Standing Rib Roast with Red Wine Butter Sauce
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
Try this stunning beef dish for Christmas this year instead of roast turkey. Serve with roasted rosemary potatoes, sweet potatoes and steamed baby vegetables.
Ingredients
- standing best rib roast 1, about 4 – 5 ribs, at room temperature
- garlic cloves 3, peeled and cut into slivers
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- onion 1, peeled and finely chopped
- red wine 2 cups (500ml)
- beef stock 4 cups, good-quality
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- butter 1 knob (approx 20g)
Serves 8 – 10 Ask the butcher to prepare a standing rib roast of 4 -5 ribs. Ask for beef which has been well-aged – it should be a rich red to dark red colour. The best rib meat comes from the fore-rib, nearest the loin. Preheat oven to 250degC. Season meat with salt and pepper and insert a few slivers of garlic in between the ribs. Cover the rib tips with foild, shiny side in, to prevent burning. Place on a lightly oiled roasting pan. When oven is hot, put in the meat. Roast 20 minutes, then turn down heat to moderate (180degC). Continue to roast, basting occasionally with pan juices. After the initial 20 minutes roasting on high heat, allow approximately 15- 20 minutes per 500g for rare meat, 20 – 25minutes per 500g for medium and 25 -30 minutes per 500g well-done. Alternatively you can use a meat thermometer. Remove beef from pan and reserve juices for the sauce. It’s important to allow the meat to rest for 35 – 30 minutes in a warm place, covered with foil, before you start carving as this allows the juices to settle. Red Wine Sauce: After the beef has been removed from the pan, saute the onion in the juices and fat from the beef on top of the stove. Pour the red wine into the pan and reduce by half (i.e. to 250ml/1 cup). Pour in the beef stock and boil rapidly for 2 – 3 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a clean saucepan and skim the fat from the top of the stock. Bring back to the boil and reduce by two-thirds, correcting the seasoning. Whisk the knob of butter into the sauce just before serving. Note: if you have a meat thermometer, a guideline to internal temperatures is: Rare 50-55 °C (120° – 125°F) Medium-rare 55-60 °C (130° – 135°F) Medium 60-65 °C (140° – 145°F) Medium-well 65-75 °C (150° – 155°F) Well done: 70 °C (160°F and above) To check if meat is cooked without a thermometer, place a metal skewer into the thickest part of the meat and wait 30 seconds. Remove the skewer and touch it to your bottom lip. If the skewer is cold, the meat is underdone; if skewer is warm, the meat is rare; if skewer is hot, the meat is well done. Juices will run red if underdone, pink if medium and clear if well-done. Photography by Rodney Weidland: “Seasonal Entertaining” by Sheridan Rogers (HarperCollins).