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When I say this is the absolute best prime rib recipe, I mean it! This prime rib roast turns out melt-in-your-mouth tender every single time, with that perfect crust on the outside and juicy, flavorful center.
Table of Contents
- Why This Prime Rib is the Best
- What is Prime Rib?
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Cook Prime Rib (Step-by-Step)
- Prime Rib FAQs
- Prime Rib Temperature Guide
- What to Serve with Holiday Prime Rib
- Storing, Freezing and Reheating
- Recipe Tip
- More Decadent MAIN DISHES You Must Try:
- Watch How to Make Prime Rib…
- Best Prime Rib Roast Recipe
Whether you’re cooking for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, a special celebration, or just because you’re craving something incredible, this foolproof method will walk you through every step with confidence with lots of tips, tricks, things to avoid and the secret for making it the most flavorful!
Cade and I have tested this recipe for years to make sure it’s as easy and reliable as it is impressive—and trust me, once you try it, you’ll never make prime rib any other way.
Why This Prime Rib is the Best
I don’t know what it is about prime rib, but you throw that out there and people seriously come running.
Foolproof: If you follow the instructions step by step, you’ll get a perfect prime rib every time!
Texture: It is tender, melt-in-your-mouth, juicy with a delicious crust on the outside.
Flavor: The ingredients are so simple but the flavor is next level. Just salt, pepper, butter and garlic is all you need to compliment the deep beefy flavor of the prime rib.
Showstopper: You’ve invested some money into this cut of meat, let’s make it the showstopper of your holiday feast!
What is Prime Rib?
Standing Rib Roast and Prime Rib Roast are the same exact same thing. It’s just that different people call them different things. A prime rib is a cut of beef from the primal rib, one of the nine cuts of beef. While the entire rib section comprises ribs six through twelve, a standing rib roast may contain anywhere from two to seven ribs, just depending on what you buy as there are options!
Ingredients You’ll Need
People love the tender, mouthwatering beef but for me that’s not even the best part. I’m all about the outside. It’s all caramelized and packed full of flavor. I’m telling you, it’s like the burnt ends on a brisket. It’s so, so good!!!! Here is everything you’ll need to deliver that flavor:
- Standing Rib Roast, Prime Rib: The star cut—rich, juicy, and tender.
- Kosher Salt: Draws out moisture and seasons deeply.
- Black Pepper: Enhances flavor and adds warmth.
- Butter: Build an aromatic crust.
- Garlic: Helps crisp the exterior while keeping it juicy.
Seems too simple, right?! Now let’s see how it’s done…
How to Cook Prime Rib (Step-by-Step)
I’ve shared very detailed instructions on the best way to cook prime rib in the recipe card below. But the basic steps to making the best prime rib EVER are as follows:
- Carefully slice the meat off the bones and rub kosher salt all over the outside of the roast. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 24 hours. This is the step that will change everything!
- Let the prime rib come to room temperature before searing it in an oiled skillet.
- Once cool enough to handle, tie the meat back onto the bones.
- Transfer roast to a wire rack set on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Season with pepper, then rub with garlic butter.
- Roast at 200ºF until the meat registers your desired internal temperature (see our notes below for doneness info).
- Remove roast from oven and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before returning to oven to broil the very top.
- Cut twine from meat, slice, and serve!
Is this the best prime rib roast recipe ever?? I think it might just be! Do you feel like you can do it? I hope so!
Prime Rib FAQs
The “Prime Rib” is basically just a marketing term. It refers to a standing rib roast from that section or cut. The Ribeye Roast is a rib roast that has been carved off of the bone. It is the same piece of meat as a standing rib roast.
Most stores don’t sell very high quality Prime Rib cuts. The first thing you should do is head to a butcher that you trust. Look for a prime rib roast with an untrimmed fat cap (ideally ½ inch thick). We prefer the flavor and texture of prime-grade beef, but choice grade will work as well, just ask the butcher which he has.
If possible, buy a prime rib roast that has the bones attached. This isn’t always the case and you’ll be fine if they aren’t, but tying the ribs to the meat will give you a more even, juicy roast versus boneless.
Oh, I’m so with you, why is prime rib roast so expensive?! The more marbling, the more flavorful it will be. A full prime rib is cut from the 6th through 12th ribs of the cow, so seven ribs in total, meaning you are getting quite a lot of meat and bones. It’s one of those cuts that ends up being extra work for a butcher and extra juicy for you, also making it more expensive.
It’s so hard to know how much meat people are going to eat. I like to use the rule for prime rib of about 1 pound per adult.
– How much prime rib for 8 adults? A 4-bone prime rib will feed 8 to 10 people.
– How much prime rib for 20 adults? An 8 to 10 bone prime rib is better for 20 people.
Depending on how done you want it to be, your roast will be in the oven for anywhere from 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours. If you need prime rib done faster, try our Instant Pot Prime Rib! It’s delicious!
To remove the bones from the roast, use a very sharp knife, we prefer to only use Wusthof, and run it down the length of the bones, following the contours of the roast as closely as possible until the meat is separated from the bones.
Prime Rib Temperature Guide
Generally speaking, prime rib is served rare to medium rare, but I’ll be honest, I like mine more like medium. It’s entirely up to you and I’ll put all of the different prime rib temperatures and times below.
- Medium Rare Prime Rib — Medium rare means the meat is mostly pink with a deeper, nearly red center. The temperature should be 130 to 134ºF.
- Medium to Medium Well Prime Rib — The temperature should be 135 to 140°F.
- Well Done Prime Rib — The temperature should be 140 to 145°F.
What to Serve with Holiday Prime Rib
When it comes to a holiday dinner spread with prime rib as the star, I love to accompany it with all our favorite side dishes. Here are some suggestions:
- Potatoes: baked potatoes, roasted herb potatoes or creamy mashed potatoes
- Salad: 7 layer pea salad, spinach salad with poppyseed dressing or broccoli salad
- Bread: potato rolls, buttermilk biscuits or herbed focaccia bread
- Vegetables: roasted acorn squash, garlic butter roasted carrots or oven roasted vegetables
And it would be a holiday dinner without some decadent desserts! A few of our favorites are
Tips for Perfect Prime Rib Every Time
I’ve messed up enough Prime Rib recipes to know exactly what you should and shouldn’t do. Here are my top 3 tips:
#1 Overnight Salting!
Others may try to fool you into thinking the most important thing is 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.
Place it in the refrigerator overnight, UNCOVERED in order to enhance the beefy flavor while dissolving some of the proteins, which yields a buttery-tender, juicy roast.
#2 Keep the Oven Door Shut!
I was super worried about undercooking the roast the first time I made it so I checked it too often. This was lengthening the cooking process and ended up cooking it over medium temperature. Monitoring the roast with a meat-probe thermometer is best.
If you use an instant-read meat thermometer like this Thermopro Instant Read, open the oven door as little as possible. Also, remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature, so you aren’t letting out extra heat.
If your roast has not reached the temperature you wanted in the time range specified, heat the oven to 200 degrees, wait for 5 minutes, then shut it off, and continue to cook the roast until it reaches the desired temperature.
#3 Let the Prime Rib Roast Rest!
Once the roast has reached the desired internal temperature, remove it from the oven and let it rest before slicing and serving it to your guests.
Heat drives juices toward the center of the meat. Think of when you cut into a steak that hasn’t rested and the juices all run out and it’s chewy versus at a restaurant where you notice that the juices are perfectly distributed. A rest gives juices the chance to redistribute themselves.
You’ll want to loosely tent the meat with foil and let it rest for 20- 30 minutes before carving.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Prime rib leftovers store for 5 to 7 days in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer in an airtight container.
To reheat it, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F, place the sliced prime rib in a baking dish with a few tablespoons of beef broth, cover tightly with foil, and let it heat for about 10 minutes.
Recipe Tip
If this timing doesn’t work with your schedule, we also have posts for smoked prime rib and slow cooker prime rib. Check those out and see if one of those cooking methods works better for your schedule.
When you slice into that perfectly cooked prime rib and see the rosy, tender center, you’ll know all that love and patience were worth it. This recipe truly delivers every time — tender, juicy, flavorful, and worthy of any special occasion (or just a cozy Sunday dinner).
Pair it with your favorite sides, gather your people, and enjoy restaurant-worthy prime rib roast right in the comfort of your own kitchen. Once you try it, I promise — you’ll never make prime rib any other way.
More Decadent MAIN DISHES You Must Try:
- Korean Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Carolina Pulled Pork
- Authentic Italian Bolognese Sauce
- Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Smoked Prime Rib
- Oven Braised Beef Roast
- Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
- Smoked Tri Tip
- Easy Garlic Butter Steak
- All our MAIN DISH recipes!
Watch How to Make Prime Rib…
Best Prime Rib Roast
Ingredients
- 7 Pound Standing Rib Roast, Prime Rib
- 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt, heaping
- 1 ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
- 4 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- 4-6 Cloves Garlic, minced
Instructions
- Using a very sharp knife, cut slits in the outer surface layer of fat, spaced 1 inch apart, in cross pattern, much like crossing on a baked ham. Do not cut into the meat.7 Pound Standing Rib Roast
- Gently slice down through the meat, following the bones to remove them from the meat. Do not discard.
- Rub 2 heaping tablespoons of Kosher salt over entire roast and especially rub it into the slits.2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- Place the meat back on bones and onto a plate.
- Refrigerate the meat, uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 96 hours.
- Place the meat on the counter to rest for 2-3 hours so it takes the chill off.
- Adjust the oven rack to a middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet or dutch oven over high heat until smoking.
- Sear sides and top and avoid the bottom of the roast where you removed the bones (reserving bone on the plate). Place meat back on the rib bones, so bones fit where they were cut, and let cool for 10 minutes so you can touch it; tie meat to bones with 2 pieces of twine between the ribs.
- Transfer the roast, fat side up, to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and season with pepper.1 ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
- Mix the butter and garlic in a bowl, and rub it all over the meat.4-6 Cloves Garlic, 4 Tablespoons Butter
- Roast until meat registers 120 degrees F, 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours.
- Turn off the oven; leave the roast in oven, opening door as little as possible, until meat registers about 120℉ for rare or about 125℉ for medium-rare, 135-140°F for medium, and 140-145°F for well done, 30 to 75 minutes longer.
- Remove roast from oven (leave roast on baking sheet), tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 75 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack about 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Remove foil from the roast. Broil until top of roast is well browned and crisp, 2 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer roast to carving board; cut twine and remove roast from ribs.
- Slice meat into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Season with coarse salt to taste along with any drippings turned to gravy, and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow… ya I agree with Jeff. The similarities to Cook’s Illustrated is too close to be coincidence. There’s plagiarism going on here and that’s very much not alright. Credit should have been given and it most definitely was due. This is as bad as or worse than papers I’ve looked over coming from young students.
In the blogosphere… credibility is one of the most important factors in determining success. Your credibility is now in jeopardy due to a silly recipe that could have easily been adapted as your own, but most importantly, properly sourced. Worse so, I notice you have a published book on Amazon… I sure hope there’s no instances like this in that. Shame on you.
Hi C,
Thank you for your concern. I can understand that if you feel strongly about something you might want to stand up, say something and make sure you’re heard as clearly it’s something important to you. However, I assure you it’s not plagiarism. It’s the same recipe with the addition of garlic and fresh herbs that I learned in college, again in a later cooking class taken at a local high end grocery store and the same recipe found allllll over pinterest. Unfortunately prime rib is just one of those recipes that really can’t be cooked too many different ways. I’ve researched, taken courses, sat through classes and studied up on prime rib and aged beef (even a good steak is salted and left to sit in the fridge) and this is always the way it is done. However, if it makes you uncomfortable I can recommend other recipes to try. I didn’t love how they turned out as the meat wasn’t flavored well, but they were less of a hassle, which this is. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me taking the time to respond, but integrity happens to be the one thing I’m really, really big on. Sadly food often has similar recipes, I’ll take the time to look their’s up and i assure you I’ll give it a try so I can understand where you’re coming from. Again, sorry if any offense was caused. Thanks.
This is a great recipe. You should site your sources. The recipe/directions, sans the garlic butter, are word for word from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe from November 2011.
Hi, thanks for writing your concerns. This isn’t a cooks illustrated recipe. We do have an America’s text kitchen cookbook but I’ll have to look it up to see if there’s a similar recipe. This is the same way I was taught to do prime rib when working with a beef brand years ago but I add garlic. I assure you there’s no stealing but we are happy to look it up and try their recipe sometime.
This is a great recipe, and I don’t blame you for wanting to share it. I am even trying the garlic butter you have in your recipe. Detailed below is the CI recipe I have been using since 2o11. Aside from the ingredients, instructions, temperatures and times, being identical in each recipe, sans the garlic butter, there are just too many comparable and reworded sentences in the instructions to be a coincidence. Maybe this is the recipe the beef brand you used to work for used or maybe CI used it as a basis for their recipe. Either way, it is a great recipe and I am glad it is being shared.
Best Prime Rib
November 1, 2011. From Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 6 to 8
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The perfect prime rib should have a deep-colored, substantial crust encasing a tender, juicy rosy-pink center. To achieve this perfect roast, we started by salting the roast overnight. The salt enhanced the beefy flavor while dissolving some of the proteins, yielding a buttery-tender roast. To further enhance tenderness, we cooked the roast at a very low temperature, which allowed the meat’s enzymes to act as natural tenderizers, breaking down its tough connective tissue. A brief stint under the broiler before serving ensured a crisp, flavorful crust.
Notes:
* Look for a roast with an untrimmed fat cap (ideally ½ inch thick). We prefer the flavor and texture of prime-grade beef, but choice grade will work as well.
* To remove the bones from the roast, use a sharp knife and run it down the length of the bones, following the contours as closely as possible until the meat is separated.
* Monitoring the roast with a meat-probe thermometer is best. If you use an instant-read thermometer, open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature.
* If the roast has not reached the correct temperature in the time range specified in step 3, heat the oven to 200 degrees, wait for 5 minutes, then shut it off, and continue to cook the roast until it reaches the desired temperature.
Ingredients:
* (7-pound) first-cut beef standing rib roast (3 bones), meat removed from bones, bones reserved
* Kosher salt and ground black pepper
* 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Instructions:
1. Using sharp knife, cut slits in surface layer of fat, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful to cut down to, but not into, meat. Rub 2 tablespoons salt over entire roast and into slits. Place meat back on bones (to save space in refrigerator), transfer to large plate, and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 96 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Sear sides and top of roast (reserving bone) until browned, 6 to 8 minutes total (do not sear side where roast was cut from bone). Place meat back on ribs, so bones fit where they were cut, and let cool for 10 minutes; tie meat to bones with 2 lengths of twine between ribs. Transfer roast, fat side up, to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and season with pepper. Roast until meat registers 110 degrees, 3 to 4 hours.
3. Turn off oven; leave roast in oven, opening door as little as possible, until meat registers about 120 degrees for rare or about 125 degrees for medium-rare, 30 to 75 minutes longer.
4. Remove roast from oven (leave roast on baking sheet), tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 75 minutes.
5. Adjust oven rack about 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Remove foil from roast, form into 3-inch ball, and place under ribs to elevate fat cap. Broil until top of roast is well browned and crisp, 2 to 8 minutes.
6. Transfer roast to carving board; cut twine and remove roast from ribs. Slice meat into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Season with coarse salt to taste, and serve.
Technique – Steakhouse Prime Rib at Home :
High-end-restaurant chefs turn out prime rib that’s crisp on the outside and gorgeously rosy from center to edge. For similar results, we used nothing more than a hot skillet, a regular home oven—and a few tricks.
SUPER-CHEF APPROACH
BLOWTORCH THE MEAT Blasting the roast with the intense heat of a blowtorch jump-starts its exterior without subjecting the interior to any heat.
OUR WAY
SALT AND SEAR Salting the roast and then refrigerating it uncovered for at least a day (and up to four) not only seasons the meat thoroughly but also dries out its exterior for better browning. Searing the super-dry roast in a blazing-hot skillet develops a nice thick crust.
SUPER-CHEF APPROACH
ROAST AT 120° Using a specialized ultra-low-temperature oven—and leaving the roast in it for 18 hours—produces rosy-pink, ultra-tender results.
OUR WAY
ROAST AT 200° Roasting the meat as low as a conventional oven can go and then shutting off the heat and letting it finish in a turned-off oven produces incredibly tender and ever.
I’m in the process of making this for the first time tonight. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
How was it??
I cook my roast this way, however, instead of broiling the meat after the rest, try cranking the oven to 500 degrees, or the highest it will go, while the meat is resting, put the meat back in the oven for 8-12 minutes and you’ll get a beautiful all over crust. The broiler can produce a lot of spattering and a mess in the oven. You also get a more even browning doing it this way. Works beautifully every time.
Great tip! Thanks, Susan!
This looks so delicious, I can’t wait to make it!
You’re going to love it!! Thanks, Layne!
So delicious! Even my dad said it was the best prime rib he’s ever had and he’s had A LOT of prime rib in his life. Was a little intimidated at first but it turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
This just made my day! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment and letting us know how it went!
What temp do you roast the prime rib for? I read through this a few times and didnt see it anywhere. Should maybe add that to your post.
Hi Rachel! It is listed in step #7 of the instructions on the recipe card.
200 degrees Fahrenheit
Enjoy!!
Thanks! Hope it really is the best, it’s my first time making prime rib!
How did it go??
Sweet Basil:
This recipe leaves a few guestions! Step 2: cut through meat to remove bones – from fat side (top) or bone side (bottom)? Step 3: rub salt into slits – fat area & where bones were removed? So this meat is cooked at 200°F? Step 11: so you rub the butter & garlic mix after the bones are tied on, not onto the meat under the bones? Step 15: set oven to broil – what temperature set point – 200°F?
Please have someone (friend, neighbor – that is inexperienced in cooking to attempt each step without your interference until absolutely necessary & then no advance guidance for each next step! You are too close to what you have written & not seeing objectively. You can more than likely do this without looking at the printed recipe, try looking at my question points. I may seem to be too thorough, but hey, like you stated – it is an expensive cut of meat you want done right.
Sincerely
Bob
Hi Bob! I apologize for the confusion!
1. The rib bones remain but you’ll remove the bones from the underside if the butcher left those intact.
2. Rub the salt all over the meat where you cut those slits in the fat pad
3. Nope, not under where the bones are
4. The meat cooks at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. After it has cooked 3.5-4.5 hours and has rested at least a half hour, stick the roast into the oven set on broil to get the top crispy. The broil feature on most ovens is either low or high. We go with High, but watch it closely.
This recipe would be so much more helpful with video or pictures. The descriptions of cutting meat off the bone and putting it back on? And slicing this way that way and What? Yikes!
Hi Jill! It is on our list of video to do! Sorry it is so confusing!
It looks so amazing!! 😮 Thank you for sharing the recipe!
You’re very welcome!!
Once you learn about sous-vide, you’ll never have a bi-colored roast that isn’t done to the desired temperature.
We love sous-vide!
Or smoke it and it will actually be the best ever.