Prime rib is as impressive as it is delicious. You will certainly impress your friends and family with your culinary skills this holiday season by serving a perfectly cooked prime rib with all your favorite sides.
My no-fail, best prime rib recipe with an addictive garlic and herb crust will give you tender, rich, flavorful beef every single time. Plus, it makes tasty leftovers! One simple secret to never overcooking a prime rib roast? Use an instant-read thermometer! It is truly the most effective way to check the meat’s internal temperature. For more holiday recipes, try my spatchcock turkey, honey glazed ham, and roasted duck.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Prime rib roast — to serve 10 people, you’ll need an 8- to 10-pound bone-in roast. Keep reading if you want to calculate a different size roast for a larger or smaller gathering.
Olive oil — olive oil is the base for the garlic and herb mixture that you’ll spread all over the roast.
Fresh herbs — minced fresh rosemary and thyme form a very flavorful crust on the meat.
Salt — fine salt is essential to infuse the meat with flavor.
Black pepper — freshly ground black pepper is a must for flavor and extra texture on the crust.
Garlic — a generous 10 cloves of garlic (about 2 tablespoons worth) goes onto the meat.
What Size Prime Rib Roast Do I Need?
A good way to decide on the size of prime rib roast you need is to account for ¾ to 1 pound per person (for a bone-in roast). So, if you are hosting 10 people, you need an 8- to 10-pound roast. This is a generous portion per person, especially if you are serving several sides, so you will likely have delicious leftovers!
Should I Use Bone-In Or Boneless Prime Rib?
While you can use either a bone-in or boneless prime rib for this recipe, I prefer a bone-in prime rib roast because the meat turns out incredibly flavorful when roasted.
In this recipe, I detail how to cut the bones off yourself. However, for ease, you can ask your butcher to cut the ribs off of the roast and tie them back on for you. (Many grocery stores already package prime rib this way!)
How To Cook Prime Rib
1. With a sharp knife, cut the bones off of the roast by running the knife down the bones between the rib rack and the thick roast. This is the easiest way to remove the bones and will keep the ribs all in one piece. Remove the rack of ribs from the roast and set it aside. Cover the roast loosely with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 3 hours so it does not go into the oven cold.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, black pepper, and garlic. Pat the beef roast dry with paper towels.
3. Rub the garlic and herb oil mixture all over the meat.
4. Replace the ribs back on the bottom side of the roast. Use butcher’s twine to tie them tightly in place in 1-inch intervals.
5. Place the roast rib-side down in a large cast-iron skillet or on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Cook at 500°F for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to a lower temperature of 325°F and continue cooking for about 2 hours until an instant-read thermometer measures 120°F to 125°F for medium-rare. The roast will continue to rise in temperature 5 to 10°F while it rests for a finished temp of around 130°F.
6. Move the roast to a cutting board and tent it with foil. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, cut the butcher’s twine and remove the ribs. Slice the roast to your preferred thickness and serve.
Cooking Times And Temperature Guide
The best, most accurate way to check a prime rib’s doneness is by using an instant-read thermometer. These inexpensive tools are a surefire way to get the perfectly cooked roast every time!
- Medium-rare: Cook to 120°F to 125°F, about 12-13 minutes per pound (130°F to 135°F after resting)
- Medium: Cook to 125°F to 130°F, about 13-14 minutes per pound (135°F to 140°F after resting)
- Medium-well: Cook to 130°F to 135°F, 14-15 minutes per pound (140°F to 145°F after resting)
After roasting, the internal temperature of the roast will rise 5 to 10 degrees while resting. Remove the roast from the oven when it reaches no more than 5 degrees before your desired end temperature. (So, if you want a medium-rare roast, take it out of the oven when it reaches 125°F at the highest.)
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can also estimate the cooking time using the guide below. Keep in mind that these are the approximate roasting times after searing the meat at 500°F for 15 minutes.
Why Do You Cut Off And Tie The Bones Back On?
The bones add lots of flavor during roasting, but removing them first allows you to generously season the meat on all sides. Tying them back on gives you that flavorful benefit but makes the ribs easy to remove after you cook the roast for fuss-free slicing and serving.
How To Serve
A standing rib roast pairs beautifully with a number of side dishes like Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, truffle mac and cheese, French green beans, roasted carrots, and dinner rolls.
Prime rib also makes phenomenal leftovers. I like to turn mine into a sandwich with homemade white bread (or leftover dinner rolls!) and a smear of creamy horseradish sauce.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Let the uncooked roast stand at room temperature. It is important to let the roast stand at room temperature for the full 3 hours before cooking. It will cook more evenly throughout and will stay tender. Otherwise, the outside may overcook while the inside is undercooked.
- Insert the instant-read thermometer into the center of the roast to read the correct internal temperature. If you have an oven-safe meat probe, insert it into the center of the meat before roasting. This way, you can know the temperature of the roast without opening the oven door!
- Allow the prime rib to rest after roasting. The juices will redistribute so that each bite is wonderfully succulent, and the roast will finish cooking during this time. If you slice it immediately, the juices will all run out.
- The outer meat will be cooked more than the center of the prime rib. If the center is cooked to medium-rare, the outermost cuts will likely be cooked to medium to medium-well doneness. You will see a gradual difference in color from the outside moving towards the center- that’s just the nature of the cut, and it should be delicious and tender if cooked to the proper temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can do the prep work in advance. Remove the bones, season the meat, and tie the roast back together. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Prime rib is best eaten shortly after roasting, so I don’t recommend cooking it ahead of time.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can either reheat leftovers in the microwave for speed or pop them into the oven at 325°F until heated through.
I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to get the most accurate internal temperature of your prime rib. If you don’t have one, use the estimated cooking times I mentioned above and go with the longer cooking time to ensure the meat reaches a safe temperature. So, if you want a medium-rare roast, cook it for 14 minutes per pound.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this prime rib recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Prime Rib Recipe
Equipment
- Butcher’s twine
- Plastic wrap
- Large cast-iron skillet or roasting pan
- Instant read thermometer or meat probe
Ingredients
- 1 (8- to 10-pound) beef prime rib roast bone-in (3.6 to 4.5kg)
- ⅓ cup olive oil 80mL
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 10 garlic cloves minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, cut the bones off of the roast by running the knife down the bones between the rib rack and the thick roast. This will keep the ribs all in one piece when separating them from the roast. Remove the ribs from the roast and set the ribs aside.
- Cover the roast loosely with plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature for 3 hours.
- In a small bowl, mix together the oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and rub the herby oil mixture all over the meat.
- Replace the ribs back on the bottom side of the roast. Use butcher’s twine to tie them tightly in place, in 1-inch intervals.
- After 2½ hours of resting, preheat the oven to 500°F.
- Place the roast rib-side down in a large cast-iron skillet or roasting pan. Cook at 500°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue cooking for 2 hours to 2 hours and 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer measures 125°F for medium-rare. The roast will continue to rise in temperature 5 to 10°F while it rests.
- Carefully move the roast to a cutting board and tent it with foil. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cut and remove the butcher’s twine and ribs. Slice the roast to your desired thickness and serve.
Notes
- Let the uncooked roast stand at room temperature. It is important to let the roast stand at room temperature for the full 3 hours before cooking. It will cook more evenly throughout and will stay tender. Otherwise, the outside may overcook while the inside is undercooked.
- Insert the instant-read thermometer into the center of the roast to read the correct internal temperature. If you have an oven-safe meat probe, insert it into the center of the meat before roasting. This way, you can know the temperature of the roast without opening the oven door!
- Allow the prime rib to rest after roasting. The juices will redistribute so that each bite is wonderfully succulent, and the roast will finish cooking during this time. If you slice it immediately, the juices will all run out.
- The outer meat will be cooked more than the center of the prime rib. If the center is cooked to medium-rare, the outermost cuts will likely be cooked to medium to medium-well doneness. You will see a gradual difference in color from the outside moving towards the center- that’s just the nature of the cut, and it should be delicious and tender if cooked to the proper temperature.
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