ChefSteps is a team of chefs, writers, and food lovers who develop recipes, techniques, and guides to help people cook better at home.

ChefSteps

A well-made, oven-cooked prime rib is a thing of beauty. Just ask the denizens of the UK and her former colonies, who have served that stuff at holiday feasts since around the Industrial Revolution. It’s bloody delicious, govna. But it’s also expensive, which is why we seldom eat it outside the festive season—and why its preparation inspires plenty of hand-wringing. So while we love a holiday tradition as much as the next guy dressed in a Santa suit, we recommend that this year, you cook that gorgeous hunk o’ meat sous vide. For one thing, your roast is guaranteed to come out just the way you like it—always important when we’re working with the pricey stuff. And then there are the results: silky, oh-so-juicy meat that boasts an incredible amount of beefy flavor. More good news: instead of shooing small children away from the oven as you nervously monitor dinner, you can spend some time making feast-worthy side dishes, wrapping last-minute gifts, or watching Love Actually for the umpteenth time. (All hail Emma Thompson, our one true sovereign.)Adapted from our own <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/standing-rib-roast">traditional rib roast recipe</a>, this method calls for some trussing and trimming, plus a rub of fresh herbs that crisp up when we give the beef a little post-cook sear in the oven. You can skip the nips and tucks or ask your butcher to perform them. And if you don’t like the herbs we list here, ask your own favorite sage cook if she has thyme to make some suggestions, or just see what bay wants. Point is, you got options. So go forth and make the best rib roast you’ve ever eaten, secure in the knowledge that your meat will come out perfect every time. Because that, dear holiday host, is truly the gift that keeps on giving.