Cajun Prime Rib

Servings: 6
Ingredients:

4 lb Prime rib roast (10-1/2 lbs)
1/4 c  Black pepper
1/4 c  Garlic powder
1/4 c  Salt
2 ea Onions, thinly sliced
------------------SEASONING MIX (OPTIONAL------------------
1 T  Plus 1 tsp, salt
1 T  Plus 2 tsp, white pepper
1 T  Plus 2 tsp, fennel seeds
1 T  Plus 3/4 tsp, black pepper
2 1/2 t  Dry mustard
2 1/2 t  Ground cayenne pepper

Remove fat cap off top of meat (butcher can do this
for you) and save. Place the roast, standing on the
rib bones, in a very large roasting pan. Then with a
knife make several dozen punctures through the silver
skin so seasoning can permeate meat. Pour a very
generous, even layer of black pepper over the top of
the meat (the pepper should completely cover it);
repeat with the garlic powder, then the salt, totally
covering the preceding layer. Carefully arrange the
onions in an even layer on top so as not to knock off
the seasoning. Place the fat cap back on top.
Refrigerate 24 hours. Bake ribs in a 550F oven until
the fat is dark brown and crispy on top, about 35
minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
Refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours. (this
is done so the juices will solidify and the steaks can
be cooked rare.) Remove fat cap and disgard. With
the blade of a large knife, scrape off the onions and
as much of the seasonings as possible and discard.
Then with a long knife, slice between ribs into 6
steaks (4 will have bones); trim the cooked surface of
meat from the 2 pieces that were on the outside of the
roast. Season and cook in your favorite way for
steaks. TO BLACKEN THE STEAKS: Combine the
ingredients of the seasoning mix thoroughly in a small
bowl; you will have about 8 tablespoons. Sprinkle the
steaks generously and evenly on both sides with the
mix. using about 4 teaspoons on each steak and
pressing it in with your hands.
Heat a cast iron skillet over very high heat until it
is beyond the smoking stage and you see white ash on
the skillet bottom–at least 10 minutes. (The skillet
cannot be too hot for this method.) Place one steak
in the hot skillet (cook only one side at a time) and
cook over a very high heat until the underside starts
to develop a heavy, black crust, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the steak over and cook until the underside is
crusted like the first, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
Repeat with the remaining steaks. Serve each steak
while piping hot. (*NOTE*: If you don’t have a
commercial hood vent over your stove, this dish may
smoke you out of the kitchen. It’s worth it! But you
can also cook it outdoors on a gas grill; a charcoal
fire doesn’t get hot enough to ‘blacken’ the steak
properly. If you have a smoke detector in your house,
you will be able to determine if it is working
correctly. This is NOT a dish to prepare in an
apartment building with a central fire alarm system
wired into your smoke detector. It causes great
excitement! Also, you can be guaranteed you will meet
your landlord.) From Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen

—–