If any one particular animal protein moos Oklahoma, it has to be beef. For some, beef rib roast might be old (cowboy) hat and need a little modernization with special crusts and sauces to make it interesting. Others might be on a quest for the perfect, classically prepared specimen. No matter which pasture you graze, you’ll find steps and tips to prepare a succulent and celebration-worthy roasted rib of beef in our holiday edition of Techniques and Ingredients. 

1. Bring beef to room temperature, covered with plastic wrap. Allow about 1 hour for a 7-pound roast.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. French the bones (cut off the strip of meat along the bones)**, have your butcher do it for you or, just as well, leave them unfrenched.
4. Place roast on a cutting board and, using hands, rub a thin layer of vegetable oil over the entire roast.
5. Liberally salt and pepper roast. Massage seasonings into roast.
6. Place in a shallow roasting pan and into preheated oven.
7. Roast for 16 minutes per pound for rare; 21 minutes per pound for medium-rare.
8. Aim for 110° for rare (about 120° after resting) or 115° to 120° for medium-rare (125° to 130° after resting.)
9. Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest in pan for 20–30 minutes.

To carve:

Place the rested roast on a cutting board. Position roast on its base, ribs aiming up and toward you. Secure it with a carving fork and cut between each rib down to the cutting board, cutting around any pieces of chine bone left during butchering.

Alternatively, cut a thin slice off one end of the roast to make a flat surface and set the roast on the sliced end. Sticking your fork between the ribs, make thin slices by cutting horizontally across the top, cutting each slice free of the bone.

            * Consider Blakely Family Farms, Greenwood Farms, Koehn’s Grassfed and Harvard Meats for local rib roasts. Be sure to pre-order as rib roast is a specialty cut from most small farmers.

            ** Frenching the bones isn’t absolutely necessary but it makes for a neater, more polished presentation. Leaving them unfrenched is perfectly fine and the meat between the rib bones is delicious. If you do decide to french the bones, be sure to roast the leftover meat and add it to your stock.