I already have my favourite way to do a prime rib, but when I heard about a funky new way of doing a beef roast that is supposed to ensure medium-rare juicy perfection every time, my ears perked up. And what better time to test it than right before a roast-friendly holiday like Easter! The rules are super simple: 1) Bring a roast to room temperature and season it to your liking. Place, bone-side-down, on a rack set over a roasting pan. For the record, I didn't quite bring it to full-on room temperature, since I'm not really into poisoning anyone. But I did let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting. I used a gargantuan 3.45-kg (7.5-lb) rib roast, which I bought on sale (score!) and seasoned it generously with Celtic sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and minced fresh rosemary. Thought I'd keep it simple so I could really judge this method at face value. [caption id="attachment_1792" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Simple seasoning is best"] [/caption] 2) Roast at 500°F (260°C) for 5 minutes per pound. Since my roast weighed 7.5 lb, I set the timer for 38 minutes.

[caption id="attachment_1793" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="5 minutes per pound at 500°F"] [/caption] 3) Turn oven off. Let stand, without opening the oven door, for 2 hours. Voilà! [caption id="attachment_1794" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Crispy fat! Oh Mama!"] [/caption] Please note, you do not have to let this roast rest before carving. By the time that 2-hour period in the oven is up, the residual heat is mostly gone, so the resting time is built in. I found this out the hard way. I guess it wasn't entirely foolproof! Still, I'd rather have a perfectly cooked, if slightly tepid roast than a piping hot, overcooked one. The result really was a perfect medium-rare roast. A lovely reddish-pink, throughout. [caption id="attachment_1795" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Perfectly pink"] Overall? A nice, low-maintenance method. Perfect, really -- if you only eat your meat medium-rare, have no meat thermometer and happen to have 4 hours to kill. I still like our Canadian Living method better! Way more control over the doneness and a much shorter cooking time. What about you -- would you try this method? Do you have any "foolproof" recipes you like to use?