Let me show you how to roast a perfect prime rib, step by step, with proven, fool-proof method using reverse sear technique as seen on Serious Eats.
Oh my gosh, do I love me some prime rib!! Thick, juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender, there is nothing better than perfectly cooked prime rib.
If you’d asked me “How would you like your steak?” like 10 years ago, when I just landed in the U.S., I’d tell you firmly, “Well done.” Cringe, cringe, I know!! Though we eat a lot of beef in Mongolia, steak isn’t common there. And we’re just not accustomed to pink meat. In fact, it took me good 2 years to start ordering medium done steaks. That’s when I met my rancher husband, who wouldn’t let me order well done (aka ruined) steaks.
Fast forward 8 years, I now cook medium and sometimes even medium rare steaks for myself. Oh how things change!
What’s reverse searing method?
When you have this beautifully marbled, perfectly frenched prime rib, you don’t want to mess up, especially if you’re making it for a special occasion. But don’t let the fear stop you from serving this masterpiece for a holiday meal. I’m going to show you a fool-proof, proven method to roast a perfect prime rib!
Now, listen read closely…
You’ve probably heard of searing the meat before roasting to lock in the juices, right? And no doubt, there’s place and time for that trusty technique, but when it comes to roasting a prime rib, that’s not really an ideal method. And I’m not just a crazy lady talking crazy things on the internet.
- Deep brown, crispy exterior.
- Minimum overcooked layer between the crust and interior, aka gray zone.
- Maximum juiciness.
He achieved all three criteria by reverse searing method. What is reverse searing, you ask?
Well, that’s when you cook the prime rib at the very low temperature until it reaches 120°F for medium rare, and then you roast it at the very high temperature for a short period of time. But here’s the important part: before searing at high temp, you’ll need to take the roast out of the oven and let it rest while oven is preheating to 500°F. This way, the roast won’t overcook, because as you know, it takes at least 20 minutes to heat an oven to that high temp, plenty of time to ruin a good roast!
Tip
For perfectly crispy crust, make sure to dry out the roast by resting it uncovered in the fridge overnight.
And while at it, go ahead and salt it too, so that it has plenty of time to penetrate the meat all the way inside.
Let me know if you try this method. I know you won’t regret it.
Thank you for reading!
How to Roast a Perfect Prime Rib
Ingredients
- 5-10 lbs (or 4-rib) prime rib
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional Add-Ins:
- A head of garlic
- Cherry tomatoes
- Asparagus
Instructions
- Place an unwrapped prime rib on a tray. 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.
- Mix the cumin, black pepper and garlic powder and evenly spread all over the meat.
- If roasting garlic, slice the top off, drizzle some olive oil and wrap in a foil. (Here's my detailed roasted garlic recipe.)
- Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C).
- Place the prime rib on a roasting pan bone side down (fat side up). (Since I wrote this post, I bought this roasting pan, and highly recommend it.)
- Roast the meat in the oven until the center of the roast reads 120°F (50°C) on a meat thermometer for medium-rare, or 130°F (55°C) for medium doneness, about 3.5-4 hours. (This Thermapen 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.
- Increase the oven temperature to 500°F (260°C).
- 10 minutes before serving, pop the prime rib into the oven, uncovered, and cook it until it’s nice and brown, and crisp on the outside, about 6-10 minutes. If desired, roast the cherry tomatoes and asparagus together. Serve immediately.
If you have have a boneless prime rib, check out this post:
Jessica smith says
I have made this recipe twice now- prime rib is always high stress to ensure it turns out perfectly- usually because you are serving guests and secondly it’s not a cheap cut of meat! This recipe works- trust the science! I’m not one to be able to sit back for 3.5 hours and not open the oven multiple times but it was perfect! I cooked at 7 pound prime rib bones attached and when you take the roast out to sit for the 30 minutes it’s the perfect amount of time to get the Yorkshire done. I like mine rare and the extra 10 minutes at 500 gives it a nice crust but doesn’t damage the internal temperature.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you loved this method, Jessica!!! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Joseph says
Actually will be cooking this tomorrow but after checking a few other recipes this is the one I wanted to try but was going to use different seasonings from another formula using herbs my sister in law uses. My only concern was that the other recipe uses sear, crust then roast instead of reverse like this one calls for – if I use herb/ salt crust will it burn doing this reverse sear with herbs on there?
Shinee says
Hi, Joseph. Are you using fresh herbs? I haven’t tried this recipe with fresh herbs, but I’ve used compound butter with dried herbs to my make boneless prime rib and it works great too.
Lorna Mesenhimer says
Made this for Christmas,was such a hit I’m making it for Easter!! Please people do not over cook a good prime rib roast! Follow this no fail recipe!!
Shinee says
Thank you so much, Lorna!!!
Don says
Have a 5lb boneless roast approximately how long do I roast for?
Shinee says
About 3 hours at 200°F to reach 120°F internal temperature for a perfectly medium rare finish.
Robin Silverberg says
I have a 4.7 lb roast. My husband insists on it being done med-well. How long and for what temp?
Shinee says
Hi, Robin. I personally think it’s a crime to cook a prime rib till med well. :)) But jokes aside, you’ll need to cook it till internal temperature reaches 140°F. I’m not sure how long it’d take. But since you don’t have to worry about perfectly even, pink inside, then you could increase the oven temp to 300°F, so it doesn’t take way too long.
Shannon says
This recipe was incredible. The prime rib was roasted to perfection with the firmer trim and crisp crust. I couldn’t believe how amazing this turned out. You are so right. I will never ever cook prime rib again any other way. The was better than the best restaurants I have had prime rib at. I had so much fun making this for Christmas Eve dinner I can’t wait to make it again sooner than later. Even the leftovers were rare enough to warm up slightly without drying out. This is by far one of the best finds. Thank you for sharing this amazing technique.
Shinee says
Aww, I’m so happy you tried and loved this method, Shannon!! I appreciate your feedback!!
Jeff says
Fantastic, just had to adjust to high altitude, thin air conducts heat slower. 20% less at 7500 ft. Just increase time or temp accordingly.
Shinee says
So happy you liked this method,, Jeff!! Thanks for reminding us to adjust for high altitude!!! So helpful!
Robert Accetta says
Fantastic, sums it up nicely!
Shinee says
Awesome!! So happy you liked it, Robert. I appreciate your feedback.
Geri says
As a butcher I have made many prime rib roasts for family and friends and this is the very best that I have done. Thanks for sharing😊
Shinee says
Ah, this’s quite the compliment, Geri!! Thank you SO much for sharing your feedback!
Juan says
I dont know, it seems that time is dependent also on the stove. I used an electric roaster and it reached 125 f after 3 hours. Its looking fine, Its resting for 30 minutes now, before the 500 f crunch.
Shinee says
Hi, Juan! You’re right! Every stove works differently, so the estimated times I provide are estimates only. And I imagine electric roaster is smaller than a regular oven, which makes it much more efficient. Hope you enjoyed a perfect prime rib. Thank you for your feedback!!
Glen Z says
Probably one of the best prime ribs I’ve cooked, I made a 5lb roast for Christmas and I’m going to make a 13lb roast tomorrow! I was just checking the recipe before I cooked this next round and decided to leave a comment
Shinee says
Hi, Glen. I really appreciate your feedback. So happy you liked the recipe.
James says
Would this work for a few 38oz Tomahawk steaks? They are about 3 inches thick. I would prefer this method instead of using a grill. If so, would I need to pan sear at the end, or would the oven work? Thank you.
Shinee says
Hi, James. Yes, absolutely!! I’d finish it on a skillet stovetop, but oven should work too.
Brad says
Hi, first time doing a prime rib later today for Boxing Day dinner. We have a 3.75 roast, wanting it to be rare. Suggested cooking time? Many thanks!
Shinee says
Hi, Brad. I’d estimate about 3 hours for 4lbs roast to reach 120-125°F. Make sure it’s brought to room temperature before putting in oven, or it’ll take longer. Hope you enjoy!
Kim says
Roasting time was way off. I had an 8lb roast in for 4.5 hours and it was still only at 115 when I decided to take it out to rest. It was an amazing rare roast (but I wanted med-rare).
Shinee says
Hi, Kim. Thank you for your feedback. One question, did you bring the roast to room temperature before putting it in the oven? If so, how long did you have it on the counter? Thanks!
Kim says
I did, I had it out for two hours. I thought maybe my temp probe wasn’t working, but a second probe confirmed the temp.
Shinee says
Thanks for letting me know, Kim. This info helps a lot!!
Debra Adolph says
I will make my prime rib like this from now on! It was so good! Perfect! One thing I did different was I poked tiny holes on the top of it, put some soy sauce in the holes, made it so flavorful!
Shinee says
Hi, Debra!! That sounds like an amazing idea!! Thank you for sharing it!
Shirley Yagoda says
I made this for Christmas day for lunch. Started at 7 AM for the first bake and finished at 10:30 AM. Lunch was postponed so I tented the beef and it didn’t go back into the oven until 1 PM. Baked at 500 degrees for 20 minutes which really made the outside perfect! We ate at 2 and everyone LOVED it. Thank you for sharing
Shinee says
Awesome. So happy everyone got to enjoy a perfect prime rib! Thank you for your feedback, Shirley!