I’ll be on hiatus for about two weeks (some routine surgery Nov. 6) and back in full force after that. Meanwhile, here’s a favorite golden oldie.

Joe Hyde’s perfect high-heat roast beef

Joe Hyde, chef and caterer to the stars. And to family. See the complete original post here.

This recipe, from Love Time & Butter by my late-great cousin-in-law Chef Joe Hyde, works especially well on a standing rib roast with a generous saddle of fat on top, like the one we recently had in this photo. People tend to call it “prime rib,” which it generally is in a good restaurant, but from the supermarket and most butchers the grade is “choice,” not prime. Anyone care? Not me! This is a two-rib roast (for two people!) rubbed with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cow season, as we all know, lasts just one day — on the first of April. A friend of ours bagged his cow early in the day and gave us this cut… (my photo)

I do have some friends who slow-cook a roast like this. They get the oven up to 500 or so, put the roast in for 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and let it sit in there for about 6-8 hours. It’s quite good, I think: the meat is a rich pink and tender, but the fat hasn’t had a full chance to sizzle or release its flavor into the flesh. My own view is you can’t beat high heat, a la Joe Hyde. Why? Because the searing seals the juices inside, where you want them.

What to do:

You need a standing rib roast for 2 or 4 people (2 ribs or 4 ribs), with a nice layer of fat. Put it in a pan and rub the fat with salt and pepper. A two-rib roast will want to topple over; I shimmed ours with a couple of small wedge-shaped stones to keep it upright.

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Pretty toasty!
• Put the roast in for 18 minutes (for 2 ribs), about 25 minutes for 4 ribs.
• Remove the roast and let repose on top of the stove for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 350.
• After the repose, put the roast back in to cook for another 45-50 minutes (2 ribs), about 1 hour for 4 ribs. This should make it medium-rare. It’s likely the rib bones will separate from the meat – good, that’s proof of tenderness!

Check the roast with a sharp knife slicing between the ribs a couple of inches. If it’s too red, cook a few minutes more.

Our roast during its “repose” phase. Note the potatoes, which we did not have in at 500 degrees. We cooked them earlier for about 45 minutes… (my photo)

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There it is.