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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.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 307 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
*I had my butcher remove the bones and then tie them back on for added flavor. I think this is the best way and you get the best flavor.
Side note – my brothers are all dying right now because they somehow missed out on this meal.
Hi! Vegetarian here. I’m hosting Christmas at my new home and am at a loss as to what to make for the main course. My whole family wants meat and well, this looks amazing. I’ve never made anything like this before. I’m not even sure how to buy it. Do I just ask for it at the counter? What does 3-4 rib mean? Can I double the recipe or should I then cook two separate hunks of meat instead of one bigger one? AH!
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, just ask for the meat at the counter (the butcher should be able to help you and point you in the right direction). You can either double the recipe or make a larger roast, just adjust the cooking times as needed (google the amount of time per pound for your roast). 3-4 ribs is the amount of rib bones that are in the roast. Happy to help in anyway that I can, so let me know if you have other questions!
Happy Holidays 🙂
HI!
I wanted to ask you what kind of roasting pan you used? I am making this over the weekend for our holiday/friend party and want to be sure it’s perfect! I am SO excited!
Thank you!
This looks freakin’ amazing! 🙂
You are truly a gifted chef. I’ve made a bunch of your recipes and they’ve all been divine but this one, my dear, was heavenly. I made it for my husband and me (I bought two bones worth of the prime rib and it made several days of leftovers) and the beef melted in our mouths, the gorgonzola butter was rich and decadent, the roasted vegetables were caramelized perfectly and roasty sweet. The whole meal blew us away. Made it with buttermilk mashed potatoes and we both thought we had died and gone to heaven.
Thanks for another amazing recipe!!
Any advice on adapting this for a slow cooker?
Hi! I would just sear the meat and then add it to the slow cooker. Then just cook until your desired doneness. My guess is somewhere around 6 hours. Hope that helps!
what kind of coffee grounds did you use – instant or not, lavor, coarse, etc.?
merci from hawaii
I used regular, ground coffee beans. Thanks!
How many million ways can I thank you for this recipe?!!! Made this last night (except no vanilla bean) and it’s by far the most tender, moist, perfect prime rib ever!! Going to check out more of your recipes..
I used Instant Folgers coffee granules..What kind did you use?
I used Costo coffee.
SO excited you loved this!! THANKS!!
Simply wonderful. The left over butter tastes amazing mixed into pasta too.
Thank you!
Hi! I’ve been looking at both your prime rib recipes (this coffee one and the sage one) to make for Christmas. I’m leaning towards the coffee one, the ingredients look amazing (and easy!) but in these recipes you lay out the size of the prime rib differently. I’m a prime rib novice, but the 8 lb probably makes more sense for my group size but in this recipe it’s listed as # of ribs. How many lbs is the 3-4 ribs listed? Just looking to compare cooking time etc! Thank you!
Hey Caitlin,
Love this idea, you really can’t go wrong with either recipe! For this recipe, you will want about 4-5lbs of prime rib. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
What are the sides you served with this? Everything on that plate looks absolutely delicious!
What kind of grind should I use for the coffee in the rub? Is it more coarse or fine, or did you pretty much use generic storebought coffee grounds?
I made this recipe with special butter on Christmas Day and it turned out fantastic
So happy you loved it! Thanks!
My goodness, this looks good. My husband would be all over this slab of meat. It looks perfectly cooked, just the right amount of red in the middle (though, Eric would probably want his even more rare. He likes his beef “still mooing.”)
Omigoodness! That’s such a beautiful hunk of meat. It looks good enough for me to lick through my screen. Can’t wait to try this,
Thank you!
Did you get the idea of tying the bone back on from Kenji at Serious Eats? I just read his recent informative post on prime rib and it sounds very similar.
Hey Jasmine!
I actually was told to do this buy my butcher. But I am glad to know others use this method as well! 🙂
I thought you might have other resources. Because I assumed you, like all the other amazing food bloggers we both follow, would give credit where it is due. That’s something I’ve always admired about the ladies I follow. The food blogger world is a beautiful one : )
Wow, this is beyond. If I made this my husband would be so, so happy. Might just have to do it. 🙂
Thanks Robyn!