1. When you’re picking it out, figure 1 bone for every two people. Sometimes you’ll want a little more if the roast is on the smaller side or if your family has big eaters. Don’t ask for them to trim it, but it is okay to ask for the bones frenched. (Unless your butcher is a grump like me.) Frenching is when excess connective tissue and fat are removed from the bones. (Do not kiss your Rib Roast.) Take note of the weight before you throw away your packaging. You will need an accurate number to determine the cook time.

2. Ask for it taken off the bone and tied back on. This makes it easier to cut and serve when finished. Most places will do this by default.

3. You can use almost any kind of seasoning you want. I usually smother my roast with a mixture of kosher salt, coarse ground black pepper, herbs de provence (a mixture of dried herbs, not as fancy as it sounds. Usually includes rosemary, thyme savory, marjoram, and oregano and sometimes lavender), and garlic. You can go pretty crazy with this. Rib roasts are usually nice and fatty on the outside and the salt will help develop a wonderful crust.

4. I always let my roast sit at room temperature for at least three hours. If you don’t do this, it will mess with the cook times I’m about to give you and I will not be held responsible! For an extra crispy outer crust when finished, leave the roast uncovered in your fridge the day before you cook it, this will dry it out a little.

5. When your roast has been at room temperature for about 2 hours and 40 minutes, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. If the roast isn’t already in a roasting pan, now is the time to make sure it is. You want something that will catch all the delicious drippings. Doesn’t hurt if it has a built in rack, too.

6. When the oven is preheated, place the roasting pan in the center of the oven and close the door.

   1. You will cook this roast for fifteen minutes per pound. If you don’t know the weight, you can use a bathroom scale and record the difference of your own weight while holding the roast and not holding the roast. I’m not doing a bit, I’ve done this before to double check the weight. Some places, in the heat of the holiday rush, put the wrong tag on the wrong roast and we are not here to judge anyone, it’s Christmas. Just make sure you know the weight of your roast, then multiply that by 15. The product of those two numbers is how long you will cook your roast in minutes.

      1. If your roast is on the small size, 1 or 2 bones, I would cook for 10-12 minutes per pound instead of 15.

   2. Set a timer so you know when to check on the roast. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN WHILE IT IS COOKING. This will make the roast take even longer to cook and people are getting hungry.

   3. When the timer goes off, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. Make sure it is inserted in the center of the thickest part of the roast and that no part of the probe is touching a bone or the bottom of the pan. Here are the numbers you are looking for according to done-ness:

      1. 115 degrees F - RARE

      2. 120 degrees F - MEDIUM RARE

      3. 125 degrees F - MEDIUM

      4. 135 degrees F - MEDIUM WELL

      5. 145+ degrees F - WELL DONE

   4. You might be looking at these times and thinking: he has it wrong. Keep reading.

7. Depending on your preference, pull the roast out and let it cool, uncovered for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise about 10 degrees during this time and leave you with your desired level of done-ness.

   1. If your roast hasn’t reached your desired temperature yet, give it 5-10 minutes, depending on how powerful your oven is, and check again.

8. After 10 minutes, cut and remove the strings, slice the roast, and serve.

Alright, I think that’s everything. I always like some horseradish to go along with my rib roast but you can make whatever kind of gravy or sauce you want to go along with it, I’m just here to walk you through the cooking process. Thickening up the pan drippings and using that is always a good option if you don’t mind separating most of the fat.

Merry Christmas!

My teeth are bad and it is difficult to chew red meat. I make beef liver patè to ensure I get enough iron and (good?) cholesterol. Here is what I use and how I do it:

1lb beef liver
1/2 block of cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1  small to medium onion, diced
1-5 crushed cloves of garlic, depending on how much you like garlic
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup cooking wine/brandy/cognac/beer/whiskey/any sort of alcohol you don't mind using up to deglaze the pan when you're done frying the liver. Something on the sweet side is probably best
1 food processor

Using about a quarter to a half stick of butter, sweat the diced onions on low heat until they are soft and translucent. It's okay if some of them stick, we'll take care of them later. When they are nice and tender, throw them into your food processor. Leave a tiny handful in the pan if you want a little extra flavor. Wait to blend.

If it isn't sliced already, slice the liver into 1/4 inch pieces. You can do this while the onions sweat.
Pat dry with paper towel or clean rag.
Lightly salt your slices of liver.
Fry each piece at medium-high heat, 2-3 minutes per side. Once there's a golden brown crust on each side, throw them into the food processor. Wait to blend.

Turn the heat down to medium-low. Wait 2-3 minutes for the pan to cool a little.
Toss in your wine/brandy/cognac/beer/whiskey/or whatever and scrape up the bits of liver and onion that have stuck to the pan. (IF YOU ARE USING A PAN WITH NON-STICK COATING, BE SURE TO USE A WOODEN UTENSIL TO SCRAPE.)
Throw in your garlic, reduce heat to low.
Double check you've scraped up all the good, tasty bits.
Simmer on low until the liquid is reduced by a little over half.

Dump the tasty brown deglazed bits into the food processor. 
Add your clove and nutmeg. 
Add however much pepper you like. (I did about a teaspoon.)
Add whatever butter you have left. (You can skip the rest of the butter if you are feeling health conscious.)
Add your cream cheese.

Blend until smooth and even consistency. 
Taste a little bit.
Add salt if needed.

Portion out into small mason jars or tupperware containers.
Spread onto bread or crackers or just eat it with a spoon. 

Ingredients:

1 Flat Iron Steak - 3/4-1 1/2 inch thick
Your favorite steak seasoning - enough to rub down both sides of the steak.

Grilled: 
4 minutes on one side, 3 on the other for medium-rare on a thinner steak
5 and 4 for a thicker steak.

Baked:
PREHEAT OVEN to 400 Degrees F. Put down foil or parchment over a baking sheet, bake uncovered. 15 mins for medium-rare on a thinner steak or 17 mins for a thicker steak.

Seared:
Preheat pan/skillet (cast iron is best but whatever you have will work.) on medium-high heat. You'll know it's hot enough when a drop of water in the pan gives a fast hiss.

Drop the steak in the pan, give it a shake, sear for 4 minutes. Flip the steak, give it another shake, and sear for 3 minutes.

Make it 5 and 4 for a thicker steak.

I am dehydrating fruit today and I couldn't get it all to fit on the racks. Here's what I did with the leftovers. I highly recommend this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 small Pineapple - cut into bite sized pieces
2 Mangoes - cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 Red Onion - diced or sliced thin
1 Jalapeno - diced 
Small handful Fresh Mint - chopped
Small handful Fresh Cilantro - chopped
1 tsp Kosher Salt - (Or as desired)
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar - (Or whatever kind you have handy)
1 tsp Olive Oil - (Or grapeseed, or whatever your preferred oil is)

Directions:
Add ingredients to large bowl. Mix until ingredients are spread evenly. Consume entire contents from said bowl because it tastes that damned good.

Supplementary Info:
You can sub jalapeno with diced bell peppers if you don't like spicy things. Or use even spicier peppers if that's what you're into. Can skip the cilantro if you want too, should still be nice and tasty. If you don't have red onions any kind will work in a pinch. This recipe is just as good with only pineapple or only mango.

If you're wondering how to pick out/prep the mango and pineapple, here we go:

It's best if the mango has a nice red blush to it. You want it to yield slightly to a firm touch of the finger. Green/yellow with a bit of a yield is okay too, it will just taste a little more tart.
          Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Be careful, these guys are super slippery once the skin is off. Once they're peeled, use a knife to cut the soft fruit away from the core, kind of like you would an apple. You'll know you're too close to the core because your knife will meet heavy resistance. If that happens, pull back and angle your knife out a little bit more before trying again.

If your pineapple has a ton of green still (on the pokey, outer skin, not on top where the leaves are) then it isn't quite ripe. You want the pokey outer skin to be brownish with just a little bit of green.
          Use a kitchen knife to cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple. With a nice, flat bottom to work with, it should be easy to trim away the brownish, outer skin. There might be a few little brown spots left after you trim away the skin. It's fine. Trim them off if they really bug you, but you'll end up wasting fruit that way.