We hosted Friendsgiving this weekend. Twenty-five people. And I decided—in a moment of either confidence or insanity—to cook prime rib.

Not one roast. Two. Fourteen pounds total. (See photo below. Vegetarians beware)

I bought them three days before people were coming over, brought them home, and immediately went to Google:

"How long to cook 14 lbs prime rib"
"Cooking time for two prime rib roasts"
"Reverse sear prime rib timing"

Every recipe I found was for either 5 lbs or 20 lbs. Nothing for my exact situation. And the comments? Full of people asking "but what if I have TWO roasts?" with zero helpful answers.

Here's what I knew:

• I want to reverse sear (low temp at 225°, then high heat at 500° for crust)

• People are arriving at 5 PM

• I want to sit down to eat at 6 PM

• I have absolutely no idea when to start cooking

The stress was building. This isn't chicken. You can't just "check it" and throw it back in. Prime rib is expensive, unforgiving, and I'm feeding 25 people who are expecting something impressive.

So I opened ChatGPT and dumped the whole situation:

"I'm cooking two prime rib roasts totaling 14 lbs. I want to reverse sear at 225° then finish at 500°. Guests sit down to eat at 6 PM. Give me a complete timeline working backward from 6 PM, including cook times, rest times between temps, and final rest before carving."

Two minutes later, I had it. A complete play-by-play:

12:00 PM - Take roasts out of fridge, bring to room temp (1 hour)
1:00 PM - Season and place in 225° oven
4:15 PM - Remove from oven (internal temp should hit 120°)
4:15-4:45 PM - Rest while oven cranks to 500°
4:45 PM - Back in oven at 500° for 8-10 minutes (crust development)
4:55 PM - Remove, tent with foil
4:55-5:45 PM - Final rest (temp will rise to 130-135° for medium-rare)
5:45 PM - Carve and serve by 6 PM

Google couldn't give me that. Every recipe assumed one roast, guessed at timing, or told me to "just use a thermometer and check."

ChatGPT backed into the exact timeline from my end goal. Accounted for two roasts. Factored in rest times I didn't even know I needed.

Am I still a little nervous? Yes. It's prime rib for 25 people.

But am I way more confident I can actually pull this off? Absolutely.

How to Use This for ANY Holiday Cooking (Turkey, Ham, Whatever)

Thanksgiving is next week. Christmas is around the corner. And if you're like me, you're probably staring at a turkey or ham thinking "when do I actually start this?"

The beauty of this approach? It works for any intimidating main dish where timing matters.

The Universal Prompt Structure:

"I'm cooking [specific dish with weight/size]. I want to [cooking method]. Guests sit down to eat at [exact time]. Give me a complete timeline working backward from [mealtime], including prep time, cook times, rest times, and when to carve/serve."

Real examples you can use:

For Thanksgiving Turkey: "I'm cooking an 18 lb turkey. I want to roast it at 325° and get crispy skin. Guests sit down to eat at 3 PM. Give me a complete timeline working backward from 3 PM, including thaw time, prep, cook time, rest time, and carving."

For Christmas Ham: "I'm cooking a 10 lb spiral ham. I want to glaze it and serve it warm. Dinner is at 5 PM. Give me a complete timeline working backward from 5 PM, including warming time, glaze application, and rest time."

For Prime Rib (like mine): "I'm cooking two prime rib roasts totaling 14 lbs. I want to reverse sear at 225° then finish at 500°. Guests sit down to eat at 6 PM. Give me a complete timeline working backward from 6 PM, including cook times, rest times between temps, and final rest before carving."

The key ingredients for a perfect prompt:

1. Exact weight/quantity (the internet has generic recipes; you need YOUR situation)

2. Specific cooking method (roast, smoke, reverse sear, etc.)

3. End time goal (when people sit down, not when they arrive)

4. Ask it to work backward (this is the magic - AI calculates from your goal)

What ChatGPT Gives You That Recipes Don't

Traditional recipes tell you how to cook. ChatGPT tells you when to cook.

Recipes say: "Cook at 325° for 15 minutes per pound"
ChatGPT says: "Start at 9:30 AM to serve at 3 PM"

Recipes say: "Let rest 20-30 minutes"
ChatGPT says: "Remove at 2:10 PM, rest until 2:40 PM, carve at 2:50 PM"

Recipes assume: You'll figure out the timeline
ChatGPT assumes: You have 47 other things to coordinate and need a minute-by-minute plan

This is especially crucial when you're cooking multiple dishes that need oven time. ChatGPT can map out:

• When the turkey goes in

• When it comes out so the sides can go in

• When everything needs to be done to serve at the same time

The Side Dishes Problem (And How to Solve It)

Here's what nobody tells you about holiday cooking: the main dish is easy. It's everything ELSE that's chaos.

You've got:

• Mashed potatoes that need to stay warm

• Green beans that need last-minute cooking

• Rolls that need 15 minutes at 350°

• Stuffing that needs 30 minutes at 375°

And one oven.

Try this prompt:

"I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 12 people. Main dish is an 18 lb turkey (needs 4 hours at 325°). I also need to make: stuffing (30 min at 375°), rolls (15 min at 350°), and roasted vegetables (45 min at 400°). We eat at 3 PM. Create a cooking schedule that coordinates oven time for everything, working backward from 3 PM."

ChatGPT will map out:

• When turkey goes in

• When turkey comes out to rest (freeing the oven)

• Oven temp changes

• When each side dish goes in

• Everything ready by 3 PM

This is the difference between calm holiday hosting and kitchen panic.

Why This Works Better Than "Winging It"

I used to think good cooks just "knew" when to start things.

Turns out, they either:

1. Have made the same dish 20 times and learned through trial and error, or

2. Do what I'm doing now—map out a timeline beforehand

The difference? They spent years figuring it out. You can spend 2 minutes with AI.

I'm still nervous about this prime rib. But I'm not stressed about the timing anymore. I know exactly when to start, when to pull it, when to rest it.

The actual cooking? That's on me.
The timeline? AI's got that covered.

And honestly, that's half the battle.

Catch Up on Previous Newsletters You May Have Missed

- The irony: I used AI to get my kids off screens

- I saved $600 on car insurance (the legal way)

- ABC News just discovered what I've been teaching you