Boneless Rib Roast with Yorkshire Pudding

By lorik

At the butcher counter, ask for a roast with an untrimmed fat cap, ideally 1/2 inch thick, in order to get enough trimmings to cook the pudding. Plan ahead: The roast must be salted and refrigerated for at least 24 hours before cooking. The roast and Yorkshire pudding can also be made separately from one another. To make only the roast, do not add the trimmed fat to the roasting pan. To make only the Yorkshire pudding, proceed with step 6, substituting 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil for the beef fat. Our winning roasting pan is the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Roasting Pan with Rack. If you’re using a dark, nonstick roasting pan, reduce the cooking time for the Yorkshire pudding by 5 minutes. Serve with Horseradish Sauce (see related content), if desired.

Ingredients

• Roast and Pudding:
• 1 (5- to 5 1/2-pound) first-cut boneless beef rib roast with 1/2-inch fat cap
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
• Jus:
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Horseradish Sauce:
• Buy refrigerated prepared horseradish, not the shelf-stable kind, which contains preservatives and additives.
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup prepared horseradish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Step 1

1. Using sharp knife, trim roast’s fat cap to even 1/4-inch thickness and refrigerate trimmings for later use. Cut 1-inch crosshatch pattern in fat cap, being careful not to cut into meat. Rub 2 tablespoons salt over entire roast and into crosshatch. Transfer to large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 24 hours or up to 4 days.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Spray roasting pan with vegetable oil spray. Cut reserved trimmings into 1/2-inch pieces. Place 3 ounces (about 3/4 cup) trimmings in bottom of prepared pan. Set V-rack over trimmings in pan.

3. Season roast with pepper and place fat side up on V-rack. Roast until meat registers 115 degrees for rare, 120 degrees for medium-rare, or 125 degrees for medium, 2½ to 3 hours.

4. Meanwhile, combine flour and 1 tablespoon salt in large bowl. Whisk milk and eggs in second bowl until fully combined. Slowly whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. (Batter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let come to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.)

5. Transfer V-rack with roast to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 1 hour. Using fork, remove solids in pan, leaving liquid fat behind (there should be about 6 tablespoons; if not, supplement with extra vegetable oil). Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.

6. When oven reaches 425 degrees, return pan to oven and heat until fat is just smoking, 3 to 5 minutes. Rewhisk batter and pour into center of pan. Bake until pudding is dark golden brown and edges are crisp, 40 to 45 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, pat roast dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear roast on all sides until evenly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer roast to carving board.

8. FOR THE JUS: Return skillet to medium-high heat and add onion. Cook until onion is just softened, about 3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Whisk cornstarch into broth. Add broth mixture and thyme sprig to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by half and slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Strain jus through fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan; discard solids. Cover and keep warm.

9. Slice roast 3/4 inch thick. Cut pudding into squares in roasting pan. Serve beef with Yorkshire pudding and jus.