The Christmas Roast – Prime Rib

Just for fun today, I thought I would tell you our Christmas tradition and the recipe that goes with it.

When I married into the family, Christmas dinner at the Walraven’s was always Prime Rib.

At first, it was always at my father-in-law and mother-in-law’s house but as time went on, it moved to our house and I was put in charge of the Christmas Roast. I love to cook so that’s fine.

I’m a cook who likes to play and you never know what I might do next. New recipes, new spices, new foods, new flavors… and my sons and their friends are enthusiastic experimenters right with me.

However, my father-in-law also loves to cook and though he will experiment, he is the one in charge. For the Christmas Roast, I need to follow directions and those have evolved over the years. There are some things we both agree on which does make it easier.

Both of us agree that garlic is an essential ingredient. Grampa, however, is a salt and pepper guy so I can’t play with spices on the Christmas Roast. This year’s roast was the biggest in recent memory bought from Zillman’s Meat Market which makes it extra special. Grampa removed a layer of fat for me prior to it getting to our house but I was instructed to use that layer of fat and I did. Here’s the finished photos and then I will give you the pointers.

The Christmas Roast

14 pounds of boneless rib roast

20+ cloves of garlic

salt & pepper

Directions

• Using a sharp knife, poke random holes throughout the roast.
• Cut slivers of peeled garlic cloves and insert into the holes, pushing them in so they don’t stick out and burn.
• Salt and pepper the roast to taste.
• Preheat your oven for 500 degrees F.
• Put layer of fat back on the roast and roast for 15 minutes to seal the roast and keep the juices in.
• Reduce the oven heat to 250 degrees F. Insert meat thermometer which is your guide (not the timer)
• Check the thermometer regularly to make sure it doesn’t get over done. When desired doneness is reached, give the roast 20 to 30 minutes of standing time to seal the juices in before slicing.

This roast made wonderful gravy and was served with mashed potatoes and squash.

I lowered the temp even more and cut the projected time by over an hour but Grampa still didn’t get his rare to medium rare slice. However, he did agree that the flavor was wonderful.

Since my husband had to go get Grampa, timing was set for a 4pm dinner. I pulled the roast before 3pm. If you look at the pictures, I believe that the bones factored in to it getting done quickly.

Every roast is a little different so keep these factors in mind as you prepare your next roast for Christmas or another special holiday.

What lessons can we learn to apply to our careers or career search from the roast episode?

• No matter how carefully you prepare and follow directions, factors may intervene that change things. You may need to adjust. Being prepared to adjust is half the battle.
• For years, I recommended my clients update their resume every 3 to 5 years and keep Post-its or other notes either electronically or in their folder to keep track of accomplishments.
• By keeping those notes, if the timing changes and you are forced to look for a new position sooner than you planned, you have notes to remind you of what you brought to each position.
• In today’s job search, being prepared also means being purposeful in your job search using social media. Your LinkedIn profile should be ready, both to give recruiters and hiring managers a place to search and also give you a concentrated way of building your network.
• Building your network on Facebook and Twitter is also beneficial to a potential unplanned change in your career. If you want to join me on Twitter or Facebook, search for Julie Walraven.
• Facebook page for Design Resumes is also a great place to get more information or recipes for successful use of social media in the job search and overall career management strategies.

Yes, you may need to tweak the recipe to fit your particular needs, but in the end, you will end up successful.

Thoughts? Talk to me, as always, I talk back!