These are the Four Secrets to the Best Prime Rib Ever (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good prime rib? ›

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.

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!

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.

Rule #7: Season Well, and Season in Advance. 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.

The Benefits of Slow Roasting

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

Placing the oven rack too high up will cause your roast to brown too quickly and burn! After 30 minutes in the oven, add a ½ cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. The key is to allow the onions to brown and caramelize while roasting, but not to burn and smoke in the fat.

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.

We recommend a low, slow cook preceded by a good sear.

Putting a dry rub on too early increases the likelihood of it being washed off or knocked loose before you get the beef cooked. Aside from seasoning mixes designed to go on up to one day before cooking for brining purposes, you'll only want the dry rub on the Prime Rib in time for the start of cooking.

Why is my prime rib always tough? ›

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.

The salt helps trap the heat to better cook the prime rib. “It conducts the heat and seals it,” says Betz.

Prime rib has a large “eye” of meat in the center, which is juicy, tender, and marbled with fat. This eye has a fat-marbled muscle around it, and the whole thing is surrounded by a thick cap of fat. This means that prime rib is tender, juicy, and extremely flavorful because the muscles aren't heavily used.

Letting your prime rib sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes before slicing it is called resting it, and resting your prime rib helps ensure it will be as juicy as possible. When you roast a piece of meat in a very hot oven, the juices from the outer regions flee toward the center of the roast.

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.