Keep Your Prime Rib Ultra-Seasoned Using An Ingredient In Your Fridge

A prime rib roast is typically a monumental piece of meat, not to mention a prohibitively expensive one. As you prepare it for the dinner table, it makes sense to do everything you can to make it into the best culinary experience possible, and that includes deciding how best to season it. This is not merely a matter of what herbs and spices to treat your beef with but ensuring that they remain fixed to the surface. Fortunately, the key to keeping your prime rib ultra-seasoned is probably sitting in your fridge right now, because the answer to this particular problem is egg whites.

Let's assume you've settled on your preferred seasoning — though if you're uncertain, you should consult what five chefs consider the best prime rib seasoning. The common difficulty when cooking prime rib is that the meat will shrink during the cooking process. The fat will then undergo the Maillard reaction and begin to blister, which can cause even the most carefully applied coating of seasoning to slip and fall off.

The solution is to beat some egg whites until it has formed stiff, white peaks. Then, spread it evenly across the meat before applying your seasoning. You may only need one egg for the job, but use your own judgment based on the size of your roast. Whether it's a spice rub like Andrew Zimmern's five-spice prime rib rub, an herb crust, or just salt and pepper, the egg white will make sure the seasoning adheres to the meat as it cooks.   

Depending on how you cook your roast, you have a choice of when to use the egg white method. You can spread it on before the roast goes in the oven, when the meat is still raw. Alternatively, if you are starting off your prime rib by cooking it sous vide, you can apply the beaten egg white to the almost-finished roast once you've removed it from its hours-long dunk in a hot water bath. After that, season the meat accordingly.

Once again, the egg white will keep your seasonings in place before the beef heads into the oven to finish cooking, building up a delectable crust in the process. If you should decide on the latter option, remember to consult our guide on how to sous vide prime rib for juicy and tender results.

Using egg white as a binding for the seasoning on your prime rib is an effective method, but some prefer a more strongly flavored binder. One popular choice is yellow mustard, but if you feel like whipping up something from scratch, we suggest acquainting yourself with our simple method for making compound butter. This will allow you to slather your roast with pretty much any flavor of your choosing, from garlic to anchovy.