The Trick A Steakhouse Uses To Keep Prime Rib Perfectly Seasoned

When cooking a cut of beef as high quality and pricey as prime rib, it's critical to make sure you're doing it the right way. One of the best ways to learn how to create a restaurant-quality roast is by looking to the pros. That's where we found a simple and effective trick used in steakhouse kitchens that ensures peak flavor. In order for seasoning to better adhere to meat, first coat the outside of your prime rib with whipped egg whites.

This tip comes from Sam Hazen, executive chef at Palladino's Steak & Seafood. He points out one of the biggest differences between prime rib found at top-tier restaurants and roasts commonly made at home is simply the correct level of seasoning. Unfortunately, that can be tougher than it sounds for a dish like prime rib roast. Beef, like most meat, is made up of two-thirds to three-quarters water, which releases from the muscle fibers as the roast cooks. As these juices run off the surface, they can carry your carefully crafted and applied spice blend with them, leaving you with a well-cooked but often under-seasoned result.

Egg whites prevent this. By brushing the frothy, whipped egg whites onto the surface of the roast, spices and seasonings can adhere better due to the coagulating and binding properties of egg proteins. This means they pull together and thicken when heat is applied, taking seasoning with them, keeping herbs and spices close to the surface of the meat instead of them sliding off into the juices below.

There are a few obvious advantages to the egg-white technique. First, it's achievable at home with everyday ingredients and equipment, and requires no special method or processes to implement. Second, as egg whites are almost 90% water, they almost entirely bake away during the cooking process, leaving no noticeable difference in taste or appearance. Your fellow diners will be none the wiser, other than wondering how you achieved such an impressive flavor profile.

This is just one of a number of Sam Hazen's chef-approved ways to upgrade prime rib. These also include dialing your oven down to as low as 250 degrees Fahrenheit to better break down connective tissues and fat over longer cook times and resting the roast after it leaves the oven for half an hour to allow carryover cooking to finish the job.

So, the next time you're out to dinner, enjoying a mouthwatering slice of prime rib (perhaps at the restaurant with the best prime rib in your state), remember cooking like your favorite steakhouse is easily achievable in your home kitchen, too. All it takes is an egg white and a minute or two of whipping.