I made a Standing Rib Roast of Pork to celebrate Christmas this year. It’s a simple recipe guaranteed to make memories that last a lifetime.
No matter how many Chritmases I celebrate, for me Christmas still takes its cues from my 1970s childhood memories of the holiday. Eggnog from a carton is a good example. I can (and have) made delicious eggnog from scratch. But every year I buy a carton of the processed stuff anyway. I hate to admit it, but in some unknowable way I actually prefer the crap in the carton to the stuff Martha Stewart taught me to make.
When I was kid we opened the “family” presents under the tree on Christmas Eve and then woke up on Christmas morning to unwrapped gifts Santa left for us. I still believe that’s the best way. There are other memories that help define the season for me too: Charlie Brown, Mahalia Jackson, Christmas tree lots that spring up on the unlikeliest suburban street corners, the static cling in shiny silver icicles, and snowy roadtrips featuring a family of five crammed seatbelt-less into a Ford Pinto– barreling across five states, trying to stay ahead of an ever-threatening blizzard. The latter was a semi-regular drive that took us from Farmington Hills, MI to Tulsa, OK to visit our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Most of which still lived in Tulsa where my parents grew up.
Memories are funny things. We only lived in Michigan for five or six years before moving to Florida, so we certainly did not make that Christmas roadtrip more than two or three times. Yet somehow, from my Aunt’s Standing Rib Roast to children wearing sweaters, everything that defines Christmas for me seems to have happened during this particular Christmas ritual. Including the sight of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis set against a sodden gray sky. It’s hard for me to even think the word Missouri without hearing my mother say as we drive by that arch, “well, I guess we’re really doing it.”
She may have dreaded the trip (my mother dreaded a lot of things), but I also know the trip was important to her. We didn’t see our cousins much growing up. We moved six times in five states before I turned 16. So I imagine these roadtrips were the best way my parents knew to give my brother, sister and me some sort of family memories. I’m sure it was difficult, because in reality I spent just a handful of Christmases with my cousins in Oklahoma and no Christmases with my cousins in South Africa. Yet somehow, thanks to those wintertime cross-country treks I still associate Christmas with my cousins (who I still rarely see).
Which isn’t to say all my memories from childhood Christmases have stuck with me. Was that the year my aunt gave me a flashlight? Or did I get pajamas? Was it a standing rib roast of beef or pork? Could we have had ham? I don’t know, but I’m sure my cousins were there…
Standing Rib Roast
Well, this Christmas it’s pork. A pork standing rib roast. I’m sure I’ll squeeze in some eggnog from the carton, and of course Charlie Brown. Sadly there will be no roadtrip in the back of a Pinto. However, I am flying to South America, and I’ll keep my nose stuck to the window just in case we fly over St. Louis. I’d love to see that arch and hear my mother complain about the ruckus in the back seat. I guess some traditions change even as they stay with you. GREG
Hi, your recipes calls for cloves, but I think you mean garlic cloves. I kept wondering what you meant by peeling and mincing the cloves — how do you mince a tough dry spice.
Can you please fix that wording to say garlic cloves..
Cloves (dried flower buds) have a strong flavour.
If I were to purchase a 10-rib roast how would the cooking time differ to cook it medium done?
A general rule is 18 to 22 minutes per pound, depending on the desired level of doneness. The bigger the roast the more resting (in order to finish cooking). Begin checking the temperature at about 1 1/2 hours. Your goal is 140 degrees. The bones in a rack hold the heat particularly well and it will continue to cook while resting and should reach about 160 degrees. GREG
I’ve usually done pork ribs in the form of a crown roast. I think I’ll try your version the next time. Road trips aside, I think we share some of the same Christmas memories. Thanks for reminding me!
Great holiday memories like that are better than any of the presents that we actually got as kids. For me it was being the “hero” by bringing a grocery sack of satsuma’s from our trees in Florida when we visited our big extended family at the farmhouse in North Carolina. They LOVED the oranges and my grandfather (Trevor’s namesake) would sit in that old rocking chair in the drafty living room, tossing the peels into the red hot coals in the fire place. The room will fill with the scent of oranges and the pine Christmas tree. Sigh.…
Impressive looking pork roast too. I did one a few years ago from Erica’s Columbian Kitchen that was to die for. Come to think of it, that was our Christmas dinner 2 or 3 years ago. Safe travels, Greg!
Ha! I will show this to my dad, he was just talking about making a pork roast 😉
This looks seriously good! Christmas memories are always the best! Happy holidays and thanks for sharing these delicious ribs- gotta try them soon!
i love that this roast is a throwback to your childhood Christmas’s. It’s so funny the memories that end up sticking in the end.
We did a VERY similar drive from Chicago to my dad’s hometown NE of Tulsa at least 5 or 6 times. The arch! And I vividly remember the high water lines after the huge Mississippi floods in 92 or 93. Our main holiday traditions were in the pecan pie and gingersnaps area, but my grandma would definitely approve of this roast too!
Thanks for sharing your memories Greg, they always sound like so much fun! This roast is regal…I wish I saw it when you first sliced into it 🙂
Yes the slices were beautifully pink. But this was a real dinner, in real time. I left the camera in the kitchen. I’ve long since learned not to bring blogging to the actual dinner table. GREG
Greg… this is legit amazing! That is pork perfection right there. What time is Christmas dinner?? I’m coming over hahaha
This is just gorgeous! What a great recipe for the holidays. Love your blog — wonderful photos.
My Dad was an artist, so it was either feast or famine growing up — but somehow, every Christmas we’d wake up to dozens of presents for each kid and the best food.
And we also had a pinto growing up — I hated that car! 😀
I should have looked into a pork rib roast, the beef rib roast by me was $133!
I love my extended family but sometimes I fantasize about just the four of us (my husband, son, daughter and I) escaping to a small village in the Alps for Christmas. This standing pork roast looks spectacular and totally doable. I’d really like to make it, maybe for New Year’s. One question: I can’t quite tell where you make the cut in the meat to open it up. Thanks Greg and have a wonderful holiday!
Right along the bones. I borrowed the technique from Judy Rodgers, I should see how she describes it and update my directions. Thanks GREG
Excellent. I just looked it up in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Thanks Greg! xo
I also have some distinct memories of that carton of eggnog (and I still get one each year!). When I was young, my parents would just sprinkle nutmeg over top each glass of nog. As the years went on, the special whiskey would come out to join the party. Beautiful rib roast here! I’ve never actually made one. Need to invited a large group of friends over and try this out. Enjoy South America!!
Thanks for sharing!
That’s one good looking roast! I love how traditions change over time — I’m sure those we remember were transformed over the years also. 🙂 xo
I’m happy to hear my hometown made such an impression! Growing up, the most common thing I would hear people say when they visited St. Louis and see the Arch is “I didn’t realize it was so big.” Insert bad joke here:)
I think every American can related to this story. I have cousins I only see at funerals that I saw every year at Christmas. My parents were both the youngest of 12 children so I have a lot of cousins. (yes, Catholic)
I’ve never had a pork rack for Christmas but I LOVE this meat. It’s going to be way too hot to roast anything so I’m going to cook a ham during the night and we’ll have cold seafood and salads.
I’d prefer your Christmas dinner!
There aren’t words for how spectacular this is…it puts all my cookie making to shame…I need to focus on the main course pretty soon — you’ve completely inspired me
Our road trips were in a seatbeltless Plymouth Satellite from Iowa to North Dakota! Oh, the memories. There always seemed to be a blizzard. We’re having the beef version of you terrific roast for Christmas.…some traditions are hard to change without a revolt. Safe travels and Merry Christmas!!!
I love reading about Christmas memories. Not to sound too corny or too maudlin, but my parents have been gone for over thirty years, and the older I get, the more these recollections mean to me. Thank you for sharing yours.
That is one glorious hunk of meat. Seriously, Bart adores pork, and so I think that may be his idea of heaven on earth. I usually make a standing rib of roast beef for Christmas, but you may have just changed my thinking on the matter.
Buon Natale to you and Ken, and best wises for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.
I envy your Christmas trips… at least I still had Charlie Brown, the clingy icicles (which our dog ate — the lawn sparkled for years), and the cartons of eggnog (I agree with you — it has to come from a carton).
We always had a standing rib roast of beef — I think I will make this over the break for some visitors from Switzerland. The best part is how shor the cooking time is! Do you think I will be okay using shallot instead of garlic?
You can dress and flavor the roast with whatever spices and aromatics you like. GREG
Lovely post! I love hearing about what the holidays mean to others. Everyone has a slightly different version of what the holidays mean to them and it seems like it is truly marked on the the soul stuff. I am with you on the eggnog, same goes for fruit salad, I much prefer the canned fruit and coolwhip type over the fresh fruit and cream, because that’s how mom and grandma made it. : ) This pork roast is gorgeous! Best wishes on your South America trip Greg!!
What lovely memories! No standing rib roasts in my memory — I don’t even know if I’ve ever had one. They look so fancy, I think I’m afraid to try one! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
My favorite kind of story, Pinto and all. Growing up in PA, we had wonderful pork roasts for the holidays — not at all expensive either. Have a wonderful adventure in South America — best, Liz