It seems like there are as many ways to prepare a standing rib roast as there are people who want to eat them. Well, here is one more way that I have found to always work. Let's face it, cooking a roast is really a function of only 2 things - temperature and time. We use the sous vide system that solves for the most part the time problem and mainly focuses on the final temperature that is desired.
Sous vide is merely putting the roast in a plastic bag and vacuum sealing it as best you can. The bag is then submerged into a water bath (with something as large as a standing rib roast we use a cooler). The sous vide water circulator is set for the temperature of the desired final temperature (we usually set if for 132F). The water will not vary more than a half degree while it is on. We usually do the roast for about 6 hours but I have seen recipes that say up to 24 to 36 hours. Since the roast is in the water bath it cannot go over the set temperature and will be cooked to that temperature throughout the roast. This is great for entertaining since the amount of time needed can vary even by hours while you wait for that late guest.
When you take the roast out of the bag it still needs to be seared for both appearance and taste. In the summer we like to do this on the grill. But, for this time of the year we do in in a cast iron skillet. We heat the skillet just to the point where your house isn't burning down and sear all sides of the roast. Since the roast is already cooked from edge to edge there is no need to let it rest. You can carve it immediately.
Happy Holiday
