A Gulliver's-Style Prime Rib Dinner at Home

By the gulliverrestaurant.com editors · Last reviewed November 1, 2026 · How we research

This is not Gulliver's recipe. The restaurant used a patented commercial oven and never published its methods. What follows is our own home method for the same style of meal — a slow-roasted standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding, creamed corn, creamed spinach, whipped horseradish and au jus — written for an ordinary domestic oven.

1. Buy the right roast

Ask the butcher for a bone-in standing rib roast from the loin end (ribs 10–12, sometimes called the “first cut”), which is leaner and more uniform than the shoulder end. “Prime” on a menu refers to the rib section, not necessarily the USDA Prime grade; USDA Choice gives excellent results at a lower price.

• Allow roughly one rib for every two people, or about 1 lb (450 g) of bone-in weight per person.
• A 4-rib roast of 8–9 lb feeds 8 people generously.
• Ask the butcher to cut the bones off and tie them back on. They protect the meat during roasting and make carving easy.

2. Salt it a day ahead

Rub the roast all over with kosher salt — about 1 teaspoon per pound — and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge for 24 hours. The salt seasons the meat deeply and dries the surface so it browns well later.

3. Roast low and slow

Take the roast out of the fridge two hours before cooking and season it with coarse black pepper. Heat the oven to 225°F (110°C), set the roast bone-side down in a pan, and insert a probe thermometer into the centre of the thickest part.

Roast until the centre reads 118–120°F (48–49°C) for medium-rare, about 30–35 minutes per pound at this temperature, or 125°F (52°C) for medium. Low heat is what gives prime rib that even pink colour from edge to edge, the same goal Gulliver's slow-roasting ovens were built for. The USDA's safe-minimum guidance for whole cuts of beef is 145°F (63°C) with a three-minute rest; cook to that if you prefer.

4. Rest, then sear

Rest the roast loosely tented with foil for 30–60 minutes; the temperature will rise a few degrees. Save the fat and juices from the pan. Just before serving, return the roast to a 500°F (260°C) oven for 6–10 minutes to crisp and brown the outside. Searing at the end rather than the start keeps the grey band under the crust as thin as possible.

5. Carve three ways

Cut the strings and lift off the bones in one piece. Then you can serve it like Gulliver's did:

• Brobdingnagian: a thick slice cut between two ribs, served with the bone attached.
• Prime cut: a thick, boneless slab about 1¼ inches (3 cm) thick.
• English cut: three or four thin slices fanned on the plate, the British roast-beef way.

The five sides

Yorkshire pudding

Whisk 4 eggs, 1 cup (125 g) flour, 1 cup (240 ml) milk and a pinch of salt into a smooth batter and rest it for 30 minutes. Put a teaspoon of beef drippings in each cup of a muffin tin and heat it in a 425°F (220°C) oven until smoking. Pour the batter in quickly and bake for 20–25 minutes without opening the door, until tall and deep golden.

Creamed corn

Gently cook 4 cups of corn kernels in 2 tablespoons of butter, then add 1 cup of cream and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Blend a third of it for body, stir back in, and season with salt, white pepper and a pinch of sugar. For the au gratin version, top with Parmesan and brown it under the grill.

Creamed spinach

Wilt 2 lb of fresh spinach, squeeze it very dry and chop it. Make a small white sauce from butter, flour, a little minced shallot and 1½ cups of milk, season with nutmeg, and fold in the spinach.

Whipped horseradish

Whip 1 cup of heavy cream to soft peaks and fold in 3–4 tablespoons of well-drained prepared horseradish, a squeeze of lemon and salt. Make it shortly before serving.

Au jus

Pour off most of the fat from the roasting pan, set it over medium heat, add a splash of red wine and 2 cups of beef stock, and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer for 5 minutes, season and strain. It should be thin and savoury, not a thick gravy.

A simple timeline

1. Day before: salt the roast.
2. About 7½ hours before dinner: take the roast out of the fridge.
3. About 5½ hours before: start roasting at 225°F (an 8–9 lb roast takes roughly 4–5 hours).
4. 1 hour before: rest the roast; make the pudding batter, creamed spinach and creamed corn.
5. 30 minutes before: bake the Yorkshire puddings; make the jus.
6. 10 minutes before: sear the roast and whip the horseradish cream.

Cooking times are estimates; always go by a thermometer. Roasts vary in shape and ovens vary in accuracy.