I made Guy Fieri's 10-day prime-rib roast. It's a surprisingly easy and impressive recipe for a special occasion.

  • I tried making Guy Fieri's prime-rib roast, which calls for a 10-day aging process.

  • After leaving the meat in my fridge for 10 days, I just had to season and cook it.

  • It was an expensive meal, but I'd gladly make it again for special occasions.

Prime rib is a quintessential upscale, all-American meal. It's perfect for a family gathering or holiday, but I rarely eat it otherwise.

According to a report from the White House, grocery inflation is finally dropping after years of eye-widening increases. But that doesn't change the fact that quality cuts of meat are expensive.

Nevertheless, in an effort to find a go-to recipe for special occasions, I came across Guy Fieri's 10-day prime-rib roast and was immediately intrigued.

Although embarking on a recipe that would take me more than a week was daunting, I was pleasantly shocked by the results.

Finding a rib-beef roast in July isn't easy — or cheap.

rib roast wrapped in twine from a butcher shop
I ended up buying a boneless rib roast instead of a bone-in one. Meredith Schneider

After I checked several local meat markets and grocery stores for a bone-in rib roast, a manager at my local Price Chopper told me that it's so rarely purchased that it's typically only stocked around the holidays.

I eventually found a spot to buy one, but it would've taken days to procure and cost hundreds of dollars. Instead of continuing down that path, I pivoted to a boneless rib roast, which is more widely available and a little more budget-friendly.

To further save money and food waste, I purchased a 7-pound boneless roast that cost around $100 instead of the called-for 10- to 12-pound piece of meat.

The longest step of the recipe is leaving the meat to rest in the fridge.

big roasting pan in a fridge
The pan took up a lot of space in my fridge for 10 days. Meredith Schneider

Luckily, much of this 10-day recipe was really just making space in my fridge to age the meat.

As instructed, after unpackaging and rinsing my roast, I wrapped it in cheesecloth and refrigerated it for 24 hours. The next day, I unwrapped the meat, replaced the cheesecloth, and put it back in the fridge for nine days.

Because my roast was already trimmed, boneless, and void of discoloration, I didn't have to do anything else to prep the meat.

The dry-rub recipe called for several spices.

ingredients for prime rib roast dry rub and vegetable bed
I gathered all the ingredients for the spice blend and the roasting pan.Meredith Schneider

For my 7-pound roast, I used ½ tablespoon of coriander, ½ tablespoon of thyme, ¾ tablespoon of dried rosemary, 2 tablespoons of tricolor pepper, ¾ tablespoon of granulated garlic, and 1 ½ tablespoons of kosher salt.

I couldn't find a tricolor pepper blend at the store, so I made my own with white, black, and red peppers.

The recipe also called for olive oil, carrots, yellow onions, ¾ cup of wine, 2 cups of beef stock, 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, and 2 cups of water.

I coated every side of the meat with seasoning.

rib roast covered in a mix of spices
The dry rub consisted of several spices and herbs. Meredith Schneider

After mixing all the spices in a bowl, I removed the roast from the fridge, brushed it with olive oil, and evenly covered it in the dry mixture.

Any extra seasoning can be added to the top of the roast.

Once the meat was properly dry-rubbed, I needed to set it aside for 20 to 30 minutes.

The seasoned roast went on a bed of vegetables.

chopped onions and carrots in a pan
I used extra carrots and onions for my roast. Meredith Schneider

Even though I nearly halved the rest of the recipe to account for the smaller piece of meat, I left the vegetable measurements the same. I wanted to ensure I had enough au jus at the end while also allowing the veggies to hydrate the meat in the oven.

I cut the three carrots and two yellow onions and arranged them close together in my roasting pan.

It was finally time to turn on my oven.

rib roast sitting on a bed of onions and carrots in a pan
Most of the process was hands-off, including the cooking time. Meredith Schneider

I placed the roast on top of the cut vegetables and added 2 cups of water to the bottom of the pan before popping it in my 450-degree oven for 35 minutes — five less than the original roasting time to account for the size.

After that, I reduced the heat to 275 degrees and continued to cook the roast until the internal temperature reached 135 degrees. It took about two hours.

I then tented the meat to seal in the heat.

meat sitting on a plate under a tent of foil
I needed to remove the meat from the pan to make the au jus. Meredith Schneider

When I removed the meat from the roasting pan, I placed it under a loose tent of foil so it wouldn't lose too much heat while I prepped the au jus.

The last step was prepping the au jus.

roasting pan with vegetables and meat drippings cooking on a stove
I had plenty of drippings to make the au jus. Meredith Schneider

I popped my roasting pan — which still had the vegetables and meat drippings in it — on two stove burners set to medium-high.

When everything was set up, I added 2 cups of beef broth (you can substitute for 2 cups of water and two beef-bouillon cubes) and ¾ cups of red wine.

I left everything to boil for five minutes before turning off the heat, stirring in the butter, and straining the sauce into a different container.

The recipe is expensive but entirely worth it.

slice of prime rib roast with tomatoes and onions
The roast was delicious, and everyone in my family loved it. Meredith Schneider

The unique spice blend on the crust of the roast made this recipe one of the most incredible dishes I've ever tried.

By shaving one thin slice across the length of the meat, I got to enjoy the flavor cooked three ways. The outside shell was spicy and crunchy, the inside melted in my mouth, and the roast was rarer but never undercooked as I got closer to the center.

Fieri is known for his bold flavors, and they really impressed me here. I never thought a prime-rib roast would be a repeat recipe for me, but I'll keep this one in my arsenal.

My family loved it, and it's sure to impress when my budget allows.

Read the original article on Business Insider