! (thank you, Martha Stewart!)

Thank you all. I feel more confident on how to approach this now. I will not use the convection function. I will not sear in a pan in advance of roasting (though I’ll have to stop my husband, to whom doing it as my mother did is inviolate policy). I’ll rub flour onto the fat too.

Do I rub it on the exposed meat as well?

There IS a fat cap on the meat, though not quite as thick as I expected. It’s covered, but not thickly covered. Maybe 12 mm (or ½”+ in the thickest area?

For medium rare, should I cook to 120 F? How much standing time do you allow?

It’s much harder to see far into this oven. It will be a challenge to place the thermometer where I can see the dial. Ideally, do you place it through the fat cap or into the exposed meat side? Thanks again.

The reverse sear method is a great way to get a good crust with minimal grey outer rim. Dry the meat and season well with salt, then roast at a very LOW temperature (200 is great) until it's nearly done to your liking (5-10 degrees less than you want the final temp). Remove from the oven and THEN sear the outside in a pan on the stovetop. Because the outside of the meat is thoroughly dry due to the long roast at a low temp, it creates an outstanding crust.

Get an instant read thermometer - they are incredibly easy to use. Cook by whatever method you choose for the approximate length of time then open the oven and pierce through the thickest part of the roast (usually through the center from the top) and read the temp. Roast should rest, covered with foil, for 20-30 minutes before carving.

I only rub the flour on the fat cap, not on the meat itself.

Thank you all! I’d like to try this with the heat on low first technique. But I can’t use the chart in my cookbook to estimate time this way. As a ballpark estimate, so we know when to put the roast on, not counting the end searing time, just oven time, how much time should I allow for a 7 pound bone-in roast? We’ll need to cook the other dishes, plus I know my son will be asking from the moment he gets in the door and gets a whiff, so he can gauge his appetizer consumption.

I should take it out at 120 F for an end result of medium rare? Or 115 F?

Then do the standing time before pan searing or after?

When I take the roast out seems like a good time to start my Yorkshire pudding. The way I normally make the roast, that always seems to need more time and run behind everything else. I use one big 10" cast iron pan but need very high heat to preheat it, which takes some time

I do mine a little differently.
Season it heavily the day
before. Let sit, uncovered, on a rack in the refrigerator overnight.
Pull out to come to room temp for about an hour. Put on the lowest rack
in a 200° oven until it reaches an internal temp of 120°. Pull out, tent
with foil and let rest. Turn oven to 450° and put bakers in. When
bakers are almost done, uncover the roast and pop it back in the 450°
oven for about ten minutes, until the top forms a nice crust. Comes out
perfect, for our tastes, every time! Merry Christmas, everybody!

I usually do a 2 "rib" roast, three inches thick, and it takes about 2.5 hours to come to 120°. Am going to try ruthanna's trick about covering the fat in flour tomorrow.

With the reverse sear and very low-and-slow cooking time, you will want to get a little closer to your target final temperature before pulling it from the oven because there won't be quite as much carryover cooking as if you roasted at a higher temperature. I'd say get within 5-7 degrees of target rather than 10-15 like you would if you were roasting at a higher temp. What temperature do you prefer for rare meat? Personally, I like 125 or so for rare, 130-135 for medium rare, so I'd pull it at 120 or 125, tops.

As for the searing step, you can do it either before or after resting, but personally I like to do it after - that way the outside of the meat is piping hot and sizzling when you bring it to the table. You don't need to rest again after searing. Here's an article with some tips on timing: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/12/perfect-prime-rib-beef-recipe.html I would anticipate about 30 mins per pound of meat at 200, maybe less if your meat is at room temp to start.

One other tip to get an extra crispy, delicious crust - use some butter in your pan when you sear the meat. The milk solids in the butter brown and contribute to caramelization.

I use the broiler for searing, and a blow torch to touch up.

Quick and effective without overcooking the meat.

dcarch

Mine did not turn out at all, so "low and slow", though it may work well normally, will not be risked in the near future, until I get a better handle on my new oven. My husband was very skeptical about the technique, and so I know he will not want to risk it. It was a mistake to try it with a new oven.