You’ve been cooking prime rib all wrong! Try this reverse-searing method to cook your next boneless prime rib and enjoy evenly cooked juicy slice of roast!
Need to impress someone this Christmas season? Why not invite them over for a holiday dinner and serve this gorgeous masterpiece?
I mean, how can you not be impressed, right? Unless he/she is vegetarian, or VEGAN!! Ouch, that would be bad! Don’t serve a huge chunk of beef to a vegan. 🙂 Ok, all jokes aside…
Prime rib should be a centerpiece of your Christmas table. And if you ever intimidated to cook it, I’m here to guide you through entire process. It’s really not difficult and the result is basically foolproof!
If you’ve seen my how to roast a perfect prime rib tutorial, you know I love reverse-searing technique. It’s not the usual method of cooking prime rib, where you cook it at high temperature first, then cook low and slow.
Our method is, actually, exact opposite.
HOW TO COOK A PERFECT BONELESS PRIME RIB?
- We cook the roast low and slow first. And I really mean low, low temperature, like 200°F!
- And then when the roast reaches 120-130°F, depending how you like it done, we’ll sear it at a very high temperature to create a beautiful crust.
This method ensures juicy, evenly cooked prime rib with an amazing crispy crust.
And while you’re at it, make some delicious roasted garlic too! Simply cut a head of garlic horizontally, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt. And then wrap it in a foil and throw into the oven with the roast. They come out golden brown, soft and tasty!
HOW TO SERVE ROASTED GARLIC?
Roasted garlic is so deliciously mild, sweet and almost nutty. And because it doesn’t have that sharp pungent taste of raw garlic, it really goes great with pretty much anything.
Simply serve it along with your prime rib, or smeared on a roll/toast. And here’re many more ideas to use roasted garlic.
Yeah, paired with some prepared horseradish and scalloped potatoes, this prime rib would make your holiday even more special!
Garlic & Herb Crusted Boneless Prime Rib
Ingredients
- 10-15 lbs boneless prime rib
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 sticks (225g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- A few garlic heads optional
Instructions
- Place an unwrapped boneless prime rib on a baking sheet. Generously salt all over and refrigerate overnight to air-dry the outside of the prime rib.
- Bring the prime rib to room temperature before roasting. It usually takes about 2 hours out on the counter.
- In medium bowl, mix together butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, black pepper and garlic powder. Smear the mixture over the top (fat side) and sides of the roast. Transfer the roast onto a roasting pan, buttered side up. (I use this roasting pan, and highly recommend it.)
- If roasting garlic, slice the top off, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt. And then wrap in a foil. (Here's my detailed roasted garlic recipe.)
- Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C).
- Roast the meat in the oven until the center of the roast reads 120-125°F (50°C) on a meat thermometer for medium-rare, or 130°F (55°C) for medium doneness, about 5-5.5 hours. (This Thermapn Mk4 meat thermometer is my favorite! Super quick and reliable! (<- affiliate link)
- Remove the prime rib from the oven, cover with a foil and rest for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, increase the oven temperature to 500°F (260°C).
- Once the oven reaches 500°F, put the prime rib into the oven, uncovered, and cook it until it’s nice and brown, and crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes. Rest the roast for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Facts:
Becky Foltz says
This was the first time I tried making prime rib. It was PERFECT thanks to your recipe. I set alarms on my phone for every step. I made this for a New Years Eve party and everyone raved about it. I will try it again. Thanks so much. (This was way better than most restaurants in our area.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you had success. Thank you so much choosing my recipe and for your feedback, Becky!
Norma Czigler says
Had a 9lb roast. Followed your recipe and it turned out perfectly. Med rare just the way my sister and I like our prime rib. Thank you for sharing your recipe
Shinee says
So great to hear that. Thank you for your feedback, Norma!
Kim says
Me Again!!! Here’s my plan.. let me know if I’m on the game for 4:45 -5pm serve. 8 lb bone in tied.
8:30 AM – out of fridge
10:30AM – 200 degrees for 4 1/2 hrs
3:00 PM – Rest
4PM – Blast 500
4:15 – 4:45 Rest and cut
Do I have it right? Such a $$ piece of meat.. I shouldn’t be scared as I have followed your recipe every year.. but different sizes!!
Shinee says
Hi, Kim! Thanks for sharing your plan. For 8lbs roast, I’d estimate about 3.5 hours at 200°F to reach 120°F internal temperature. So, you could start at 11am. And if it cooks faster than anticipated, simply wrap it well in foil while it rests and before the final sear to keep it nice and warm. Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas!
kim says
THANK YOU!! One last question… I’m looking for medium rare… is 120 or 130 when I should take out? I know you get thousands of questions… thank you so much for replying!!!
Shinee says
For medium rare finish, I recommend taking the roast out at 120-125°F. The internal temperature will continue to rise during rest time and during final sear, bringing it to around 135°F for a perfect medium rare doneness.
kim jackson says
SHiNEE!!! Once again, THE PERFECT ROAST! Thank you so much for replying. I always get nervous and I should NOT! It was THE BEST! Hopefully I won’t need to ask you more questions next year! Thank you again..
Shinee says
So happy to hear that, Kim! Thanks for trusting the process and for your feedback again!
kim says
SHINEEE!!! I’ve used this recipe every year and passed it on to others.. PERFECTION. I just can never figure out timing. I’ve got a 8lb bone in (tied back) rib roast… how many hours do you think at low?
Jennifer Lee says
Making this recipe tonight for an almost 8 pound roast. I’m thinking 4-4.5 hours? How do you make an Au jus to serve with it? Any suggestions?
Shinee says
Hi, Jennifer. Sorry for the late response. You’d want to add a little broth or any liquid to the pan along with some vegetables to make a delicious au jus. Hope your prime rib turned out great.
Chieko says
Hello! I’m excited to try this recipe….would it work ok if I used fresh garlic instead? Or do you recommend garlic powder? Thank you.
Shinee says
Hi, Chieko. Yes, you can totally use fresh garlic. Let us know how it turns out.
LadyTra says
I’m so sorry I did not get a picture of my creation. What I did get was all the praise from my family!! This is only my 2nd prime rib as the 1st effort was good but meh…not memorable. This recipe is spot on and deliciously perfect!! This will be the ONLY way I cook my prime rib from now on! THANK YOU FOR BEING SO PRECISE AND FOR SHARING!!
Shinee says
Hi, LadyTra! So happy everyone enjoyed a perfect prime rib!! Thank you SO much for your feedback!
susan says
do you put liquid in roasting pan? 10lb roast w/o bones, 5 hrs in preheated 200 degree oven. Take out, rest 1.5 hrs, then preheated 500 degrees for 10 minutes, rest 15 mins.,then serve? Right?
Shinee says
Hi, Susan. I don’t put any liquid in the pan. And it looks like you’ve got the directions right. Just one thing though. You can rest for 1.5 hours before searing under the broiler, but as little as 30 mins would do.
Mike says
I have always cooked my boneless prime rib @ 500 degrees for 30 minutes, then put Temp to 250 degrees. I wanted a reverse sear method and this recipe sounds good. I am cooking for Mothers day. Can not follow recipe completely because I have already rub with our special mix. I am going to uncover all day Saturday and Night to see if it will dry out a little. I have a 10 pound boneless roast, eating at 3pm. I plan to start roasting at 200 degrees at 9:15 am. I am figuring 5 hours for 125- 128 degrees. Done at 2:15. I usually get small cooler and warm it up in house to put the foil wrapped roast in to hold the temp. If it gets done early I can hold the Tempfor a long period. Do you sear on top rack of oven with fat side down? While I am waiting for oven to heat up, would it be alright to take juices from pan for AuJus, I use for people that want it well done. What a crime. Thermapens are awesome but all I have is a Thermapop.