The Perfect Prime Rib Recipe (2024)

A holiday meal to remember! Your guests will go crazy for this prime rib roast smothered in herbed bacon butter! It’s truly the perfect prime rib recipe!

The Perfect Prime Rib Recipe (1)

  • Save

Lets talk traditions…

When it comes to Christmas traditions, one that my family looks forward to is the Christmas Day prime rib roast. I grew up having ham on Christmas, but my husband was never a fan so shortly after we got married we changed our menu to prime rib and have never looked back! 🙂 It’s definitely an expensive treat, but it’s a once a year splurge that makes our holiday complete.

Save

So today I’m going to share with you just how easy it is to make this delicious holiday meal! It may seem intimidating but it could not be simpler, and I’m going to share with you my tips, tricks and techniques so you can get it just right! Just pretend I’m right there with ya holding your hand.

You’ve got this! 🙂

{Scroll down for the printable recipe}

First thing you want to do is to let your meat come to room temperature before doing anything else!

This is SUPER IMPORTANT!

Depending on the size and environmental temperature outside this can take anywhere from 30 minutes up to a few hours if it’s chilly in your house.

Pre-heat your oven to 450 now.

Save

Secondly, Notice the string?

Bakers twine is holding the bone rack to my roast. I have the butcher only half way remove it so I still get the delicious moistness and flavor that the bones provide, but it will be easier to cut the roast away from the bones and slice to serve later on.

Similar to when I’m making turkey, the next step is to take a wad of paper towels and the beef dry. On the turkey that ensures a nice crispy skin, but on the beef it’s helping our herbed bacon butter stick and create a delicious crumbly crust for that melt in your mouth beef.

Butter…More Butter…

Thirdly, and possibly the next most important is making our aromatic herbed bacon butter. So get out a small bowl, add everything in it, and give it a good mix together with a fork

Then using your best kitchen tools (clean hands) rub that buttery goodness all over your beef.

Sounds kind of dirty? Well, it is. 🙂

We’re almost at the homestretch!

Still with me?!

Put your prime rib roast into the oven.

450 degrees for 20-25 minutes, then lower the temp to 250 and cook for an additional 1.5-2 hours.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, now is the time to invest in one. I personally use and love THIS ONE

The Perfect Prime Rib Recipe (5)

  • Save

(affiliate link).

The Perfect Prime Rib Recipe (6)

  • Save

120F is rare and 145+F is well done, so you’ll want thereading to be somewhere in that area when inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the roast.

Save

Remove the roast from the dish and put it on a large cutting board to rest for 20-30 minutes. Tent it with tinfoil to keep it hot.

Make your Au Jus while the meat is resting.

After the meat has rested, cut and remove the string and cut the bones away from the meat. You can now slice the roast easily and effortlessly for your guests.

Print

The Perfect Prime Rib Recipe (8)

  • Save

Bacon Butter Prime Rib

★★★★★4.5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Christine
Print Recipe

Description

A holiday meal to remember! Your guests will go crazy for this prime rib roast smothered in herbed bacon butter! It’s truly the perfect prime rib recipe!

Ingredients

Scale

  • PRIME RIB ROAST:
  • 6lb beef rib roast (partially boned and tied by butcher)
  • 6 tablespoons room temp. unsalted butter
  • 23 tablespoons coagulated bacon grease*
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons dried Herbs de Provence
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
  • * I always make bacon on Christmas morning and save the grease for the rib roast. If you don’t have it on hand then just use another tablespoon of butter in its place.

Au Jus

  • 2 1/2 cups beef broth (low sodium preferably)
  • 23 whole peeled garlic cloves
  • a few sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 teaspoons Worcheshire sauce

Instructions

PRIME RIB:

  1. Preheat oven to 450
  2. Make herbed bacon butter
  3. Pat beef dry with paper towels and put in roasting pan
  4. Smear butter all over beef
  5. Before placing the beef in the oven add about 1 1/2 cups of broth to the bottom of the baking dish, and add in a few whole garlic cloves and rosemary twigs. This is going to be our base for our Au Jus later on.
  6. Put roast into 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking until desired doneness. about 1.5 hours for medium rare.

MAKE YOUR AU JUS WHILE THE MEAT IS RESTING.

AU JUS:

  1. Put your baking dish over your stovetop burners and set them to medium low.
  2. Carefully remove the rosemary and garlic cloves
  3. Wisk in the Worcestershire and wine, scraping up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add in the remaining 1 cup of broth, reduce your heat slightly to a simmer for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot.

{OPTIONAL} HORSERADISH CREAM SAUCE TO SERVE ON SIDE:

  • 16 oz. sour cream
  • 3-4 tablespoonsWorcestershire sauce
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1/4 prepared horseradish
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Combine all ingredients into mixing bowl, and mix well. Taste and adjust if needed.
  2. Keep chilled until ready to serve with prime rib.

Notes

*Rare: 120-125°F

Red interior which may fade to pink at the outermost edges

Medium Rare: 130-135°F

Pink with a deeper, nearly red center

Medium: 135-140°F

Mauve, uniformly colored interior

Well-done: 145°F+

Brown, no pink

**120F is rare and 145+F is well done, so you’ll want the reading to be somewhere in that area when inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. I personally remove the roast from the oven right around 130F since it will continue to cook while resting, this way I’m right on the money at 135-140 each time.

Keywords: prime rib cook time, prime rib, prime rib roast, standing rib roast, rib roast, cooking prime rib, prime rib rub, how to cook prime rib, rib of beef, prime rib steak, beef rib roast, Christmas roast, prime rib cooking time

I encourage you to try this recipe any time of year! New Years, Valentines Day, a birthday, Easter….Prime rib is the perfect meal for any special occasion and now that you know how to prepare it easily, it can be the next shining star on your holiday table. Just don’t forget to PIN IT! So you can come back to it later!

Need a side dish to pair this with? Here’s some of my favorites…

  • Bacon Mushroom Green Beans
  • Garlic Chive Smashed Potatoes
  • White Cheddar Cranberry Macaroni and Cheese
  • Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
  • Heavenly Holiday Hash Browns

Yum!

I hope you loved this super special, yet still easy, and crazy delicious recipe!

Talk to you soon friends, take care!

XO

Comments

comments

The Perfect Prime Rib Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do restaurants make prime rib so tender? ›

How do restaurants make prime rib so tender? The secret to restaurant-style prime rib is cooking the meat super slow at low temperatures. I recommend cooking prime rib at no higher than 200 degrees F. This cooks the meat very slowly, turning the fat into butter and rendering the proteins juicy and soft.

How many hours does it take to cook a prime rib? ›

Heat the oven to 250°F with the rack in the lower middle position. Cook for 4 to 5 hours or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the roast is 125-130°F for medium-rare prime rib, or 135-140°F for medium. Take out the roast and tent it with foil.

What is the most important thing to do before roasting a prime rib roast? ›

Remove the beef roast from the refrigerator 3 hours before you start to cook it. Sprinkle it with salt all over and let it sit, loosely wrapped in butcher paper. Roasts should be brought close to room temperature before they go into the oven to ensure more even cooking.

Should I sear prime rib before roasting? ›

Searing is an important part of roasting a prime rib. Searing the roast first will kill the surface bacteria, which is a nice touch, especially when you are roasting at lower temperatures.

Should you salt prime rib the night before? ›

Salt the Prime Rib Overnight

First and foremost, overnight salting is the most important step for prime rib. Others may try to fool you into thinking it's the resting stage, which is up there for sure, but it's not number 1. Rub a good quality kosher salt all over the meat the day before you want to cook it.

Do you cook prime rib covered or uncovered? ›

Do you cover prime rib roast when cooking? You can cover rib roast when cooking after searing it to help it retain some of its moisture, but it's not necessary. For the best results, leave the roast uncovered until you remove it from the oven or grill and place it at room temperature for resting.

Is it better to cook prime rib at 325 or 350? ›

Cook Time and Temperature:

Start by cooking your prime rib at 500°F for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 325° F and cook for 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, or 14-15 min per pound for medium well. A meat thermometer is essential to ensure you cook it perfectly!

Is it better to cook prime rib slow or fast? ›

The Benefits of Slow Roasting

First, slow roasting produces a Prime Rib that is tender, juicy, and has evenly cooked meat.

Should you oil prime rib before cooking? ›

Prime rib roast doesn't need a marinade or any complicated preparations, since the meat speaks for itself. Drizzle olive oil on the roast. Spread it around the roast with your hands. Next, liberally rub kosher salt and plenty of fresh-ground pepper on the meat.

Should you pre season a prime rib? ›

How to Cook Prime Rib, Temperatures & Cook Time
  1. Between 24 and 48 hours before cooking, season the prime rib roast with salt and place it uncovered in your refrigerator.
  2. Cook the prime rib low and slow at 250°F until the internal temperature reaches 120°F, about 3 hours, depending on its size.

Should I put water in the bottom of my prime rib roast? ›

Place the roast fat side up in a shallow baking pan; then add some basting liquid to the bottom of the pan. I like to use red wine on the bottom of my pan to give the juices even more of a robust flavor, but water or beef stock will work just as well.

What gives prime rib its flavor? ›

Fresh Herbs: In addition to fresh garlic, fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme really give this prime rib its perfect flavor. Onion Powder: A dash of onion powder is simple, easy, and really kicks this prime rib up a notch.

What is the rule for prime rib? ›

The rule of thumb for buying prime rib is to buy one pound per person. A bone-in standing rib roast will feed about 2 people per bone. Also, be sure to consider how many side dishes you plan to serve. If you are preparing a large holiday meal with plenty of other food you could plan on ½ – ¾ pound prime rib per person.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Velia Krajcik

Last Updated:

Views: 6459

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (54 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Velia Krajcik

Birthday: 1996-07-27

Address: 520 Balistreri Mount, South Armand, OR 60528

Phone: +466880739437

Job: Future Retail Associate

Hobby: Polo, Scouting, Worldbuilding, Cosplaying, Photography, Rowing, Nordic skating

Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.