A garlic-crusted Prime Rib Recipe with a trusted method for juicy, melt-in-your-mouth tender prime rib roast. Watch the video tutorial and learn how to trim, tie, wrestle (kidding), and cook a standing rib roast.
This is a stunning and holiday-worthy roast that we reserve for spe cial meals like Christmas dinner. It’s right up there with juicy Roast Turkey. Everyone should have a go-to recipe for Prime Rib Roast and this recipe doesn’t disappoint.
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Prime rib is so satisfying and pairs really well with creamy mashed potatoes and baked asparagus for the ultimate holiday feast. And don’t forget the Creamy Horseradish Sauce.
Prime Rib Video Tutorial
I hope you are super pumped to make your own prime rib roast after watching this easy tutorial.
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Prime Rib Roast Recipe
Repeat after me, “prime rib is not scary.” It’s actually very simple to prepare. Prime Rib Roast can be intimidating because it is an expensive cut of beef and is usually made for important life events or holidays, but really, this is not hard to make.
The secrets to a great prime rib are:
- Use an in-oven meat thermometer
- Don’t overcook the roast (see rule #1)
- Follow a trusted recipe (watch the video tutorial and you’ll be a pro in no time)
What Cut is Prime Rib Meat?
There are 2 grades at the grocery store; USDA prime grade and USDA choice grade. Prime grade has more fat and marbling and can be considerably more expensive per pound. If you aren’t sure, ask your butcher whether your roast is prime or choice because it isn’t always clear on the packaging and most cuts sold are actually “choice”.
See our tutorial on How to Select a Prime Rib Roast. This recipe works for either prime or choice, so go with the best you can buy.
Pro Tip: Look for bone-in prime rib, also known as a “Standing Rib Roast.” We used a 7 lb bone-in beef prime rib, but you can use larger or smaller roasts and modify the baking time per the cooking time chart below. P.S. You can use the bones later to make a Beef Stock.
How to Carve and Tie Prime Rib Roast
Pre-cutting the bones away is optional but will make carving easier when ready to serve. It’s best to do it ahead than struggle with it in front of dinner guests. Removing and re-attaching the ribs with a string doesn’t change the juiciness of the roast at all.
- Cut away the bones running your knife right along the bones.
- Replace the bones and tightly tie them right back onto your roast with kitchen string, looping the string around in 1″ intervals.
Pro Tip: A butcher can cut away the ribs and tie the roast for you (usually free of charge).
The Best Prime Rib Seasoning Rub
Combine 6 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 Tbsp black pepper, 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves, 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, and 3 Tbsp light olive oil. It’s even better if you let it sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to meld.
Pro Tips: Mince garlic with a knife. Do not use a garlic press as pressed garlic burns under high heat. Also, use an extra light olive oil with a high smoke point so your oven is less likely to get smokey.
How to Cook Prime Rib:
1. Season and Rest – Sprinkle meat all over with about 2 tsp salt, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for 3 hours to come to room temperature. The roast will bake more uniformly if it is near room temperature. When nearly at room temperature, Preheat the Oven to 500˚F with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. Pat Dry and Rub – use paper towels to pat dry the roast then use your hands to rub the garlic and herb mixture all over the top and sides of the roast. Place into a roasting pan, rib-side-down.
3. Roast – Put an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat and cook according to the Cooking Time Chart Below.
4. Rest the roast – Once out of the oven transfer to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 30 minutes before carving. If you don’t rest the roast, it will juice out and become chewy. Remove the kitchen string and use a carving knife to slice against the grain to desired thickness
Prime Rib Cooking Time
Bake in a fully pre-heated oven at 500˚F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325˚F and continue baking:
- 10-12 min per pound for rare
- 13-14 min per pound for medium-rare
- 14-15 min per pound for medium
- 16-17 min per pound for medium-well
Roast until the thermometer registers:
- 115-120˚F for rare
- 125-130˚F for medium-rare
- 135-140 for medium doneness
- 145-150 for a medium-well
The internal temp of the roast will continue to rise 5-10 degrees even after it’s out of the oven so don’t over-bake it. You can put it back in the oven if you want it more done.
Pro Tip: A colder or thicker roast will take more time to cook and oven strengths can vary so a meat thermometer is super-important.
The garlic crust and initial roasting over high heat seal in the juices and make every bite of this Prime Rib roast so tender and flavorful. I learned to make a standing rib roast from my blogging friend, Elise of Simply Recipes and I am using her method for prepping and baking.
Common Questions
If you are buying a bone-in prime rib roast as the main dish, you can plan on serving 2-3 people per rib, depending on how large your menu is. If it is your only protein and main course, the rule of thumb is 1 lb per person.
You can use a boneless roast and adjust the cooking time accordingly for the weight. You will need a rack inside of your roasting pan since the ribs won’t be there to serve as a rack. Also, we do recommend still tying the roast with string for even roasting.
Serve with
Here’s a classic holiday Prime Rib Menu that will impress everyone:
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Au Gratin Potatoes
- Cloverleaf Rolls
- Horseradish Sauce
- Green Bean Casserole
- Roasted Cauliflower
Prime Rib Recipe
Ingredients
For the Roast:
- 7 lb beef prime rib (bone-in)
- 3 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1/2 Tbsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced, from 1 sprig or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, mnced, from 1-2 sprigs, or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp extra light olive oil
Instructions
How to Make Prime Rib:
- Cut the ribs away from the roast, cutting right along the ribs and keeping the ribs together. Replace the ribs back onto the roast and use kitchen string to tie them tightly onto the roast in 1-inch intervals.
- Sprinkle meat all over with 2 tsp salt, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 3 hours to come to room temperature (it will bake more uniformly). Then preheat Oven to 500˚F with rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Make your Prime Rib rub: In a small bowl, stir together: 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 Tbsp black pepper, 1 tsp minced rosemary, 1/2 tsp minced thyme leaves, chopped garlic, and 3 Tbsp olive oil.
- Lightly pat the roast dry with a paper towel then rub all over top and sides with garlic rub. Place into a roasting pan bone-side-down (the bones will serve as a rack) and put a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat. Bake at 500˚F for 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 325˚F and continue baking following these guidelines: 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, and 14-15 min per pound for medium. Roast until the thermometer registers: 120˚F for rare, 130˚F for medium rare, 140 for Medium, 150 for medium well.*
- Transfer to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil and rest 30 minutes before carving. Remove string and rack of ribs then slice to desired thickness.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I made this prime rib 8 lb. for Christmas dinner 2016. I did take it out at 130 degrees and it was excellent. Also i baked my in electric roasting pan because of no room in oven..lol I didnt get the beauitful outside as yours, i guess because of electric oven..This is a keeper!!! Will use again and again!!!
Linda, thank you for the great review, I’m glad you liked the recipe 😬.
Almost all the comments are questions I’m sorry but the Directions Are Very Clear!! It Sounds delicious and I’m making it tomorrow!! Thanks so much for the recipes..
You are very welcome Linda, enjoy! 😬
Hi Natasha,
Would this recipe work for boneless prime rib as well?
I think it would work with a boneless prime rib as well, but it may cook faster. I definitely would recommend using a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Not sure if this has been meantioned. I wasn’t able to find a rib roast over 5pds. Do I still cook at 500° for 15 min? Or is that too much time for such a small roast?
Hi Cory, I would probably still put it in at 500 for the same amount of time or at the very least 13 minutes if you are concerned about it. The reason for the high heat start is to sear the roast and seal in the juiciness of the meat. Once you reduce the heat, roasting time will depend on the size of your roast and desired doneness per the chart.
Hi Natasha, Do you have a horseradish sauce recipe to go with this? I know you mentioned you ran out of time to post it but I was wondering if you can post a recipe now.
Thank you.
Hi Helen, I haven’t yet, and to be honest, I’ve completely forgotten about it!! I do have a red horseradish sauce that is more traditional in Eastern Europe but not the creamy horseradish like you are probably thinking about.
Hi Natasha,
Do you recommend any specific horseradish sauce for this prime rib?
Thanks! Happy Holidays!
Thank you Erika! 🙂 I do have a red horseradish sauce that is more traditional in Eastern Europe but not the creamy horseradish like you are probably thinking about.
Hi. Do you have to cover the prime rib while it’s cooking or not?
Mimi, I cook it uncovered.
I’m enjoying exploring your recipes, after making your teriyaki salmon, and feel really inspired to make crepes! I came across your prime recipe and thought I’d share my own. It’s super easy and virtually foolproof – really! But you’ll need a new kitchen gadget: a sous vide cooking element. I bought the Anova Precision Cooker. Here’s the recipe:
For flavor, you can use the ingredients in your recipe, or go even simpler:
8-9 lb standing rib roast, bones separated
Montreal steak seasoning
garlic powder
Kosher salt
cooking twine
oil rendered from salt pork (I’m sure any oil will work – one with a high smoke point is probably best)
1. Bind rib roast with twine
2. Coat all sides with steak seasoning, then garlic powder, then salt
3. Vacuum seal roast in a long bag so the moisture doesn’t get sucked into the vacuum sealer
4. Cook in 133 degree bath for 24 hours (up to 36). Note: if you’re cooking meat for more than 2 hours, the temperature must be over 129 degrees.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the bones and freeze for another time or cook right away at 133 for 72 hours.
6. Remove roast from bath and bag (reserve juice if you desire)
7. Pat roast dry with paper towels
8. Sear each side of the roast in a heated cast iron skillet with oil for 2-3 minutes/side.
9. Slice and serve with horseradish sauce
The beauty of this method is first, the roast cooks at the desired final temperature and the entire roast is at this temperature, not just the center. Second, because it’s been cooking in its juices, you do not have to let the roast rest before slicing it. Third, your oven is freed up for other things for that big holiday dinner.
There are other sous vide recipes for prime rib, but this is mine. My family devoured this roast last Christmas and it was like we were eating at a 5-star restaurant. Truly.
That sounds like an amazing method!! What tools/equipment do you use to cook the roast in a bath? I’ve never prepared meats that way but I would love to learn! 🙂
Based on what I’m reading so far on your blog, I think you might like this method. It’s sooooooo easy and the results are fantastic. To learn how to do it, there are lots of youtube videos – search sous vide. Here’s the equipment you need:
1. The heating element. I use Anova Precision Cooker (anovaculinary.com). You can google it. I looked at it on Amazon, waited two weeks, got a $50 off coupon and then bought through Amazon. Anova runs frequent $50 off coupons too, but with your blog, you might be able to get the coupon anytime. Their site also has a bunch of recipes.
Instead of a heating element, you can get a sous vide oven. These run into the hundreds of dollars, and after doing a lot of research, I decided this was not for me. It wasn’t just the cost, it was the storage issue as well. If you get the oven, you can skip #3 and possibly #4 below.
2. A vacuum sealer. I use FoodSaver V4440, which I picked up at Costco. I’d had one previously, but it was 10-15 years old and I wanted a more fancy one.
If you don’t want to purchase a vacuum sealer, you can use ziploc bags and use the air displacement method to remove air: place the food in the bag, place the bag in the water bath and the water will displace (push) the air out of the bag. I tried this method too and prefer using a vacuum sealer. It makes more sense for larger cuts of meat, like a roast, tri tip or ribs.
3. Some kind of vessel for the water bath. It has to be deep enough to submerge the food and be able to attach the heating element to. At first I used a large stock pot, but the problem with that is if you cook something for more than a couple of hours, you need to insulate the pot and cover the top to reduce evaporation. I wrapped towels around the pot and used plastic wrap on the top and a towel on top of that. That became cumbersome fast. I ended up buying a Coleman 16 Quart Excursion Cooler and had my husband cut out a round notch in the front corner of the lid to fit the heating element. It works perfectly – I’ve cooked 72 hour pork baby back ribs and had little to no evaporation losses. The other thing about having the cooler is I can fit more items into it.
4. This is optional but I recommend it: Sous Vide Supreme Universal Pouch Rack (http://www.sousvidesupreme.com/Shop/Accessories/EN-US/SousVide_Supreme_Universal_Pouch_Rack-37/Product.aspx). It fits perfectly in the cooler and helps keep the food separated from each other to allow better water circulation. It also helps keep food submerged if you place the food pouches in and turn it on its side.
Here’s why I love the sous vide method of cooking:
a. It’s so flipping easy and the results are simply scrumptious. Big bang for the effort!
b. I can freeze the food vacuumed sealed either before or after cooking for cooking in bulk. Right now I have two frozen raw tri tips ready to go (btw, this makes excellent lunch meat) – I just have to plop them into a water bath for 24 hours. I also have at least one pouch left of already cooked baby back ribs. I just need to defrost, reheat (either in the microwave or the water bath at the temp I cooked it at) and complete the final step (broil or bbq with bbq sauce) if I want to.
c. You can purchase less expensive meat or on sale and get great results because you’re cooking it longer at a lower temperature so all the connective tissue has time to break down. Plus you’re cooking it in its own juices.
d. You cook food at the final temperature you want it at and the whole piece of meat is at that temperature, not just the center which leaves the outer part overcooked. No no need to let the meat rest before slicing.
You can cook veggies sous vide, but I didn’t find them to be amazing. It’s said that cooking eggs this way is the way to go, but I haven’t tried it yet. There are other things that can be cooked sous vide, but I mostly do just meats.
I hope you’re able to give this a try – I think you’ll like it. It’s what some restaurants do to get that $35+ plate made :-). Let me know if you have any other questions! Feel free to email me privately as well. Hopefully you can see my email when I submit my comment.
Thank you so much for sharing all of that wonderful information with me!! I already have a foodsaver which makes it even easier :). Thanks again! 🙂
How many people does the 7-lb. prime rib recipe serve…? Also, I’m wondering what Marina N might have meant by “marinating” this ahead of time…could she perhaps have meant just putting the dry rub (and olive oil) on two days early? Isn’t a marinade usually wet?
It sounds like she was probably referring to the dry rub as the “marinade.” I usually include the serving size in the print friendly recipe toward the bottom of the post. Each rib yields 2 servings (3 ribs = 6 servings)
I make Philly Cheesesteak sadwiches by sautéing peppers and onion in butter, then adding smaller slices of roast beef, tossing to warm, and melting cheese (provolone) on top, and stuffing rolls grilled with butter. My husband likes to spread the roll with jarred Old English Cheese.
Mary, thank you for sharing. It sounds mouthwatering 😁.
Hey Natasha!
This Prime Rib recipe seems to be delicious! would you be able to translate this in Russian for my mom? 🙂 she doesn’t understand the recipe in English. I would translate it myself if I could, but I’m only fluent in Moldovian, lol
Thanks a lot!
Irina, I would recommend highlighting and copying the recipe instructions from the print friendly section and pasting them in Google Translate. It will translate the recipe for you. Many browsers allow you to right-click on the content and choose “translate in to English”. Once you click that, It will give you option to choose Russian and will translate entire page. Hope this helps.
Hey, do you have any suggestions for rib roast leftovers? I have about 2.5 lbs of this stuff left sitting in the fridge, and would hate for it to go to waste. Thanks
Hmm… great question! You might use it for something like french dip sandwiches instead of pastrami. Ideally, the meat should be sliced pretty thinly though. You could also use it to make steak tacos.
Thanks, I made the Slow Cooker Stroganoff you posted earlier with it. Will definitely try the steak tacos next time, that sounds great!
I hope you love the steak tacos! 🙂 Thank you so much!
HI Natasha, Love this recipe! A couple of years ago I did this with a large Bison Standing Rib roast and then made Guisada with the leftovers. It was awesome! Thanks so much for all your wonderful ideas and recipes.
I had to look up guisada – so it’s like a ragout, yes? Sounds delicious and I love that idea for using up leftovers!
Had Natasha, Yes the ragout is exactly like carne Guisada. I had been searching out recipes for many years because I love it so much. I finally asked a friend what Guisada meant, Lupe said “meat stew”. Sounds like ragout to me! Blessings for your family in this New Year
Thanks Tom! 🙂
How long should I bake the meat if I want it to be “well done”?
Hi Tanya, 5. The bake time will vary based on the size of the roast, but the best way to ensure it’s well done is with a meat thermometer. It is well done when it reaches 160˚F. It might be a little tough to chew at that point though, but that’s how well done meat usually is :). Let me know how you like it!
Hi Natasha! Isn’t prime rib wonderful? So easy to prepare, and such a delicious roast. Glad you found my instructions so helpful. Merry Christmas!
Oh Elise!! I’m honored to have you stop by my corner of the web. Thank you again and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!! 🙂
Hi Natasha, could i marinade this like couple days before?
I think that would be fine. I imagine it would taste even better 🙂
How long should I bake it to make it “well done”? Thanks
The bake time will vary based on the size of the roast, but the best way to ensure it’s well done is with a meat thermometer. It is well done when it reaches 160˚F. It might be a little tough to chew at that point though, but that’s how well done meat usually is :). Let me know how it goes! Have a Merry Christmas!
Looks lovely, Natasha!! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas 🙂
Thank you so much Natasha 🙂
We always have prime rib at my mom’s house and I’ve tried to make it myself, but it is such an expensive bit of meat and I spend so much ~ and it’s um, beyond well done every time! I will be trying yours and Elise’s method (love her blog too) and see if I can do better this year! Seriously, my in the past has been so well done that you nearly break your teeth on it!
Hi Laura! I agree it is a spendy piece of meat! We usually just serve it for special occasions. Do you use a thermometer? It makes a huge difference and I find that I’m not stressed out guessing if it’s done or not.
Umm…the sexiest photo of a prime rib if I ever saw one! I already have dinner plans for Christmas but Boxing day is wide open. Prime rib is definitely happening here. 🙂
Awww thanks Julia! That means alot coming form you. Your meat dishes photography always make me hungr! 🙂
I just showed the photos to Brad and he said he wanted to shave off all the outside bits and eat them. We are definitely making it, it looks ridiculously good!
That’s awesome!! 🙂
I need a ‘plus one’ button. That first photo was the best picture I’ve seen of a prime rib.
Awww you’re so sweet. Thank you. That is a huge compliment! 🙂
This prime rib looks divine! I love your tutorial photos too, very helpful. Definitely makes me feel like I can attempt this! 🙂
Thank you so much for the awesome feedback! It means so much to me :). Have a wonderful Christmas Roxana! 🙂