CAJUN PRIME RIB

Steps:

• 1. 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.
• 2. 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.
• 3. Carefully arrange the onions in an even layer on top so as not to knock off the seasoning.
• 4. Place the fat cap back on top. Refrigerate 24 hours.
• 5. 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.)
• 6. Remove fat cap and discard.
• 7. 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.
• 8. TO BLACKEN THE 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.
• 9. 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.)
• 10. 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.
• 11. 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. 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.