The Perfect Prime Rib Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the most important thing to do before roasting a prime rib roast? ›

Tying Prime Rib: It is important to tie the prime rib before roasting. If left untied, the outer layer of meat will pull away from the rib-eye muscle and overcook. To prevent this, tie the roast at both ends, running the cooking twine parallel to the bone. Just ask the butcher and they will tie your rib roast for you.

How do restaurants make prime rib so tender? The secret to restaurant-style prime rib is cooking the meat super slow at low temperatures. I recommend cooking prime rib at no higher than 200 degrees F. This cooks the meat very slowly, turning the fat into butter and rendering the proteins juicy and soft.

What's the Best Cut of Prime Rib? The first cut (sometimes labeled the small end or the loin end) comes from the hind of the standing rib roast near the loin. It's more expensive and generally regarded as the best cut because it has less connective tissue than the second cut and therefore is more tender.

Place the roast fat side up, bone side down, in a large roasting pan. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. This allows the heat to sear the roast, trapping the juicy flavors inside while the rest of the meat cooks.

Overcooking the Prime Rib

That's why prime rib is so expensive: it's a huge piece of extremely good beef. Therefore, it's important not to cook it beyond medium-rare. Going past that temperature means the roast will no longer be tender.

Do you cover prime rib roast when cooking? You can cover rib roast when cooking after searing it to help it retain some of its moisture, but it's not necessary. For the best results, leave the roast uncovered until you remove it from the oven or grill and place it at room temperature for resting.

Leaving prime rib roast uncovered while roasting allows the meat to develop a nice brown crust. You should only cover the roast with aluminum foil if it is becoming too brown.

How to Cook Prime Rib in the Oven. Here, one of the most classic ways to cook prime rib: the reverse sear method. You'll cook the prime rib low and slow in the oven, then crank up the heat at the end to achieve a crisp outside.

The salt helps trap the heat to better cook the prime rib. “It conducts the heat and seals it,” says Betz.

Preparing the Prime Rib Roast

Pull the rib roast out of the fridge and let temper on the counter for three hours. USDA guidelines requires food not be held above 33°F (1°C) for more than 4 hours. A three-hour rest on the counter is well within time constraints.

How long does it take to cook prime rib? ›

The length of time to cook prime rib depends on how rare you want the meat. Start by cooking your prime rib at 500°F for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 325° F and cook for 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, or 14-15 min per pound for medium well.

Brown the roast at 500°F (or as high as your oven will go) for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 325°F to finish roasting: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Roast in the oven until the thermometer registers 115°F for rare or 120° for medium rare, and 130°F for medium.

Prime rib is comparatively expensive because it's a highly desirable, highly delectable cut of meat that's known for being very juicy, flavorful, and tender. It's also a case of supply and demand — prime rib roasts are much more limited in number, while individually cut ribeye steaks are more plentiful.

We recommend checking the internal temperature of the roast to determine doneness. To check the degree of doneness, use a meat thermometer and our Measuring Doneness Chart. For a medium-rare Bone-In Prime Rib, cook for 3–3½ hours or until the roast reaches your preferred degree of doneness.

Marbling is the streaks of intramuscular fat that run through the meat. The more marbled your meat, the juicier, more flavorful, and tender it'll be. Buying "Prime" graded beef is a good guarantee of this fat content, though it's possible to find ungraded beef with plenty of marbling as well.

Do you cover prime rib roast when cooking? You can cover rib roast when cooking after searing it to help it retain some of its moisture, but it's not necessary. For the best results, leave the roast uncovered until you remove it from the oven or grill and place it at room temperature for resting.

Storing your prime rib correctly is crucial to your leftovers staying as juicy and tasty as day one. First things first, wrap leftover prime rib tightly in plastic wrap, preferably keeping it intact rather than slicing it. This will help keep as much moisture inside as possible.