Coffee-Rubbed Prime Rib Roast

This is a showstopper - a whole prime rib coated in an espresso, cocoa, and spice rub, then slow-roasted in your pizza oven until it's perfectly pink inside with a dark, intensely flavoured crust. The coffee doesn't make it taste like coffee; it adds a deep, smoky bitterness that works brilliantly with beef. This serves 10, so it's proper special-occasion cooking. Your pizza oven at 150°C gives you the steady, even heat that a joint this size needs.

Ingredients

• 1 five-rib prime rib roast (bone-in, about 5-6kg)
• 2 tablespoons sweet mustard (or Dijon)
• 1 teaspoon espresso coffee (finely ground)
• 2 teaspoons ground coffee (coarser grind)
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Half a teaspoon ground cloves
• Fresh parsley, for serving

Method

1. Take the roast out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
2. Let your pizza oven settle to around 150°C - this is a low, steady roast.
3. Trim any excess fat from the surface with a sharp knife. Clean the rib bones.
4. Mix the mustard with the espresso coffee and spread this paste all over the meat (not the bones).
5. Combine the ground coffee, cocoa powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and cloves. Press this rub firmly into the mustard-coated surface.
6. Place the roast bone-side down on a rack in a roasting tin. Slide into your oven.
7. Roast until a meat thermometer reads 56°C in the thickest part for medium-rare - this will take roughly 15-20 minutes per 500g, but go by temperature, not time.
8. Rest the roast for at least 20 minutes under foil before carving. The temperature will continue to rise 5-8 degrees as it rests.
9. Carve between the bones and serve scattered with fresh parsley.