Prime Rib is an expensive cut of beef, so the last thing you want is a recipe fail. This method of roasting prime rib yields a moist slice of beef, with a crunchy and flavorful garlic-herb crust.

Prime Rib is a traditional Christmas or New Year’s Day meal. For me, it’s a cut of beef I gladly indulge in any time of year. I’ve seen countless photos of really rare, red prime rib that isn’t my preference. Kudos to those who love really rare beef. As for me, I’ll take pink. No matter what your preference is, I’ll show you how to make this prime rib that is tender, juicy, with a crusty and perfectly seasoned crust. Let’s get started!

In a previous post, I followed Americas Test Kitchen’s way of removing the bone, and the tying it all back together. Why do this? When it comes time to carve the meat, you don’t have to fiddle around removing the bone while it’s hot. You can skip this step, if you’re rather gnaw around the bone on your plate, Cave Man Style!

Prime cut is the best and most expensive cut of beef, with more even marbling. In this case, I got a good deal on lesser choice cut, without as much marbling. With today’s price that was less than $7.00 a pound as a holiday special. I’ll take it! My butcher was super busy, so I didn’t ask him to remove the bone and tie the roast back together again. I have a boning knife that I use often. It wasn’t too difficult to cut along the bone. Once that was accomplished, the roast was tied back together with kitchen twine. Last, plenty of kosher salt was rubbed over the entire cut of beef.

For my first time, I “dry aged” the meat 36 hours in advance. Why?! The dry aging process slowly evaporates the moisture in the beef, drawing it out as well as redistributing it. It also causes the natural enzymes to break down in the beef. Both of these processes are how the flavor and tenderness are achieved.

Spoiler alert: Dry aging is completely optional, but it was worth it. The beef was moist and tender, not over salty and I’d do it again!

It’s time to roast the prime rib! To calculate how long to roast, factor in 10-15 minutes per pound. Add to that 2-3 hours to bring the meat to room temperature. This ensures that the meat will cook evenly.

For the herb butter, cut fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Year ago, I purchased this herb stripper, that makes quick work of removing the small leaves. To softened butter, add the herbs and LOTS of fresh garlic.

Season with pepper and give it a good mix.

Once the meat has come to room temperature, slather the butter compound all over the roast.

That looks like a LOT of butter, but trust me, it’s going to make the most delicious crust! Place the prime rib on a roasting rack and pan into a preheated 500F oven. I’ve tossed in an onion, to add flavor to a simple Au Jus sauce. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325F for the remaining time.

IMPORTANT: A meat thermometer, with an oven probe is ideal to monitor the progress of the meat. I couldn’t find mine, so I had to rely on a digital thermometer. That can be frustrating, because I had to monitor the internal temperature manually. Before you know it, the meat can be overcooked, as is what happened to me. One moment is was 117F and then the next it was 130F! Remember, the meat will continue to rise in temperature once it rests.

Look at that crust! Carefully cut and remove the kitchen twine and slice the prime rib. Sadly, I didn’t capture a good shot the entire cooked beef. It was getting late, and I was cooking and photographing in real time. We were hungry!

Once the roast is removed, the drippings are poured into a fat separator. Year ago, I stopped buying disposable roasting pans and invested in a solid stainless steel pan. All I have to do is set the pan over two of my burners, pour in some quality beef broth and scrape off any stuck bits and pieces with a spatula. Add the separated drippings back in, stir, taste and season. Pour the Au Jus through a fine mesh strainer to remove any tidbits. That’s it!

TASTING NOTES: For a lesser expensive cut of prime rib, this was surprisingly tender and perfectly seasoned. The beef wasn’t over salty one bit. The crusty edge was so tasty, with just the perfect balance of garlic. Even though I made an Au Jus sauce, we didn’t use it. For our 5 pound cut of beef, we got two generous slices. The rest is destined for sandwiches. Dry aging is the way to go, and that’s the way I’ll do it from now on.

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Fool-Proof Prime Rib with a Garlic Herb Crust

Prime Rib is an expensive cut of beef, so the last thing you want is a recipe fail. This method of roasting prime rib yields a moist slice of beef, with a crunchy and flavorful garlic-herb crust.

Prep Time3

Cook Time1 45

Ideal Dry Age in the Refrigerator1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Perfect Prime Rib

Servings: servings

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

1 roasting pan with rack
meat thermometer Best insurance to not over or under cook the beef
Fat separator if making an Au Jus

Ingredients

PRIME RIB:
5 pounds prime rib bone-in (with bones cut off and tied back on)
½ cup butter softened
6 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 onion quartered (if making au jus)
AU JUS OPTIONAL:
¼ cup drippings from prime rib pan make sure to separate the fat from the drippings
2 cups beef broth
Optional: 1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour in a slurry to thicken

Instructions

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

If possible, ask your butcher to cut out the bones. Place the beef back on the bone, and tie together with string. To do this yourself, a boning (or very sharp knife) makes this easier. Slice off the bones, by inserting the knife and sliding it along. Tie it all back together with kitchen twine.

Dry Aging the beef (optional but makes the beef more tender and flavorful):

Rub two tablespoons of kosher salt (not table salt) all over the meat. Place, uncovered, on a rack with a baking sheet underneath. Place into the refrigerator. This can be done 1-3 days in advance.

FOR THE PRIME RIB:

Remove the prime rib from the fridge 2 to 3 hours before cooking, and allow it to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 500°F (230°C).
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, salt, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper.
Once the prime rib has come to room temperature, pat it down with paper towels to make sure it's dry. Rub the entire outside of the prime rib with the herb butter mixture.
Place the prime rib in an oven-safe pan or roasting tray with the bone-side down, fat-side up. Insert a meat thermometer with a probe (optional).
Place the onion slices in the pan around the meat, if you're making the au jus. If not, you can omit the onions.
Roast the prime rib in the center of the oven for 15 minutes at 500F (260F) for 15 minutes. It should get a nice sear on the outside.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 325°F (160°C) and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F , which takes about an hour and a half, for medium-rare.
Always go by temperature, and not time, as it will depend on the size of your prime rib and your oven. Once the meat is removed from the oven, the temperature can increase between 5-8℉.
Remove the prime rib from the oven and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. You can tent it with aluminum foil to keep it warm.
Then, remove the string and bones, and slice into thick ½-inch thick slices.

AU JUS (Optional):

After you’ve removed the fat from the pan, add up to ¼ cup of drippings back in along with the beef broth and red wine. If you have leftover herbs, you can toss those in as well.
Simmer this for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half. It’s meant to be a thin sauce, but if you’d like to add a little bit of a thickener, you can do that as well. Strain the au jus to remove the onion and any browned bits, then drizzle over the prime rib.
Once the roast and onion (if using) is removed from the pan, pour the drippings into a fat skimmer (or a glass measuring cup).
Place the roasting pan over one or two burners (I have a gas burner stove), and turn on medium-high heat.
Add about 1 cup of the beef broth, scraping the bits and pieces left on the bottom of the roasting rack.
Add additional broth, only if the broth doesn't taste thin. You can always add more later. Add the drippings from the fat separator (likewise, skip the at off the drippings, if you don't have a skimmer.) Taste for seasoning, and add salt or pepper to taste.
If you prefer more of a gravy, than an Au Jus, make a slurry of either cornstarch and flour. Thin it with either water or milk, whisking until silky. Slowly add the slurry, constantly whisking until the desired thickness is reached.