Make melt-in-your-mouth tender herb crusted prime rib with a stunning crispy garlic herb crust. This recipe comes together using a no-fail reverse searing technique for the perfect prime rib roast every single time!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this boneless prime rib recipe:
- What is the reverse-searing technique?
- Key Ingredient Notes:
- How to cook a boneless prime rib roast:
- Tips for Success:
- How much boneless prime rib to buy:
- Make-Ahead Tips:
- Storing Tips:
- FAQs:
- More Impressive Dinner Party Mains:
- Garlic & Herb Crusted Boneless Prime Rib Recipe
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Pin ItWhy you’ll love this boneless prime rib recipe:
What if I were to tell you that you’ve been cooking herb crusted prime rib all wrong? You’ve most likely been taught to cook it at a high temperature first, then low and slow in the oven.
Well, there’s an easier, tastier, more fool-proof way to cook prime rib, and it’s called the reverse-searing technique!
- This method ensures juicy, evenly cooked prime rib every single time.
- It produces an amazingly crispy garlic herb crust.
- This technique allows you to fully cook the prime rib a couple of hours early then sear it right before serving!
For this dish, I’ve taken my perfectly cooked prime rib and smothered it in an irresistible garlic herb blend to make a show-stopping, boneless, herb crusted prime rib. It’s the perfect centerpiece for Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinner.
What is the reverse-searing technique?
I won’t go too in-depth here, because I cover all the details in this post where I teach you how to roast a perfect prime rib. But, here’s the short answer:
- First, we cook the garlic herb prime rib roast low and slow, and I mean really, really low! Like, 200°F!
- Then, when the roast reaches 120-130°F, depending on how you like it done, we’ll sear it at a very high temperature to create a beautiful garlic herb crust.
Key Ingredient Notes:
- Boneless prime rib – You’ll need a 10-15 pound boneless prime rib, which will provide 10-15 servings. Look for a fresh roast with a deep red color, a nice fat cap, and marbling throughout. I chose boneless for this recipe because it’s easier to carve. Refer to this bone-in prime rib recipe if you’re cooking a bone-in roast.
- Coarse kosher salt helps to tenderize the prime rib, and as the salt penetrates deep into the meat, it seasons it from the inside out!
- Unsalted butter – I recommend using unsalted butter here because we’ll be covering the outside of the prime rib with added salt. Using salted butter could make the prime rib far too salty-tasting. Soften the butter into a spreadable consistency, but don’t allow it to become so soft that it melts right off the prime rib before it goes into the oven.
- Fresh garlic – To really boost the garlic flavor!
- Dried herbs – Dried thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and garlic powder provide deep, savory flavors and help form a crust on the outside of the prime rib.
- Whole garlic heads (optional) – For making roasted garlic. Roasted garlic is deliciously mild, sweet, and almost nutty-tasting. Because it doesn’t have the sharp, pungent taste of raw garlic, it goes great with pretty much anything.
How to cook a boneless prime rib roast:
1. Prepare the night before
- Place an unwrapped, boneless prime rib on a baking sheet that is small enough to fit in your fridge.
- Generously salt the entire prime rib using coarse kosher salt.
- Refrigerate the salted roast overnight, uncovered. This allows the outside of the prime rib to air dry.
2. Add the garlic herb crust and bake
- Remove the roast from the refrigerator, and let it come to room temperature on the kitchen counter for about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 200°F.
- Combine the butter, fresh garlic, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and garlic powder in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Smear the butter, garlic, and herb mixture over the top (fat side) and both sides of the roast.
- Transfer the roast to a roasting pan, buttered side up. This is my favorite roasting pan for herb crusted prime rib!
- Roast the prime rib until the center of the roast reaches an internal temperature of 120-125°F for medium rare, or 130°F for medium (this thermapen is super quick and reliable). Roasting will take about 5-5 ½ hours for 20lbs roast. See the chart below for estimated cook times for different sizes of roast.
Add even more flavor
To add another layer of garlic flavor, roast a few heads of garlic alongside the prime rib. Then, serve each slice with a clove of roasted garlic! Simply slice the top off, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Then, wrap it in foil, and throw it into the oven with the roast. The garlic comes out golden brown, soft, and tasty!
3. Rest, sear, and serve
- Remove the prime rib from the oven, cover with foil, and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 500°F.
- Uncover the prime rib, and transfer it back into the oven.
- Roast the prime rib until it’s brown and crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes.
- Rest the herb crusted prime rib for at least 15 minutes. Then, slice it into thick pieces. Serve with roasted garlic, and enjoy!
Tips for Success:
- Don’t skip the overnight salting, it’s one of the most important steps! Salt breaks down some of the muscle fibers, creating a tender, melt-in-your-mouth bite. It also draws moisture to the surface of the meat, which dissolves the salt, ensuring the center of the roast is juicy, not dry.
- Airdry the roast overnight in the fridge, uncovered, for a perfectly crisp crust!
- Remove the roast from the oven before increasing the temperature. It should rest for at least 30 minutes on the counter while the oven is warming to 500°F. Your oven could take up to 20 minutes to preheat, which is plenty of time to overcook your roast if left in there.
- When carving your prime rib roast, slice it against the grain into ½-inch thick slices.
How much boneless prime rib to buy:
| Roast Size (Boneless): | Servings: |
| 3-pound roast | 3-4 adults |
| 4-pound roast | 4-5 adults |
| 5-pound roast | 5-6 adults |
| 6-pound roast | 6-8 adults |
| 8-pound roast | 8-10 adults |
| 10-pound roast | 10-12 adults |
Make-Ahead Tips:
You’ll be getting started on your garlic herb prime rib roast the night before you plan on serving it. While preparing it for the dry brine, you can mix your dry herbs, grate fresh garlic, and put 2 sticks of butter on the counter to soften.
- Store the dried seasoning blend in an airtight, glass jar on the counter.
- Store the freshly minced garlic in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Also, you can let the herb crusted prime rib roast rest for up to 2 hours before returning it to the oven for the final sear. This allows you to finish the bulk of the cooking up to 2 hours before you plan on serving your roast!
Storing Tips:
- Store leftover herb crusted prime rib in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, tightly wrapped in plastic. It’s best to leave the leftover roast unsliced. Then, slice it right before you plan on serving it again.
- Reheat leftover roast in the oven at 250°F until heated through. Cover the dish, and add a splash of beef broth to the bottom of the pan when reheating to prevent the roast from drying out.
FAQs:
For a well-rounded meal, serve herb crusted prime rib with mashed potatoes, such as brown butter mashed potatoes or roasted garlic mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, green beans, carrots, or Brussels sprouts. And, of course, don’t forget the spicy horseradish sauce and au jus!
Prime rib is a premium cut of meat from the primal rib section of the cow. It’s also known as standing rib roast, rolled rib roast, or ribeye roast, but it is not to be confused with ribeye steaks. If you sliced a prime rib roast into steaks and cooked them individually, you would have ribeyes!
Bone-in versus boneless prime rib is based on personal preference. Bone-in is often harder to overcook because the bones insulate the meat, which is a good thing! However, carving prime rib off the bone can be tricky, especially if this is your first time doing it. So, if I want carving to be as easy as possible, I’ll choose a boneless cut.
More Impressive Dinner Party Mains:
Garlic & Herb Crusted Boneless Prime Rib
Ingredients
- 10-15 lbs boneless prime rib
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 sticks (225 g) 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.10-15 lbs boneless prime rib, 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 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.)2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon freshly grated garlic, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 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.)A few garlic heads
- 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 ONE meat thermometer is my favorite! Super quick and reliable!)
- 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
Perfectly wonderful! This is the 3rd time I’ve made prime rib and still was nervous. Everyone LOVED it. I’ll be keeping this recipe as my go to for the most tender, juiciest prime rib I’ve ever had. Thank you!
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.
Yay, so happy you had success. Thank you so much choosing my recipe and for your feedback, Becky!
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
So great to hear that. Thank you for your feedback, Norma!
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!!
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!
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!!!
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.
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..
So happy to hear that, Kim! Thanks for trusting the process and for your feedback again!
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?
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?
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.
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.
Hi, Chieko. Yes, you can totally use fresh garlic. Let us know how it turns out.
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!!
Hi, LadyTra! So happy everyone enjoyed a perfect prime rib!! Thank you SO much for your feedback!
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?
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.
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.
My oven is gas. Will it go this low?
Hi, Dot. Only you can answer this question, as you’re right next to it. 🙂 I have no experience with gas ovens, and I’m clueless.