SLOW-ROASTED PRIME RIB WITH NATURAL JUS

I never ate prime rib in my life until I signed with the New York Mets and started going out to restaurants with the veteran players on the team. The idea of “going out to dinner” was a whole new experience for me, and I loved the opportunity to try new foods, flavors, and dishes that were not on my radar while growing up in Texas.

My mom was a very good cook and we had some great down-home comfort meals, like fried chicken with country gravy. Some of my favorites that my mom prepared were liver and onions (I still enjoy eating calf’s liver) and Sunday pot roast. I looked forward to those special Sunday dinners all week long. I dreamed of eating fried chicken while I was playing baseball or basketball down the street from our home in Alvin. But we never ate prime rib at home—and even steak was a rarity because it was considered a luxury. Growing up in a rural town meant we ate all our meals at home, and prime rib was considered restaurant food.

This recipe reminds me of the great prime rib I discovered at Lawry’s Prime Rib in Chicago, where you pick your cut right off the rolling cart and it is sliced tableside. This version has a rich, complex flavor and the textbook caramelized crust, but the genius of the recipe lies in the way it manages to retain the moist and tender quality of the beef.

Chef Cris shows you how to make great jus from the drippings. But all you purists, like me, can just add salt and pepper to enjoy the natural flavor of this perfect prime rib.

SERVES 8 TO 10

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 3 HOURS

For the prime rib:

½ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

½ of a boneless prime rib (An average prime rib weighs 14 to 16 pounds; buy a whole prime rib if cooking for a large crowd and double the recipe.)

½ cup Nolan Ryan Steak Seasoning (here)

For the jus:

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 celery ribs, cut into chunks

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered

4 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon beef base

Nolan’s Tip: The size of the roast is the most important element in selecting the beef at your grocery store or butcher shop. The goal is to build a relationship with your local butcher. Make him aware of how you like your cuts of beef to be trimmed, the amount of marbling you want in your beef, and how thick you want your beef to ensure consistent cooking every time.

1 Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2 In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and chopped garlic.

3 Place the prime rib in a large roasting pan and rub the beef with the mustard sauce. Season the meat with the steak seasoning.

4 Roast the prime rib for 2½ hours. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F and cook until the internal temperature of the beef reaches 115°F (medium-rare) to 120°F (medium), about 30 minutes more.

5 Transfer the beef to a cutting board, upside-down so the juices flow back in, and let it rest for 15 minutes while you make the jus.

6 In the same roasting pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the celery, carrot, and onion until the vegetables are caramelized.

7 Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the beef base. Strain the jus through a fine-mesh sieve into a gravy boat.

8 Flip the prime rib over again and slice it across the grain. Transfer the slices to a platter and drizzle with a little jus, passing the remainder separately.