There’s no great mystery to a rib of beef. Get a good piece, treat it gently, let it rest. The dry-ager out the back does most of the work for you — by the time it gets to your kitchen the only thing standing between you and dinner is patience.
What to ask for at the counter
A two-bone rib feeds six comfortably, eight if you’ve made enough trimmings. Three-bone if you’re going big. Tell us how many you’re feeding and roughly when you’re cooking it — we’ll cut it for you to be ready that morning.
The method
- Take it out of the fridge two hours before you cook it. Cold meat doesn’t roast, it boils.
- Heat the oven to 240°C. Salt the joint heavily on all sides. Sit it bone-side down in a tin.
- 20 minutes hot, then drop to 160°C. From there, count 14 minutes per 500g for medium-rare. A meat thermometer is the only way to be sure — pull it at 52°C internal.
- Rest it for 30 minutes minimum. Loosely covered, somewhere warm. The rest is non-negotiable.
Gravy
Pour off most of the fat. Hot tin on the hob, splash of red wine to deglaze, a pint of beef stock, a teaspoon of mustard. Reduce until it tastes right. Don’t strain it.
“If you’ve got a good piece of beef, the only way to ruin it is to overcook it. Trust the thermometer, not the clock.”
Bring the fat to the counter with you — pour it into a jar, save it for roast potatoes. Don’t waste it.
