How to Butterfly a Roast (and Why You Should!)

rolled rib eye roast how to
Photo: Ngoc Minh Ngo

Take your holiday rib eye roast to the next level with this surprisingly easy technique.

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rolled rib eye roast
Ngoc Minh Ngo

Next to the Thanksgiving turkey, the holiday roast might be the most daunting dish home cooks make all year, with good reason. It’s a pricey cut of meat and the centerpiece of the entire meal. Our new favorite preparation? Stuffing a boneless rib eye roast with aromatics and fresh herbs and rolling the whole thing up. It allows you to flavor the roast inside and out, and the spiral you get when carving the meat makes for a beautiful presentation. All you have to do is butterfly the roast, which isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It just means you’re cutting the meat and spreading it open, making it the perfect canvas for all those flavors!

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of recipe. Arrange roast on a large cutting board, fat-side down, with short end toward you.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

2. Holding a long, sharp knife parallel to (and about 1 inch above) cutting board, make a shallow cut along length of roast, stopping about 1 inch from edge.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

3. Open roast to the side.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

4. Continue slicing until about 1 inch from next edge.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

5. Open to same side again, and continue slicing until roast is completely flat.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

6. Season meat all over with salt and pepper.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

7. Spread all but 2 tablespoons of garlic-herb mixture over meat.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

8. Roll meat up, starting from left side.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

Fat cap should end up on top of roast.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
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9. Rub outside with remaining garlic-herb mixture.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

10. Tie at 2-inch intervals with kitchen twine.

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rolled rib eye roast how to
Ngoc Minh Ngo

11. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour (or refrigerate, covered with plastic, overnight; bring to room temperature before cooking). Proceed with recipe.

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