For special occasions and holidays, it’s fun to serve the best. That’s when we cook this prime rib roast recipe.
This recipe is extra fun for us because it’s the first recipe we ever tried from one of the short, mesmerizing Tasty food video. Just as their video suggests, the recipe is really easy to cook and your guests will give you rave accolades. Here’s the video that capitvated us:
We’ve made it several time and every time it’s turned out amazing. Every. Time.
In this post, we’ve included the original recipe video, but also some of our own photos. Since we’ve made this several times, you’ll notice different roasting pans being used — don’t let that confuse you!
Before we get to the recipe, let’s cover some basics about Prime Rib
What is a Prime Rib Roast?
Prime Rib Roast is also known as the Prime Rib, Ribeye Roast, Holiday Roast, Rib Roast, or Standing Rib Roast. It’s the king of roasts due to its size and marbling. It can be found with both boneless and bone-in options.
What Section of Beef Does the Rib Come From?
Prime Rib comes from the primal rib section of beef. The rib primal contains several popular cuts of beef — rib steak, ribeye steak, and prime rib roast (also known as standing rib roast or rib roast). This rib primal is the smallest primal section and it is most often cut into steaks.
The prime rib comes from the best part of the animal’s rib, between rib bones seven and 11. This area has a very thick cap of marble.
This section of beef is known for its beefy flavor that everyone loves. It’s well-marbled throughout the meat, which is why it’s so rich, juice and tender.
How Much Roast Per Person?
A full rack of prime beef is 7 ribs, which easily serves 16+ people. If you’re not serving that many, ask the butcher to cut it in half or you can cut it in half yourself. That’s what we do.
For bone-in Prime Rib, the rule of thumb is one rib for every two people. But please know, that’s a lot of beef!
Is Prime Rib Prime Grade Beef?
As you know, the USDA grades beef in three major categories — Prime, Choice and Select. Don’t let the name “Prime Rib” confuse you. Just because the label says “Prime Rib” doesn’t mean your getting USDA Prime beef, it refers to the cut of beef, not the quality. Prime Rib can come in Prime or Choice cuts.
If you want to make sure you have USDA Prime beef, be sure to ask about the grading of the beef before you purchase. Typically, grocery stores only carry Choice Prime Rib, so if you want Prime graded beef, plan to order ahead and go to a butcher shop.
The Best Way to Cook Prime Rib Roast
Prime Rib is an impressive dish to make, but it’s not complicated. The end goal is to get a delicious crust on the outside with a pink medium-rare on the inside (or to your desired doneness).
To achieve this, you need to coat the outer portion with a rub or thick layer of kosher salt. Then, massage it in to the beef.
Next, place the beef in the oven and be sure it’s fat side up. You start the oven at a high temperature to get a good browning on the outside of the roast. You can then lower the temperature of your oven to make sure the meat in the center doesn’t get overcooked.
Roasting time will vary depending on the size of roast and if it’s bone-in or not. It’s always best to follow the individual recipe for specific times, and use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat is to your desired doneness.
Once it’s cooked, be sure to allow it to rest, tented by aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes before slicing. This will ensure the juices have a chance to settle before cutting into the roast. Also, don’t forget that the temperature will keep rising 10 to 15 degrees when it comes out of the oven. This is called carry-over cooking.
Slice across the grain with slices ½-3/4-inch slices.
Secret Cooking Tip
The hardest part of making a prime rib roast is getting the internal temperature of the beef correct.
The only way to do this is to use a good internal meat thermometer. The reason for this is because there are many variables that affect cooking time – the shape of the roast, if it’s flatter or thinner, if it’s chilled or closer to room temperature when going in to the oven, etc.
We like to use the Thermoworks Chef Alarm. It has a leave-in probe that lets us monitor how the beef is cooking while it’s in the oven.
A prime rib roast is a very expensive piece of beef. If you don’t have a thermometer, use caution and error on the undercooked rare side. You can always cook it more if needed.
If you like rare, your thermometer should read 115°F, and 120°-130°F for medium. And remember, the internal temperature of the roast will continue to rise after the roast is out of the oven.
Cooking Chart
In addition to a thermometer, we’ve also found this chart very helpful.
Rest & Serve
Once the roast has reached your desired temperature, remove it from the oven. There will be residual heat and carry over cooking when you remove it, so the internal temperature will continue to rise about 10 degrees once out of the oven.
Always let it rest for at least 15-30 minutes before you cut and serve.
Resting the meat lets the meat’s fibers relax and widen so that juices redistribute throughout the cut of beef.
Kitchen equipment you need for this recipe
- Pan or roasting tray with a rack. We like this pan and rack.
- Thermometer. When making Prime Rib, an instant read thermometer is a must. You can use a probe thermometer if you want to monitor the beef as it cooks. All of our favorite thermometers are by ThermoWorks. We use this thermometer.
When Ordering Beef from Your Farm, Do I Get a Prime Rib Roast?
This rib primal is the smallest primal section and it is most often cut into steaks.
If you buy a whole beef from our farm, it can be cut as a rib roast. If you buy a quarter or half beef from us, this section is cut into Rib-Eye steaks.
Prime Rib with Garlic Herb Butter Video
Prime Rib with Garlic Herb Butter Recipe:
Give this Prime Rib with Garlic Herb Butter Recipe a try. We’re sure you’ll like it.
Prime Rib With Garlic Herb Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 7 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 4 pound boneless roast the recipe recommends a ribeye roast, but you can use another roast if you don’t have a ribeye roast
- Gravy:
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500°F/260°C.
- Mix together the butter, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl until evenly combined.
- Rub the herb butter all over the rib roast, then place on a roasting tray with a rack.
- Bake for 5 minutes per pound of meat (a 4-pound roast would bake for 20 minutes).
- Turn off the heat and let the rib roast sit in the oven for 2 hours, making sure you do not open the oven door or else the residual heat will escape.
- Then, remove the roast from the pan and pour the pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour, whisking until there are no lumps, then add the beef stock, stirring and bringing the sauce to a boil.
- Remove from heat and strain the sauce into a gravy dish.
- Carve the roast into thick slices, 3/4 inch. Serve with the sauce as gravy.
ONE MORE THING
Do you want to learn more about beef? Join our weekly e-newsletter where we share farm happenings, recipes and beef availability. Sign-up and get a cheat sheet with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer. Or, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a cattle farmers perspective.
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Flavors were good, however doing the math and the temp for 5.3lbs it was not enough cook time. It came out very rare even after the time sitting in the oven with the door closed. Certainly would recommend a thermometer.
There is definately a lot to know about this subject. I love all of the points you made. Phoebe Andie Geof
I have used this recipe 2 years in a row now and it’s been perfect both times.
How long would you cook at 7.5 bone-in Prime Rib? Thanks