A standing rib roast or prime rib is a holiday dinner classic. Cooked to perfection,  the roast is a strikingly delicious showpiece.

Once cooked, the sliced roast should be done to your liking, tender, juicy and flavorful on the inside with a nicely seasoned, browned almost crackling outer crust.

That doesn’t always happen.

Staring down a huge hunk of meat that likely cost a big chunk of change looks challenging.

Relax. We’ll get you through it easy steps to help you roast that holiday showpiece.

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Before you get started, one extremely important piece of equipment to have at hand is an instant-read thermometer. For doneness accuracy, you need to check the internal temperature of the roast. The instant-read thermometers, which are an inexpensive tool, do just that. If you don’t have one, look for them at grocery stores, hardware stores and big boxed retailers.

Choose your roast

You can order the roast from your favorite meat shop cut to any size, from 4 pounds and up or with any number of ribs. This cut can go by different names including standing rib roast, prime rib roast or rib roast.

The roast will be offered as first cut and end cut, bone-in or boneless. The first cut is closer to the strip and therefore leaner. The end cut is closer to the chuck and little more fatty. With either cut, make sure there is at least a thin layer of fat. This helps keep it moist and juicy during cooking.

Figure out how much you need

If you haven’t bought a prime rib roast yet, here’s what you need.Bone-in roasts: Figure about 1 pound per person if that is your main dish. A 10-pound roast will feed 8-10 people.Boneless: Allow about a half-pound per person, which should yield about a 6-ounce piece.

Prepare for roasting

Place the place the meat on a rimmed platter and pat dry using paper towels. Set it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours if time allows. If desired, season all over with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (use a coarse grind) and any favorite seasoning (such as dried thyme or garlic) or rub. Or you can marinate with your favorite marinade.

Roast

If you’ve refrigerated the roast, remove it at least one hour before roasting and let it come to room temperature.

There are two ways you can cook the roast to get a nice outer crust.

1. Sear first: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the roast on a rack set in a large roasting pan, fat side facing up. Roast for 30 minutes or until a nice crust forms. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Continue roasting, figuring about 15 minutes per pound.

2. Reverse sear: This method cooks the roast slowly in a low oven and then gives it a blast of heat at the end to sear and crisp the outer crust. Most recipes recommend an oven temperature of 250 degrees for the first several hours of cooking or about 3 1/2 to 4 hours for a bone-in roast, or until the roast reaches 120 to 125 degrees for rare, depending on the size of the roast.  

Once the temperature has reached 120 degrees, remove the roast from the oven, tent with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees. Return the roast to the oven and roast 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size, until the crust is nicely browned and crisp. Watch carefully so the crust doesn’t get too dark.

Check for doneness

Be sure to use an instant-read thermometer to test the temperature. Keep in mind you will be removing the roast before its final temperature as it will continue to cook while it rests.Final temperatures according to certifiedangusbeef.com.

• Rare: 120-125 degrees
• Medium rare: 135 degrees
• Medium: 145 degrees
• Medium well: 150 degrees

Let it rest

This last step is the most important. Never slice meat when you first take it out of the oven. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes or longer for bone-in meat before slicing. Cut the bones away from the roast to free them from the roast so you have a whole, boneless roast. Slice the roast into about 1/2-inch thick or desired size slices.

Herb-seasoned Standing Beef Rib Roast

Serves: 6 to 8 / Prep time: 25 minutes / Total time: About 3-4 hours4 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon coarsely ground mixed or black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 standing bone-in beef roast, about 5 to 7 pounds

FOR THE GRAVY1.5 ounces packaged demi-glace (see note)

2 ¼ cups water, divided

¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup dry red wine

In a mortar and using a pestle, crush garlic and kosher salt together to form a paste. (Alternately, crush them together in a bowl with the bottom of a wooden spoon, or use a mini food processor.) Add pepper, thyme, paprika and olive oil, mixing to form a paste. Rub the paste all over the roast, coating it well. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes.Preheat oven to 450 degrees 30 minutes before putting the roast in oven. Place roast, bone-side-down, in a large roasting pan and roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue roasting about 1 hour, 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees for medium-rare. (The temperature will rise during the standing time.)While the roast is cooking, prepare the gravy base. Combine the demi-glace, 2 cups water and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the demi-glace. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk flour and remaining ¼ cup cold water together. Whisk into the simmering liquid and continue cooking at a simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.When the roast is done, transfer to a carving board and tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest 20-30 minutes before carving. Pour fat out of roasting pan and place pan over two burners on medium heat. When hot, deglaze pan with wine, stirring to dissolve any caramelized juices; simmer 3 minutes. Pour gravy into pan and simmer a couple of minutes, stirring often, to blend the flavors. Transfer to a warmed gravy bowl and serve with the beef.Cook’s note: Look for packaged demi-glace in gourmet stores and some grocery stores. Adapted from “Williams-Sonoma Christmas Entertaining” (Free Press, $24.95).Gravy tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen and roast tested by the Seattle Times.