How To Make The Ultimate Prime Rib

Prime rib, a true holiday showstopper. Prime rib is definitely one of the most impressive pieces of meat you can make for your family, your friends. It's really something a lot of people have on the holidays or a special occasion. Because of its price tag you really want to make sure you're getting it right. We tested a bunch of recipes and different techniques so you don't have to. Here's everything you need to know about how to make the ultimate prime rib. All you're gonna need is a great prime rib, salt, pepper, and a little bit of time and patience. One big debate about buying prime rib is whether to get bone-in or bone-less. A bone-in roast is known to give you a more flavorful, more tender result because the bone insulates the meat as it cooks. But it can also be really time-consuming to carve. So we'd actually recommend that you get a boneless roast and have your butcher tie the bones back onto the meat. That way you're still gonna get that great flavor from the bones and it'll be insulated and tender, but you won't have to deal with carving it. Another question a lot of people have when buying prime rib, prime or choice? If you're already splurging, we'd recommend going with a prime grade roast. While prime grade prime rib is harder to find, it really has the best flavor. If you're going big, you might as well go big. The last question is, how much should you buy? We'd recommend about a pound per person. After the prime rib is cooked, you'll end up with about a half pound per person. Now that you know what kind of prime rib to buy, let's get cooking. So the night before you make your prime rib, you want to take it out of the fridge and blot it completely dry with paper towels. If you have excess moisture, the prime rib isn't going to dry out as much, which isn't going to result in that crispy crackly crust that we really want to get. So once the prime rib is completely dry, you're going to generously season it with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Kosher salt is actually less salty than iodized salt or table salt. Freshly ground black pepper is going to add just that really great peppery flavor, whereas pre-ground, it's just not the same. I know this looks like a lot, but to really make sure that the roast is fully flavored from the inside out, you need to be generous with your seasoning. You're going to put it into a rimmed baking sheet. The rimmed baking sheet is just going to prevent any juices that might, you know, float out. It's going to keep everything contained. Transfer to the fridge and let it sit uncovered overnight. If you don't have time to let it sit overnight, at least try to do it for two to four hours. It'll make a big difference in your final prime rib. Once the prime rib has rested overnight, you're going to take the prime rib out of the fridge and place it on a rack in a roasting pan. It's really important to let the prime rib come to room temperature because if you put a cold piece of meat in a hot oven, it's going to bring down the temperature of the oven and therefore result in an uneven cook. Some people cover their prime rib with butter or other herbs and seasonings. While it does add flavor, it's kind of too overpowering. This is such a delicate, beautiful piece of meat that's inherently really fatty, so adding more fat to it makes it really intense. Adding other seasonings or other herbs, you can do it, but you really don't need it and be conscious that adding some of those things might burn in the oven. So that's really it, now we're ready to roast. So the trick to getting that beautiful crispy exterior is to start in a really hot oven. We're going to start at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 and roast for 11 to 12 minutes per pound. Every roast is going to be a different weight and therefore cook for a different amount of time. You're spending so much money on this piece of meat, you really want to do it right. Some people prefer cooking their prime rib low and slow. We found that by doing this you can get a decent prime rib, but the fat doesn't render in the same way and you don't get the same crispy exterior. With a prime rib, you definitely want to make sure that you're not overcooking it. This is one of those times when a meat thermometer is absolutely non-negotiable. When the temperature reaches 120, you want to take it out. Once the prime rib comes out of the oven, you're going to cover it with tinfoil and tent it for about 30 minutes. The temperature is still going to rise about 10 degrees to get you that perfect medium rare roast. It's also going to absorb the juices as it's resting. I know you might want to cook it a bit more, but really trust us. For prime rib, it's such an expensive, beautiful piece of meat, you don't want to overcook it. So from here it's pretty easy. You're going to transfer the prime rib to a cutting board to start carving it. You can also save all those amazing juices from the roasting pan to make an au jus to top your prime rib with, if you want. So now we're going to begin carving. First you want to snip off the strings that are holding the bones back. So because we have the butcher tie back the ribs, it's really easy at this point to remove it. So now just lift the bones right off the roast. It's so much easier than having to carve them if we had gotten a bone-in roast. Typically prime rib slices are pretty thick. It's such a tender piece of meat that if you do really thin slices, it's just going to fall apart. It's also the holidays. I mean if there was ever a time to treat yourself, this would be it. When you cut into the roast, the center should be pink, the exterior should have that beautiful crackly skin, and the fat should be rendered. That's a sign of a great prime rib. Oh, look at that stunning prime rib. Prime rib is typically served with an au jus or a horseradish cream. Whichever you choose, you can't go wrong. Prime rib is deceptively simple. Your friends and family are going to be really impressed and think you've been in the kitchen working hard all day on it. Well in reality, you were just letting it do its thing in the oven. Try it out. Let us know what you think. Happy holidays. You should honestly make the prime rib just for the fatty bits because they're so good. It's like meat candy. It's meat candy. Happy holidays.