Perfect Prime Rib Roast

Prime Rib Roast is a favorite for holiday dinners. If you want to know how to cook a the most mouthwatering tender roast with a flavorful fresh herb crust and divine rich wine sauce, everything you need to know to get perfect results every time is below. This recipe works for any size roast; boneless or bone-in.

Why this recipe works:

If you’re looking for the best prime rib recipe, look no further.

• Best Christmas Dinner: Prime rib roast is an excellent cut of beef to enjoy for a special or holiday dinner. Why? Because you can buy various sizes of the roast that will feed anywhere from 4-20 people. Plus, by the nature of how prime rib cooks, you will end up with servings that range anywhere from rare or medium rare all the way to well done.
• You won’t stress about the cost: Prime rib is an expensive cut of meat for good reason. The incredibly tender cut is marbled with fat in all the right places to yield the most delicious beef roast you’ll ever enjoy. That being said, it can be rather intimidating to spend that much money on a roast if you’ve never cooked one before. Never fear; I will walk you through everything you need to know to achieve perfect results.

This recipe has always been my favorite because it is actually incredibly simple. You’ll find that the roast turns out flavorful and moist because of the cooking method and the herb crust. The rich red wine sauce is the perfect accompaniment.

This recipe has been viewed well over 2 million times and continues to be everyone’s favorite holiday recipe.

How to cook prime rib in the oven:

Full instructions are located in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

Step 1: Prepare the roast:

Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan with the fat cap facing up. Add beef broth and red wine to the pan.

Meanwhile, create a mixture of olive oil, fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Spread all of the herb mixture over the top of the roast. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the roast.

Step 2: Roast in oven:

Cook the prime rib in a 450°F oven for about 20 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue cooking until the desired internal temperature is met.

Remove the roast from the pan and loosely tent with aluminum foil to keep it warm while it rests. Finally, you’ll add more wine to the drippings in the pan and reduce the sauce over heat to serve alongside the roast.

FAQs:

What is prime rib?

A standing prime rib roast is an expensive cut of meat from a steer consisting of beef ribs and the ribeye section. It is referred to as a standing rib roast because the roast stands on the bones, creating an insulating layer of protection.

Prime rib roast can be purchased as boneless or bone-in. The bones do not add to the flavor like they would if they were braised in liquid, however they do insulate the meat and are also quite delicious.

How much prime rib per person:

A prime rib roast can contain anywhere from 2-7 bones. Alternatively, they often range in size from 4-pounds all the way up to 20-pounds. To determine the size, plan on at least 1-pound per serving.

How long to cook prime rib:

This recipe uses a very high heat to first sear the roast, creating a flavorful crust, and then continues to use a relatively high heat to continue cooking the roast.

For that reason, this recipe does not take that long to cook, but completely depends on a number of factors: size of roast, starting temperature of meat, consistency of oven, final temperature of meat (rare, medium rare, etc.).

Using this recipe, a 5-pound roast will only take about 2 hours to roast, plus rest time. For larger roasts, estimate an additional 10 minutes per pound.

Cooking tips for perfect results:

• For more even cooking, allow meat to sit at room temperature for at least an hour prior to cooking. If the prime rib is taken directly from the refrigerator to the oven, the ends will be cooked much more than the middle.
• Keep a close eye on the internal temperature as it approaches your desired temperature. The rate at which the temperature increases will accelerate the closer the roast is to being cooked.
• Any kind of dry red wine will work. I will typically use a Pinot Noir.
• When you cook large roast in a roasting pan, you have to ensure you get the roast the the exact desired temperature and you have to let it properly rest if you want a perfectly cooked, tender, juicy roast.
• A 4-5 pound roast should take approximately two hours to cook. There are many factors impacting total cook time including the size and starting temperature of the roast, the accuracy of your oven temperature, and how consistently your oven cooks.
• Slicing the roast is easiest with an electric knife.

Prime Rib temperature:

• Plan to remove your prime rib roast from the oven when it is at 10 degrees below your desired final temperature.
• The final prime rib temperature for rare meat is 120-125°F, medium rare is 130-135°F, and well done is 140-145°F
• When you cook for a crowd, the best rule of thumb is to remove your prime rib roast from the oven when it hits 120°F and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes while loosely tented with foil.
• If you target medium rare, you’ll most likely please everyone’s preferences for how they like their prime rib roast cooked.

Side dish recipe recommendations:

A feast like a perfectly cooked prime rib roast deserves side dishes that are equally amazing. Here are a few recommendations that are perfect.

• Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or Gorgonzola Celery Root Mashed Potatoes for your starch
• Wilted Garlic Spinach or Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus as a dark green vegetable
• Homemade Dinner Rolls or Cornmeal Yeast Rolls with butter are also heavenly!

Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think!

This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated with process photos, helpful information, and cooking tips. Don’t worry – I didn’t change the recipe!