We decided on a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner this year, and I don’t have much experience with them – but this was a winner.  Nice cut, easy to do, and found a rub recipe that we really loved!  This came from Chow and we were thrilled with it – only change is that I only put the rub on the outside – didn’t cut into the roast.  We served this with garlic blue cheese mashed potatoes and green beans…I think this goes down as my favorite holiday dinner I have ever done.

• 4 medium garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons peppercorn medley (a mixture of red, green, and black peppercorns)
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 (3-bone) standing beef rib roast (recipe recommends 6-8lb, but we did well with 5.5lb)

Season the roast with salt and pepper and cover tightly with plastic wrap – refrigerate overnight. Remove roast from fridge for one hour prior to cooking.

Place the garlic and salt together in a bowl and make a paste. Place the peppercorns in a plastic zip-top bag and crack them on a work surface with a mallet or frying pan until they’re broken into small pieces but not pulverized. Put in the bowl with the garlic-salt paste, add the mustard, and mix until combined.  Rub the meat all over with the mustard mixture.

Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the lower third. Set the roast fat-side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 125°F for medium rare, about 75 to 90 minutes more.

Transfer the roast to a cutting board, tent it loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the twine and bones, slice, and serve.