I grew up in Nebraska. My grandfather and uncles raised cattle in Kansas. While turkey is one of my favorite foods, I have more than a few relatives who don't consider turkey real meat.
So over the years, we've dined on plenty of alternative Thanksgiving main courses — sometimes in addition to turkey, other times in place of it.
One of my favorites is prime rib. It's a flavorful meat that's easy to cook and pleases the most ravenous red meat fans. It also makes for some pretty tasty day-after sandwiches.
Here's an easy recipe for a simple prime rib with a really well-seasoned rub from Whole Foods:
Herbed Prime Rib Roast
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4 cloves garlic (I double this, but I really like garlic)
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3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
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3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
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2 tablespoons canola oil (olive oil works well too)
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2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
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1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
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1 (3-rib) bone-in standing rib roast (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess, but not all, fat
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1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
Preheat oven to 475°F. In a food processor, pulse garlic until chopped. Add rosemary, thyme, oil, salt, and pepper and pulse until you have a chunky paste. Rub the roast all over with the paste and place bone-side down in a roasting pan.
Roast in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue roasting about 1 hour longer. Use a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast (not touching bone) to check the temperature in several spots and continue roasting meat, checking the temperature every 5 or 10 minutes, until about 10 degrees shy of your preferred level of doneness.
The meat will continue cooking while it rests after being removed from the oven and the temperature will rise another 5 or 10 degrees. Target temperatures are 130 to 135°F for medium rare and 135 to 145°F for medium. Transfer roast to a cutting board, bone-side down, and let stand 25 minutes before carving.
I like to serve it with a great, creamy horseradish dip as well.
Image via VirtualErn/Flickr
