How to Cook the Perfect Prime Rib: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you want a perfect piece of meat for a large group of people, you should try to roast prime rib. This beef cut is tender, juicy, and relatively easy to prepare. With the perfect rub and a well-functioning grill, your success will be guaranteed.

The prime rib is a well-marbled cut of beef with a wonderful texture. The loose layer of fat makes it the perfect slow roast. If you want your prime rib to be at its best, then choose a slow method of cooking.

Wanna learn how to roast prime rib? Keep reading!

Seasoning your Prime Rib

Season your prime rib one hour before you start cooking. If you have the time, then the day before is even better. Make sure you keep it in a cool place, like your refrigerator, overnight. The salt will draw out some of the moisture and end up dissolving in it. With time, this salty liquid will dissolve some meat proteins, loosening its structure, and allowing the juices to be re-absorbed into the meat. Your meat then ends up better seasoned with less salty run-off.

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Rub for your Prime Rib

1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and even. Spread evenly over the surface of the prime rib roast.

Roasting your Prime Rib

Place your prime rib on a rack in a large tray. If you don’t have one, then place your meat on the grill and place a dripping tray under it. Cook your prime rib at a low temperature. If your oven is too hot, the meat will be overcooked on the outside by the time the middle is a perfect medium rare. Always roast big pieces of meat at a low temperature. In this recipe, the oven is set at 250F

The Prime Rib after two hours

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Add some hickory wood chips that you have soaked in water over night to the side of your grill.

Timing is the hard part. It depends on your oven, the number of times that others open it to peek into it, (something you should really not allow), the amount of fat in the meat and so on. Therefore, you must always use a food thermometer. That is the only way to guarantee perfectly cooked meat.
115 to 125°F  medium rare (125 to 130°F after resting)
125 to 130°F  medium (135 to 140°F after resting)
Don’t forget that a roasts internal temperature will continue to rise by 5 to 10°F as it rests so pull your roast out in time!

This one was ready after three and a half hours

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Resting your Prime Rib

Like all meat, resting is a way to improve juiciness and texture. As the meat cooks, the temperature within the muscle tissue causes an imbalance in the distribution of juices within. Slicing a hot roast open directly out of the oven will result in juices spilling out all over the cutting board from areas in which the juice concentrations are too high. Properly rested meat will retain all this juice as it is sliced.

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Will Frost

Will Frost

When Will is not behind the grill at one of his two Texas Steakhouses, He can be found exploring new recipes, researching the latest grilling gadgets, or sharing his culinary adventures on social media. Join Will Frost on CookAsteak.com as he embarks on a flavorful journey, unlocking the secrets to mastering outdoor cooking and creating unforgettable meals that bring people together.


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