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Prime Rib Roast

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Prime Rib Roast!  This is a tender, juicy and flavorful main course cut of beef that is reserved for special events and holidays.  It can be a budget-buster and not a ‘spur-of-the-moment’ purchase but it is easy to prepare, wonderfully delicious and well worth the expense.

prime-rib-roast
Classic Prime Rib Roast

It is a tradition at our house to have a standing prime rib roast beef for Christmas dinner.  At Thanksgiving it is all about the turkey and the trimmings; but at Christmas dinner the big, flavorful prime rib roast beef is the star of the show.

Prime Rib Roast
Beef Prime Rib

Tips For a Great-Tasting Prime Rib Roast:

This recipe has been adapted from the 2013 Cook’s Illustrated Holiday magazine and has a couple techniques that I used in preparing this year’s bounty of prime rib roast.

  • Salt the beef and let it sit in the refrigerator for several days.
  • Cook the roast at 200°F until it reaches the desired temperature.
prime-rib-roast
Medium-Rare Prime Rib Roast

I will admit to having just a little anxiety about departing from my regular recipe as this is an investment of a 9-pound roast and I surely did not want to ruin it; but then I can’t really ruin it unless I over cook it.

Advantages of A Dry-Brine For Your Prime Rib Roast:

The roast was salted and then refrigerated for 3 days.  This dry brine ages and tenderizes the roast and drys out the exterior which provides for better browning during the searing process.  The roast was seared on all sides to give it color then allowed to rest ten minutes before roasting.   After searing and resting a bit it is roasted low and slow at 200°F until it is within 10° of the desired doneness.

Prime Rib Roast
Moist and Juicy Prime Rib Roast

I used a meat-probe thermometer to monitor the temperature while it was cooking and removed the roast from the oven when the temperature probe registered 120°F.  It was tented and after 25-minutes it had reached 135° and was ready to carve and serve.

Refer to our beef temperature chart to find your desired doneness level.

Beef Temperature Chart for Prime Rib

Doneness levelPull TempTemperature
Rare115-125°F120-130°F
Medium rare125-130°F130-135°F
Medium130-140°F135-145°F
Medium-well140-150°F145-155°F
Well-done155°F +155-160°F
Temperature chart for steak and pull temps

For the best results, use an instant-read meat thermometer  and check the meat intermittently or use a leave-in meat thermometer  so you don’t have to open the oven frequently. The above links are affiliate links from ThermoWorks  . They make the best thermometers we have ever used and we highly recommend them.

prime-rib-roast
Prime Rib Roast with Flavor-Bursting Sauce

 

We all like our prime rib roast beef rare to medium-rare and when it was carved and served it was a nice rosy pink from the end slice to a nice rare at the center.  There was very little drippings in the roasting pan, and I mean, very little!  Just a couple tablespoons of melted fat and some crispy garlic-rosemary nubs.

No Drippings For Gravy?  No Problem!

To make a gravy we used some beef broth, chicken broth and red wine plus flavor boosters of garlic and fresh rosemary.  This concoction was reduced to two cups, then a paste of soft butter and flour was whisked in and it was cooked to a smooth sauce.   The paste is a French technique known as Beurre Manié and is great for a last-minute thickener.

This classic roast beef was served with fluffy mashed potatoes, a beefy-wine sauce, green beans, fruit salad and an epic home-crafted Syrah red wine 🙂

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Prime Rib Roast

Prime Rib Roast

A Prime rib roast that is tender, juicy and delicious. This roast is cooked low and slow at 200°F with an internal temp of 130°F to bring out the natural flavors and retain the juices.
This process takes longer than traditional methods but it gives spectacular results. Make sure you plan the time accordingly. See the chart in the notes for general timelines.
4.75 from 58 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 439kcal
Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

  • 1 9-pound prime or choice cut of beef standing rib roast (4 bones)
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil*
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

For the Sauce: (Beurre Manié)

  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 large garlic clove grated or crushed
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons butter softened
  • 2 tablespoons flour

Instructions

  • Using a sharp knife, cut slits, spaced 1 inch apart, in the surface layer of fat cap in crosshatch pattern, being careful to cut down to, but not into, the meat. Rub 2 tablespoons kosher salt over entire roast and into the slits. Transfer to a large plate, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 24 hours or up to 4 days.
  • Take the roast out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for an hour to raise the roast temperature. To help cook the roast evenly, tie the roast with kitchen twine parallel to the rib bones at least at each end or tie between each pair of ribs.
  • Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 200°F. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet until just smoking. Sear sides and top of the roast until browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Let meat cool for 10 minutes. Transfer roast, fat side up, to a roast pan with a wire rack and season with pepper, garlic and rosemary. Insert thermometer-probe in the center of the roast without touching any bone. I roasted it until the meat registered 120°.
  • Remove roast from oven but leave it on the baking sheet, do not remove the thermometer-probe, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for another 20-30 minutes. The heat carry-over will bring the meat to 135 for medium-rare and will be tender and juicy.
  • For the Sauce: (Beurre Manié)
  • Add the beef broth, chicken broth and red wine to a saucepan and over medium-high heat bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to low and simmer until the mixture is reduced to 2 cups.
  • In a small dish add the butter and flour and mash them together with the back of a tablespoon to make a paste. Remove the reduced broth mixture from the heat and add the paste, whisking together to melt the paste. Set the saucepan back on the heat and boil briefly, whisking continuously for another minute until thickened. Transfer to a serving pitcher and pass to guests.

Notes

  1. For easier carving have your butcher remove the bone section and then tie it back on with twine.
  2. I use avocado oil or coconut oil when cooking with high heat because they have high smoke points.
  3. We prefer our prime rib medium-rare at 135°F and you will need to adjust the cooking time according to your taste. For rare it will be 125°F; and 145°F for medium;
  4. The Beurre Manié can be made in advance and reserved

Approximate cooking times for a rare Prime Rib at 200°F

These are approximate times for a rare roast. Add additional time if you want your roast cooked medium to well done. Results will vary based on your oven and temperature fluctuations.
  • 4 lb. –2 hr. 30 min.
  • 5 lb. — 3 hr. 10 min.
  • 6 lb. — 3 hr. 50 min.
  • 7 lb. — 4 hr. 30 min.
  • 8 lb. — 5 hr. 10 min.
  • 9 lb. — 6 hr. 30 min.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 1058mg

prime rib roast, sliced

Prime Rib Roast

Pat Nyswonger

Pat is a wife, mom of four adult children, and grandmother to seventeen beautiful children. She is a self-taught home cook and loves creating delicious meals for her family and friends. Her kitchen is the hub of activity in her home, and she loves to entertain.

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Recipe Rating




Linda Fairchild

Sunday 11th of December 2022

"I call this Magic Meat and make it almost every week. (In fact, I made it just last night). Here’s the trick: you must follow the recipe EXACTLY. Take the roast out of the fridge right before you turn on the oven. This means the roast is COLD when it goes in. (If you start with room-temp meat, it’ll be too done in the middle.) You roast at 500 for EXACTLY 5 minutes per pound. I ask Siri: “How much is 2.85 times 5?” Then I roast for 14.25 minutes, using a timer. Timer for the 2 hrs. oven off too!" NY Times Commenter

This is ALWAYS PERFECT. It's crazy. Just make sure you put a note on the oven door so NO ONE opens the door! Enjoy!

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