Christmas dinner planner: prime rib or ham

Pick the roast, how many are eating and when you sit down. You get how much meat to order, when it comes out of the fridge, when it goes in the oven and a cooking plan that ends right at dinner. Your numbers stay on this device.

Main dish

Adults and teens

Kids under 12

Dinner day

Dinner time

Cut

How done

Ham

Leftovers

Order

Out of the fridge

Into the oven

Your cooking day

How much to buy and make

Plan the whole holiday week

Family staying over? The Meal Planner + Grocery List spreadsheet (Excel and Google Sheets) turns the meals you pick into one shopping list sorted by store aisle, minus what you already have.

See the Meal Planner

How it is worked out

Prime rib: about 0.75 lb per adult bone-in (one rib feeds two) or 0.5 lb boneless, half that for kids. Reverse sear: oven at 225°F, roughly 30-40 minutes per lb until the thermometer reads 10°F under the target, rest 30 minutes, then 500°F for 8-10 minutes to brown. Pull at 115°F rare, 120°F medium rare, 130°F medium. Ham: 0.5 lb per adult bone-in plus extra for leftovers, heated at 325°F about 10-14 minutes per lb to 140°F (USDA for fully cooked ham). Times vary with the oven and the roast shape, so cook to temperature, not to the clock.