With Christmas officially here, many home chefs feel the pressure of putting together a holiday feast for their family and friends. One of the most daunting centerpiece meats is prime rib — but it doesn’t have to be thanks to these tips gleaned from Holiday Boot Camp offered at South Dakota State University.

Before any feasting begins, take time to ensure food safety. It begins at the grocery store, where consumers should avoid any packages that are ripped or torn. Remember to keep cold products cold by picking up meat just before checkout and refrigerating those products upon arriving home.

“Temperature control is the best way to reduce food-borne illness,” explains Stacy Scramlin, SDSU meat scientist.

Three safe thawing practices are refrigeration, cold water or microwave methods.

“Refrigeration is a slow process, but it’s the best way to thaw meat because it is kept in a constant cold temperature,” Scramlin said.

Be sure to allocate enough time for meat to thaw before meal preparation start if choosing this method.

Do not remove packaging when thawing meat if implementing cold water methods. The key is to avoid raw meat exposure to temperatures above 40 degrees or under 140 degrees.

“That’s the degree zone where bad bugs, like pathogens, like to grow,” she said.

If opting to thaw meat in a microwave, by far the fastest method, plan to cook meat immediately. “I don’t recommend this from a quality standpoint,” Scramlin said as meat can quickly start to cook.

Another food safety tip is to avoid cross-contamination by using different platters and utensils for cooked and raw meat. Anything that comes in contact with raw meat should be washed with hot, soapy water, including hands.

Picking Prime rib

Prime rib is an expensive cut of beef that comes from the rib portion of the animal, which is home to high-quality, tender muscle cuts. Though pricey, it can serve a large party easily.

While its name denotes “prime,” it doesn’t always correlate to the meat’s quality grade, which is determined by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grader. Likely, prime rib is choice or select quality grade.

“These two factors are independent, and often confusing, but regardless of quality grade, prime rib is a high-quality cut that is generally tender, juicy and flavorful,” Scramlin said.

A question many home cooks ponder is how much prime rib roast they need to feed guests. Scramlin suggests answering these three questions to assist in planning: 1. Will I be purchasing bone-in or boneless product? 2. Will the meal be served buffet-style? 3. Is there only one meat choice?

There is a significant difference in weight between bone-in and boneless products. Boneless cuts are almost always more expensive because the labor of removing the bones has been calculated into the cost. Bone-in products tend to improve the quality of the meat, helping to provide moisture during cooking.

Scramlin provides the following as a rule of thumb: For bone-in roasts that are the only meat being served, plan on purchasing 1 pound per person. Boneless roasts, served as the only meat choice, one-half pound per person. If serving buffet-style, reduce portions by one-third. If additional meat sources are available, reduce portions by half.

A common way to order prime rib is “cut and tied,” which means the meat cutter has cut the bones away from the roast and tied it back together using kitchen string. The method allows the bones to improve juiciness during cooking, and enables cooks to remove bones easily before serving by cutting strings. An added bonus is it’s sold at bone-in prices — typically less than boneless product.

Preparing prime rib

To prepare a prime rib, begin by applying a coat of oil and spice rub of choosing — such as olive oil, salt and pepper. Because prime rib can be flavorful on its own, avoid overpowering with seasoning, Scramlin cautions. Place the roast in a pan fat side up (the ribs will point down).

Two cooking methods for prime rib are “continual” and “varying” temperature methods. The most common continual cooking method for prime rib is 350 degrees. Varying temperature methods start out at 450 degrees for the beginning and end of cooking, with lower oven temperatures for the duration (about 200 degrees). This method sears the outside of the roast, creating a crust, which helps keep juiciness in.

To determine if the prime rib is “done,” use a meat thermometer to assess degree of doneness. Place the thermometer in the largest portion of the cut, but not touching bone. Fresh beef is considered safe by the USDA when cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Remove the roast at 135 degrees for medium rare and 150 degrees for medium. Allow meat to rest outside of the oven for 10-20 minutes before carving. During this time the temperature will rise about 10 degrees.

If there are any leftovers, be sure to refrigerate. Leftovers can be easily reheated for future meals, or used in a variety of beef dishes such as beef stroganoff or beef barley soup.