April 27th is National Prime Rib Day! Can I get a woot-woot?!

To celebrate, you can either add another mortage to your home and go out to a nice steakhouse or you can learn to cook one of these baddies yourself. Choice is yours, but for the scrappy folks in the crowd, let's get to the recipe. We're sticking with the basics, but get creative and have some fun.

We're pairing this with a Napa Cab, but we kind of assumed you'd get that from the title. Which one? Well, that is up to you.

Ingredients:

• 3-bone rib roast (about 6 pounds)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
2. Pour a glass of wine, this is going to take awhile.
3. Trim the excess fat from the roast and season with salt and pepper.
4. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Rub the mixture all over the roast.
5. Place the roast in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and roast for 2 hours and 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 135 degrees F (57 degrees C).
7. Maybe another glass? We weren't kidding now were we?
8. Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Tips:

• To make sure the prime rib is cooked to your desired doneness, use a meat thermometer. For rare, cook to 120 degrees F (49 degrees C); for medium-rare, cook to 130 degrees F (54 degrees C); for medium, cook to 140 degrees F (60 degrees C); for medium-well, cook to 150 degrees F (66 degrees C); and for well-done, cook to 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).
• If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can use the finger test to check for doneness. To do this, insert your index finger into the thickest part of the roast. For rare, the meat should feel soft and squishy; for medium-rare, the meat should feel slightly firm; for medium, the meat should feel firm but still have a little give; for medium-well, the meat should feel firm and springy; and for well-done, the meat should feel very firm.
• Once the roast is cooked to your desired doneness, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making it more tender and juicy. Stop drooling and take a sip of wine.
• To carve the prime rib, slice it against the grain. The grain of the meat is not what the cow ate, it's the direction in which the muscle fibers run. To find the grain, look for the long, thin lines in the meat. Slice across the grain to create tender pieces.
• Serve the prime rib with your favorite sides, such as Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, french fries, chips and salsa, buffalo wings... we're getting off topic.