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!
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. Read this! (Go on, I’ll wait for ya.)
In that article,
- 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!
And here’s another 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
- 4 ribs 5-10lb prime rib
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- A head of garlic cherry tomatoes and asparagus, optional
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.
- 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 beautiful roaster, 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:
Gina Kahai says
I didn’t have the time to do the overnight seasoning because I had already brought it to room temp by the time I came across this yummy recipe. It was very useful for the rest of the way and I can only imagine how magnificent it will be when I follow the recipe in its entirety. Everyone loved it, even the chef I was filling in for! Slow and low is the way to go though! I had a 4.5lb 3 bone that had the bones detached (I cooked the roast as if it were attached and added a few cloves of garlic sliced in halves and sun dried tomatoes between the roast and the slab of bones). I also used my convection oven at 195F and set it for 3 hours. Luckily I checked it after 2 hours With a meat thermometer and it read 125 so I took it out and tented it. 30 min later, seared that puppy for 10min and torched the fat after that. I was amazed. It was perfectly medium-rarish. A nice lite pink with a little blood as I sliced it but not too rare. Everyone loved how soft and flavorful it was and the other chef took some for lunch the next day. Wowzers!
Shinee says
Yay!!! So happy you gave this reverse-searing method a try and that your prime rib came out perfect! Way to impress your guests and chefs!!! Your feedbacks made me so very happy. Thank you, Gina!!!
Brooke says
Made this on Saturday for my boyfriend’s birthday and it was absolutely delicious! I always make a new recipe exactly as written the first time but I ended up being out of cumin (which is just wrong..)so I ended up using rosemary with excellent results. I did dry and salt the roast-with an overnight air dry in the fridge-loved the crust that it produced. For Christmas I will use cumin to recreate the recipe as written. My roast was 7.5 lbs and cooked to medium in 4 hours. This is a great way to prepare a prime rib. I’ll never do it any other way now that I’ve tried this.
Brad says
Do you cook it in the oven covered or uncovered?
Shinee says
Hi, Brad. Uncovered.
Missy says
My family faved! Easter is a special time; good wine, great friends, dear family & we are happy to share and serve. This year however, with THIS prime rib… my husband forgot the serving part! I carved the meat and he could barely stop from salivating. Then he speared a piece like a starving hostage and was eating before our guest, our daughter or the chef wife that cooked for him! I could barely fault him, as we all thought it was scrumptious!
Shinee says
Oh my, Missy, sounds like you had a great Easter! Thank you for sharing! I don’t blame your husband, because the same things happens here too. 🙂
Gail says
I have had my 2.5 lb. roast in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 1/2 hours and it is still no where near the temperature it should be at – we like medium so we were aiming at 130 on the thermometer. I am going to try to bring it to the 130 by using an oven temp of 325, and then finish it off at the 500 degrees. I hope this works. This is my first attempt at a prime rib and we paid a lot of money for it, so I sure am hoping it turns out to be delicious!
Shinee says
Hi, Gail. I’m so surprised your roast was taking SO long. I’d estimate it should take 3-3.5 hours to reach 130°F at 200°F. I hope turning the oven temp expedited the process and your prime rib turned out perfect. Let me know. I’d also double check how accurate your oven and meat thermometer are.
Evan says
I’m getting ready to follow this method for my wife and I’s tenth wedding anniversary. I’m curious how you manage other side dishes while following this method.
Is it best just to stick with stovetop recipes, or can you work in casseroles in some way? Without a double oven it seems tricky with the timing to get something that needs to bake at 375, for instance, into the oven before this needs to be served. Any tips?
Shinee says
Hi, Evan! First of all, congrats on your upcoming anniversary!! I also have a single oven and I totally understand your dilemma. There are 2 ways to go about side dishes.
1. Stick with side dishes cooked on stovetop, or other appliances like Instant Pot, or Air Fryer. That’s what I did this year.
2. Or plan to cook your roast 1-2 hours earlier. Cook the roast low and slow till desired doneness, remove it from oven and cover it well to keep it warm. You can easily rest the roast for up to 1.5 hours, which is enough time to bake the side dishes. Once sides are done, heat the oven and broil the roast for a nice color and crust.
Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.
Evan says
Thanks! We went with twice baked potatoes in the oven (while the meat was resting, at 375 on the way up to 500) and Brussel sprouts with bacon on the stove top.
Everything was really delicious! My only surprise was that after removing the roast from the oven at about 131 degrees and following the rest of the instructions closely, we still ended up more on the medium rare side (very pink). Nevertheless, very delicious!
Shinee says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Evan. It sounds like everything turned out delicious! I love your side dish choices!!
Crystal says
Can I follow the same instructions if I’m using a countertop convection oven?
Shinee says
Hi, Crystal. I don’t see why you couldn’t. As long as the temperature can be set as per recipe, it should be the same.
Christy Jackson says
Followed this recipe and it turned out great!! Thanks for the tips!!
Shinee says
Awesome. So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback, Christy!
Harold McWay says
I was looking for a good approach to cooking a 5.5 lb prime rib. I’ve been using the slow and sear approach to beef steaks for a while now and this looked like it made sense. I took the meat out of the wrapper and salt and peppered it for a night in the fridge. It came out this morning to get some of the chill off. Oven at 200 F for 4.5 hours to 120. Let it rest while the oven gets well heated to 500 F, then after a half hour, it went in for about 9 minutes which brought the temp up to 125 F. It was wonderful, and well received. I had good confidence in your approach, and it produced a beautiful result. Thank You
Shinee says
Hi, Harold. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and feedback. Much appreciated!!
Marilyn bankert says
do I roast this covered or uncovered?
Kathy says
I’m not an expert, but I’ve done mine uncovered and it turned out awesome!
Shinee says
Uncovered.
Thuy says
I have a 9lb rib roast, are the instructions and timing the same? How much time does it usually get to a medium? When should i pull It out to rest before the 500 degree blast?
Thank you!
Shinee says
Hi, Thuy. I’d estimate 4.5-5lbs at 200°F for 9lbs roast to reach 130°F internal temp for a medium doneness. When the internal temp reaches 130°F, take it out, cover and rest for 30-90 minutes before final sear. Hope you’ll love it. Let us know how it turns out.
Thuy says
Thank you for your quick response! Did you mean 4-5 hours before it reaches 130?
Shinee says
Oops, yes, I meant hours, not lbs! 🙂
Thuy says
OMG! This technique is it! My roast was a huge hit with my family and friends. Perfectly medium rare to medium with a nice crust on the outside. The only step I added was dry seasoning it and loosely wrapping it in Saran Wrap 24 hours prior in the fridge. Honestly I was worried 5 hours wasn’t enough for my 9lb roast. I’ll be using this technique forever. Thank you, Shinee!
Shinee says
That’s fantastic, Thuy! So glad to hear that it was a hit!! Thank you for your feedback.
Kim Holt says
This recipe is amazing. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out superbly. I followed the directions up to the part where you blast the meat at 500 degrees. Instead of doing it in the oven, we put it on the bbq to get that smoky flavor and it turned out great.
Shinee says
Hi, Kim. Thank you for your feedback!!! I love the idea of finishing it on the grill.