Prime Rib Recipe - How to Buy and Cook It Perfectly Every Time (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to buy prime rib? ›

Choose a rib roast that has a bright color with milky white fat. Avoid dull-colored meat and yellow fat. Also, look for even fat distribution and a good layer of fat around the ends. This isn't the time to look for the leaner cuts.

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.

The length of time to cook prime rib depends on how rare you want the meat. 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.

In the end, the thicker crust that we got from the final sear was not worth the vast swaths of rosy pink meat that were lost. We recommend a low, slow cook preceded by a good sear. Whatever crust you may get from the final sear is just not worth the risk to the rest of this exquisite cut of meat.

For best results, salt your prime rib on all surfaces with kosher salt at least 45 minutes before you start cooking it, and preferably the day before, leaving it in the fridge uncovered overnight. Initially, the salt will draw out some moisture and end up dissolving in it.

How to Season Prime Rib. A roast is a large cut of meat: it needs more seasoning than you might expect. Season it generously with kosher salt the day before roasting it and let it sit in the fridge uncovered overnight. When you take it out of the fridge before roasting, add pepper and any additional herbs.

How many days before cooking can you buy the roast? Up to seven days as long as your fridge is 45 degrees or less. Fine steak houses "age" their beef by leaving it in their walk-in refrigerators for longer than that. Make sure it is covered well so it does not absorb other food smells.

When you're shopping for prime rib, ask for a standing rib roast. That's the name you'll see at the butcher counter. The standing rib roast unsurprisingly comes from the rib section of the cow.

This is one of the most expensive cuts of beef, especially if you seek out a higher USDA grade cut of meat. Make sure you're getting the tender and evenly cooked results you want by using a slow and low roasting method that requires only your home oven and a few pieces of kitchen equipment.

Overcooking the Prime Rib

That's why prime rib is so expensive: it's a huge piece of extremely good beef. Therefore, it's important not to cook it beyond medium-rare. Going past that temperature means the roast will no longer be tender.

What cut of meat do restaurants use for prime rib? ›

Prime rib is also known as a standing rib roast. The roast comes from the same part of the animal that the ribeye does: the primal rib section. If you are at a restaurant and ask for the prime rib you will get a slice of meat from the cooked roast most likely.

Leaving prime rib roast uncovered while roasting allows the meat to develop a nice brown crust. You should only cover the roast with aluminum foil if it is becoming too brown.

How to Shop for Prime Rib. A whole seven-rib roast can weigh between 14 and 22 pounds, so butchers often divide the roast into two smaller roasts called the first cut and the second cut. Whichever cut you buy, count on 1 pound per person.

Brown the roast at 500°F (or as high as your oven will go) for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 325°F to finish roasting: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Roast in the oven until the thermometer registers 115°F for rare or 120° for medium rare, and 130°F for medium.

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.

Cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the prime rib registers 130 degrees F for medium rare, 35 to 45 minutes of cooking time per pound. An 8-pound roast will take about 5 1/2 to 6 hours.

For a bone-in prime rib, figure two servings per rib, while a boneless roast will yield two servings per pound. When trying to figure out how much time you need to roast your prime rib, use this simple calculation: weight of the prime rib (in pounds) x 5 = total roasting time in minutes.