There’s a reason we tend to save prime rib for the holidays and other special occasions: it’s rich, full-beef flavor instantly elevates a meal. Oh, and it can be pricey, which means that you want to make sure you do right by it. Here’s everything you need to know about how to buy, age, cook, and carve a prime rib.

1. How to Buy a Prime Rib Roast

您可能没有意识到“ Prime Rib”一词具有两个定义。它既指特殊的牛肉切割，又指美国农业部牛肉等级。为了帮助您在屠夫柜台谈论演讲，这是对“ Prime”的深入解释。

肋骨：切口

A prime rib roast, or standing rib roast, is cut from the back of the upper rib section of the steer, and it usually comprises a total of seven ribs. To make theSlow-Roasted Prime Rib食谱，您需要三骨肋骨烤，可以从Chuck的末端或肋骨部分的腰部末端切割。作者Suzanne Goin更喜欢从腰部末端切下三骨肋骨烤肉，这是小端或首次切割。它的整体尺寸较小，但肋眼较大，意味着更多的肉和脂肪更少。

Chuck端（又称大端或第二切）的整体尺寸更大，但肋骨眼睛较小，瘦肉部分之间散布着几层厚的脂肪。

Prime：等级

Prime is the best USDA grade of beef available, having the most marbling (flecks of fat interspersed in the meat) and therefore the best flavor and tenderness. Because of its expense, most Prime beef ends up in restaurants. The grade below Prime is Choice, the grade most supermarkets carry. When you ask for a prime rib at a supermarket, chances are the counterperson will assume you’re referring only to the cut, not the grade, and you will receive a Choice grade prime rib. The quality of Choice grade beef is still quite good, and since a rib roast is a rather fatty cut to begin with, a Choice grade prime rib will make a fine roast. That said, if you want to splurge on the best, you’ll need to order a prime (grade) prime rib, and you may have to seek out a specialty butcher shop or high-end supermarket to find one.

The bottom line

At the market, ask for a small-end (or first-cut) three-bone rib roast. If that doesn’t ring a bell with the meat person, ask for the roast to be cut from the loin end. The grade—Prime or Choice—is up to you, and your wallet.

2.在家中干燥时，以最大的风味

High-end butchers and steakhouses dry-age their own beef: basically a process of slow, controlled dehydration that concentrates the meat’s flavor, making it mellower, yet beefier. The good news is that you can mimic this process at home for dry-aged flavor without the huge price tag. All you need is refrigerator space, cheesecloth, and three to seven days aging time.了解如何干燥自己的肋骨.

3.尝试反向烧焦

There’s no shortage of showstopping prime-rib recipes, but for big holiday meals, we’re especially enamored of the “reverse sear” technique: You roast the meat hours ahead of the final sear, so you can pull the rest of the meal together without worrying about when the meat will be done. Plus, you can do the final sear either in the oven or on the stovetop, depending on what’s going on with the rest of the menu. Learn more about如何反向烧焦, and check out the recipe forReverse-Seared Prime Rib，用芥末酱黄油擦拭。尽管此食谱使用了无骨的肋骨，但您可以通过简单地将最初的慢烤（您仍在寻找肉类达到相同温度）上使用相同的技术进行烤烤。

4.或在地壳下烤

烤肋骨的另一种不寻常的方法是将其悬挂在简单的盐，草药，面粉和蛋清之前，然后在所有果汁中密封并注入肉味。结果是一条嫩，中等稀有的烤牛肉，一直调味。在此处了解有关盐壳技术的更多信息.

5. How to Carve a Prime Rib Roast