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So this is my first ever roast.
I mean, I have roasted a chicken and all, but never a big roast like this. Mom always does the Turkey at Thanksgiving and really, that is the only roast my family does. Until now, because I decided I needed to make a roast.
It’s just seemed so Christmassy and perfect.
Every Christmas Eve, my family usually grills a beef tenderloin. It’s tradition, we do it ever year. This year though, I am taking over and making prime rib. This cut of meat was pretty amazing and this is coming from a person who really doesn’t care much for meat.
And oh my gosh, it’s so crazy easy to prepare. Which clearly means it’s perfect for holiday cooking and entertaining.
And speaking of holiday entertaining and the holidays. I spent all day Saturday trying to make a Christmas Croquembouche and let’s just say it ended in tears and not the happy kind.
Making the cream puffs was easy, piping them with my chocolate pastry cream was easy, forming them into a pretty tower was when things went bad. And then things went from bad to worse when I had to make the caramel. Things got absolutely disastrous when I tried to spin sugar around my pathetic looking tower. Who the heck do I think I am trying to spin sugar? I mean, I have zero training in baking, and spinning hot sugar is just not something I should be attempting. I completely ruined a bowl, like to the point where the hot sugar actually cracked it (thank goodness it wasn’t anything great) and the fork I was using ended up in the trash too because getting the hardened sugar off just seemed like a miserable option.
SO… you guys will probably never see a croquembouche recipe from me. I am still mentally and physically exhausted from the day. I tried so hard (SO HARD think sun up till sun down) to make it work. I had this picture in my head of how I wanted this pretty Christmas tree shaped dessert to look, but it was just not happening.
The good news is, everything was edible and tasted delicious. BUT instead of a pretty tower, it looked like I plopped a bunch of cream puffs on a plate, smooshed them together and then tried to drizzle them with a caramel that got way too hard.
Just so bad.
I guess you live and you learn.
Luckily, I nailed this coffee rubbed prime rib roast and topped it with the most insanely good butter.
It’s pretty simple so I think the only way you can mess it up is if you overcook it, which even then I have read that this cut of meat is still juicy when slightly over cooked. Good. Room for mistakes because mistakes happen. Especially during the holidays.
I am living proof!
Here’s the deal. I know that coffee on steak sounds totally odd, but I promise, you do not even realize you are eating coffee. Just like coffee makes chocolate shine, it makes meat shine too.
The seasoning rub is basically all things Christmas. There is brown sugar, coffee, smoked paprika, chili powder, ginger and even some vanilla beans. It’s a tad odd I will admit, but in this case odd is so very good. It’s simple and delicious. However, if you are not feeling all the seasonings, you really just need coffee, salt and pepper. This cut of meat will be good with three simple ingredients. Do whatever you prefer (but you really should try my rub because it’s so good!).
Also, you can prep the meat (putting on the rub and all) a day in advance, just let it sit in the fridge overnight and then take it out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking to allow the meat to come to room temperature.
Oh, and most importantly? The gorgonzola butter.
You have to make this. Steak, butter, roasted garlic and cheese, it’s the most award-winning combo. If I am being honest, the roast is delicious, but the gorgonzola butter – it’s what makes this roast out of this world and perfect for Christmas Eve.
So bottom line? If you make this roast, you must make the butter. Butter for life.
Is anyone else getting excited for Christmas week? I surely am….freaking out a little too. Family friends will be here Thursday through Saturday and then the family starts arriving Saturday. Too much to do, not sure where I will be living, anxious, stressed and excited all at the same time.
So basically I am a ball of emotions.
But hey, at least I’ve got the food all planned. That’s the most important thing. Gotta have good food at Christmas!
Coffee Rubbed Prime Rib Roast with Roasted Garlic Gorgonzola Butter.
Ingredients
- 1 prime rib roast*, 3 to 4 rib
- 2 tablespoons coffee grounds
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons to 2 coarse salt
- 2-3 cups chopped root vegetables (I used potatoes, brussels + carrots)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 heads garlic, tips sliced off
Roasted Garlic Gorgonzola Butter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon worchestire sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4-6 cloves roasted garlic, from the 2 heads above
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the coffee grounds, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, ginger, vanilla bean seeds, salt and black pepper. Rub spice mixture all over the beef, coating evenly. Add the chopped root vegetables, onion and garlic to a roasting pan. Place beef on top of the vegetables and allow it to come to room temperature. Ether leave on the counter for 30 minutes, or refrigerate covered, overnight or up to 1 day. About 3 hours before you plan to cook the beef, remove it from the refrigerator.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Cook beef for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into meat (away from bone) registers 115 to 120 degrees (for rare) or 125 degrees for medium rare, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes longer. Let rest 20 minutes.
- While the meat is resting, grab the roasted garlic and mash finely with a fork. Combine the mashed garlic, butter, gorgonzola cheese, worchestire sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Slice meat away from ribs, cutting along the bones. Then, slice meat crosswise to desired thickness. Serve with the gorgonzola butter.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Side note – my brothers are all dying right now because they somehow missed out on this meal.
Oooh, my favorite cheeseburger recipe is coffee rubbed, and it totatlly doesn’t taste like coffee, just absolute yumminess…as this roast looks! Love the roast, and that butter…drooling!
Thank you, Denise!
This. looks. beautiful! Great tip on having the butcher remove the bones then put them back on.
Thanks Justin!!
Just wow, Tieghan! Beautiful presentation and that roast is just mouth-watering!
Thank you!
99% of all “Prime Rib” recipes fail in that the cut is only PRIME rib if it comes from PRIME graded beef. Otherwise, it is a STANDING rib roast.which is nearly as good as prime, but cost’s a heck of a lot less. The use of the word “PRIME” is to grab attention and $$$ from the unknowing and unsuspecting.
Not only have I been there with a recipe fail, but I have been there with an epic croquembouche fail as well…and it wasn’t only the spinning sugar (looked easy to me…) debacle while trying to finish getting ready for a surprise party, (and the croquembouche was the birthday cake!) but the hazelnuts in my chocolate hazelnut filling were apparently too large to fit through my one and only piping tip at the time and they kept clogging it up so I couldn’t fill the darn things! And yes, like you, it still tasted good, even if it didn’t look spectacular like it was supposed to…someday, I shall try again…
UGH. It’s the worst right? Sorry yours didn’t turn out either!
Coffee rubs are the absolute best, I love this roast! So sorry about the croquembouche – I’ve never attempted to make spun sugar but I have a feeling things wouldn’t go much better for me either!
I am sure you would nail it, your recipes are always gorgeous! 🙂
I’ve never tackled a beef roast, but this definitely makes me want to try! In the meantime, I have to at least make that gorgonzola butter!!
Yes, make the butter SO GOOD! 🙂
This looks incredible, Tieghan!
Thanks Naomi!
SALIVATING.
I’m sorry to hear about your Croquembouche. We’ve all been there (disaster city) when trying to push ourselves to do something new and exciting, and it is rough when it doesn’t work out. But you’re amazingly talented, and you don’t learn unless you try! At least you had this gorgeous roast to make you feel better. I have got to make Prime Rib soon for my boyfriend– I think I’ll take some notes from this recipe!! =)
THANKS Morgan!! 🙂
honestly T I really feel you on this post (even though you are SO a baker!! girrrl get real, your baking ish is amaaaazing!) It really sucks when you have this image in your head of what a recipe is going to look like all perfectly styled and composed, and then womp WOMP, it doesn’t even come close. It’s def a learning experience, and we’ve alll had them (seriously I’ve had brownies go wrong, so sad lol) so don’t feel too bad 😉
and this roast? incredible.
It is the worst!! Totally bums you out. 🙁
Thanks so much, Christine! 🙂
Your first ever roast?! You nailed it – and I thank you for that because now I know what I’m making for Christmas dinner!
Thanks Jessica!
I don’t even eat meat and that looks good! Please do a post (with pictures) on the barn soon!!
Thank you and I will! 🙂
Gimme dat BEEF! In spite of the fact that I can ea pounds of it, I’ve never made prime rib, and you definitely did nail it. Welp, I’m inspired – time to roast a hunk o’ beef and shmear it with gorgonzola butter!!
Thanks Julia!
I love prime rib so much. This rub sounds amazing! And gorgonzola butter? Ahhhhhh…
Thanks Brenda!
LOL!! I seriously can’t believe we both post coffee-rubbed prime rib on the same day!! Great minds think alike. And that buttah….dying!!!
Haha! I know!! I saw yours on bloglovin and haven’t gotten to it yet. The lead pic looks beautiful! 🙂
Thanks Lauren!