Lucky you!!!! Cooking this is dead easy. While it roasts, you have time to do the sides. Be sure to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking and salt about it about 4 hours before or even overnight. It makes a big difference. You can even put the mustard glaze on in the beginning to help form a nice crust. Serve with a potato gratin and some fresh asparagus or a creamed spinach. Standing Rib/Prime Rib roast 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper Kosher salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil One 5-rib 12- to 13-pound prime rib roast, chine bone removed Preheat the oven to 450ð. In a small bowl, mix the mustard with the garlic, thyme, pepper and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Whisk in the olive oil. Set the meat, bone side down, in a roasting pan and season it lightly with salt. Roast the meat in the lower third of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the meat from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350ð. Brush the mustard coating all over the top and sides of the meat and roast for about 1 1/2 hours longer, rotating the roasting pan 2 or 3 times for even browning. The meat is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast at the thickest part registers 120ð (for medium rare). Transfer the roast to a carving board, cover it loosely with foil and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Set the roast on its side and run a long, sharp knife between the bones and meat; remove the bones and set them aside. Turn the roast right side up. Carve the roast 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and transfer the slices to warmed plates. Pour any carving juices over the meat and serve at once. For bone-gnawing carnivores, cut down between the rib bones and pass them on a plate. *If the bones are not cut loose by the butcher, do so with a very sharp knife and tie them back on. Enjoy your feast. This is the same way I did 4 roasts for about 60 people for Dads 75th birthday.

One of my husband's friends was a chef who gave us directions on how to cook a perfect prime rib roast. For medium-rare: Salt and pepper roast. Place it on a pan which has no sides; do not add any liquid. Place in a preheated 450 F degree oven for 10 minutes; turn roast over, cook for another 10 minutes (this seals in the juices). Reduce oven temperature to 350 F degrees and cook for 1 hour. Let rest for 20-30 minutes. You can then add some liquid to the pan and scrape up any browned bits. Perfectly medium-rare! The roast I used for these directions had 4 bones... sorry not sure what it weighed.

Well, the "sell by" date isn't a "use by" date, and some dry aged beef gets aged 40 days or more. I'm not sure the back of the refrigerator is actually dry aging, as you don't have the climate controlled humidity (or lack thereof), but my "recipe" from Fine Cooking tells me to age in the refrigerator at least 24 hours, and up to 4 days. My 7 rib roast is currently thawing in the refrigerator, and I won't cook it until the day after Christmas. So, I'd salt it and leave it in the refrigerator. Annie

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.