Cajun Prime Rib - Blackened
10 1/2 lb prime rib roast (4 rib)
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup salt
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp plus 3/4 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 1/2 tsp 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
discard. 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.
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. (FHT-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.)