Several big name Chefs have been raving about taking a blowtorch to a side of beef. Thomas Keller and Heston Blumenthal (both with restaurants on the list of the top 10 in the world) have raved about using a torch to sear a prime rib; we had to give it a try.
The theory is straightforward – a prime rib is best served rare-medium rare acquired with low/slow cooking and most tasty when it is accompanied with a dark brown crust which is accomplished by high heat. This is a difficult oxymoron to achieve – one objective interferes with the other.
A blowtorch is a source of high heat that will start to cook the surface of the prime rib without cooking the inside. The technique is simple – light a torch and sear all exposed meat with the flame. You are simply looking to make the surface grey (not dark brown) and the oven will continue to brown your meat and render the fat (even at low heat). We did ours on a rack over a tray – the fat will start to render and drip into your pan.
Once the entire roast is grey, season it. We chose a very simple seasoning of lots of salt and pepper.
The roast can now be put into the over at 275 degrees until the roast reaches a temperature of 128 degrees in the center.
It is important you let the roast rest once it is complete – we waited almost 30 minutes.
The results were full of flavour, cooked to perfection and just an awesome meal.
