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Our Slow Roasted Prime Rib Roast recipe is a melt-in-your-mouth holiday classic. Using only 4 ingredients and hardly any prep work, this is an easy rib roast recipe that will really “wow” your guests!
See what makes this our most popular holiday roast beef. It’s the best way to cook prime rib!
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What is prime rib?
This cut of beef is the most tender and succulent piece of meat you will taste. If cooked properly, it literally melts in your mouth!
It is a cut of beef from the primal rib section of the cow. While the entire rib section is comprised of ribs 6 through 12, a Standing Rib Roast may contain anywhere from two to seven ribs depending on the number of servings you need.
A standing roast is most often roasted “standing” on the rib bones so the meat does not touch the pan.
However, a slow roast rib is easier to serve when it is boneless. You don’t have to carve around the bones.
This is the easiest boneless roast recipe you will ever try!
What is the difference between Prime Rib and Ribeye Steaks?
The standing rib roast is a roast with more muscle and fat. Ribeye is a steak cut from the prime roast.
The cooking method for each cut is different. When cooking a rib roast, you roast a ribeye roast recipe on a rack in the oven which takes much longer than a ribeye steak.
A ribeye steak cooks more quickly. You can either pan sear in a skillet on the stove-top or cook on the grill.
How to Buy a Perfect Holiday Roast
It’s all about the marbling! Trust us on this, the perfect beef roast will have lots of marbling, or white flecks, throughout the beef.
What is marbling on meat?
The word marbling refers to white flecks and streaks of fat within the lean sections of beef, resembling a marble pattern. It is also called intramuscular fat.
Marbling adds so much flavor and is is one of the main criteria for judging the quality of cuts of beef.
I always look for quality when I look for a beef roast near me. For maximum flavor and tenderness, be sure to use Certified Angus Beef® brand. Find a retailer near you or order online.
Many times during the holidays I find there are rib roasts on sale near me. I love purchasing Certified Angus Beef® brand because it guarantees we are purchasing the best quality beef with lots of marbling!
How much holiday rib per person?
A good estimate on how much beef you will need is ½ pound per person when the roast is part of a holiday buffet, or ¾ pound per person if it’s the main course.
If you downloaded the Roast Perfect App, just add the number of guests and the app will do all the work for you.
🧂 How to Season Prime Rib
Before you cook your boneless rib roast recipe, you’ll want to season it ahead of time and let it absorb the flavor of your seasoning.
Best Prime Rib Seasoning
- Salt the roast the day before and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to cook, rub the roast all over with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1-2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper.
That’s it! That is all you need to make the perfect holiday roast with simple yet delicious seasoning!
Garlic Butter Sauce
If you want to elevate your holiday roast, you are going to want to try our Garlic Butter Recipe. Our garlic herb butter sauce adds so much flavor to a simple roast.
How to Make Prime Rib
Traditionally, roasting is done at the beginning, at a high temperature for about 15 minutes to develop the crust on the outside. It is then cooked at 325°F for another hour or so to reach the desired degree of doneness.
This method tends to have more moisture loss during the initial blast of high heat.
Slow-roasting flips the traditional method on its head!
❓ Why is roasting low and slow best?
Low and slow cooking will lock in all the juices for maximum flavor and tenderness. Plus, slow roasting delivers more even cooking from the center out.
When you roast low and slow in the oven, you’ll notice there will be a very small amount of juice that accumulates in the bottom of the roasting pan. All of the drippings remain in the roast, resulting in beef that is more tender and juicy than any other method of cooking.
Once the it is slow roasted to the desired degree of doneness, put it in a high heat oven for about 15 minutes before serving to achieve a beautifully crisp, browned crust on the outside which adds tons of flavor!
This truly is our favorite recipe for a holiday roast that everyone will rave about.
⌚ Prime Rib Cooking Time
It is always best to use a meat thermometer to make sure your roast beef is done perfectly to your liking.
Prime Rib Temperatures
Cooking Time Per Pound Chart
- Rare: 120-125°F – Bright red interior
- Medium Rare: 130-135°F – Pink on the outer crust with a deeper red center
- Medium: 135-140°F – Mauve/light pink colored interior
- Well-done: 145°F+ – Brown, no pink
⭐ Family Foodie Tips
- The night before, cut, unwrap the beef and set it in the refrigerator. Keep it uncovered on the sheet pan with a rack. This allows the surface moisture to evaporate and will guarantee a beautiful brown crust when you sear it.
- Three hours before roasting, take the beef out and place it on a sheet pan (to catch any juices) and keep at room temperature. This step is key to an evenly roasted roast beef recipe.
- Rest for 15-20 before slicing. This will help keep in all the juices for the juiciest and moistest roast.
- We love serving it rare and then using au jus gravy to finish cooking the meat. Perfection!
🔪 How to Cut a Prime Rib
- Place your roast on a wooden meat cutting board with juice groove and choose the sharpest slicing knife you own.
- Look at the direction on the grain of the beef and slice against the grain.
It is truly a personal preference if you slice thick or thin slices. Both work, so it depends on if you want a steak-like experience or more of a roast beef eating experience.
📃 Prime Rib Leftovers
It is just as delicious the next day and we love reinventing leftovers. One of the best recipes you can make using leftovers is Creamy Penne Pasta.
It’s like an amped-up Fettuccine Alfredo with steak. The combination of flavors is incredible!
Roast beef sandwiches are absolutely amazing on their own. But we love elevating them by making a cheese sauce to drizzle on top and adding sauteéd mushrooms and onions.
And our absolute favorite is making a Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and remoulade sauce sandwich. You haven’t lived until you try this leftover sandwich!
🔥 Reheating Prime Rib
I prefer to cook the meat to medium-rare so it can easily be reheated without drying out.
- Once you cut your beef into approximately equal slices, you can reheat by placing the meat in a microwave-safe dish.
- Add a bit of leftover au jus or beef stock. Cover your dish with a paper towel and microwave on high for about one minute.
- Continue to heat in 30-second increments until your roast reaches an internal temp of about 160 to 165º F.
You can also reheat your beef on the stovetop.
Just add the sliced roast into a small pot with either leftover au jus or beef stock. Heat for approximately 5 minutes and serve.
🥗 Side Dishes for Prime Rib
This is the ultimate Christmas dinner, especially when you pair it with these delicious side dishes for roast beef. It’s one of our favorite Sunday Dinner Ideas, too.
- Au Gratin Potatoes
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Artichoke Salad
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Yorkshire pudding
🥩 Favorite Holiday Roast Recipes
💬 Reader Reviews
Our reverse sear rib roast is slow roasted to perfection to seal in all the juices that make a beef roast extra delicious.
We happen to think that this is the best holiday recipe in the world and make it for Christmas dinner year after year!
This was by far the best (and simplest) way to perfection with the
Sarah
prime rib….Thank you…the BEST recipe for rib I’ve ever done and I’ve been cooking them for Christmas and Thanksgiving for over 50 years!!
We have just started using the reverse sear method for steaks, but hadn’t thought of doing it with prime rib. Great tips in this recipe!
Pam
This is foolproof prime rib recipe. Set it and forget it. The iPhone app is great!!
David
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📋 Recipe
Slow Roasted Prime Rib
🍳 Equipment
🥘 Ingredients
- 8 lb. Certified Angus Beef® brand Boneless Prime Rib Roast
- 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt or sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 2 tsp. black pepper freshly ground
🔪 Instructions
- Salt the roast all over with 1 Tbsp. kosher salt the day before you plan on cooking it and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
- When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 200°F. Place prime rib roast on rack in roasting pan.Rub the roast all over with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 1-2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper.
- Place roasting pan in preheated oven until the center of the roast reads 120°F for medium-rare.This takes about 4 hours, but time will vary depending on the size of the roast. Use an instant-read thermometer or meat probe and cook to 5 degrees below your desired degree of doneness.Remove roast from oven and tent with foil to rest for at least 20 minutes. Turn oven temp up to 500°F.
- Once the oven reaches 500°F, remove the foil and put the roast back in the oven. Cook until the outside is nicely browned and crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer roast to a cutting board and rest the roast at least 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use the FREE Roast Perfect App by Certified Angus Beef® brand to select the perfect size roast for the amount of guests you are serving.
- It is always best to use a meat thermometer to make sure your Prime Rib is done perfectly to your liking.
- The night before roasting the prime rib, unwrap the beef and set it in the refrigerator. Keep it uncovered on the sheet pan with a rack. This allows the surface moisture to evaporate and will guarantee a beautiful brown crust when you sear it.
- Three hours before roasting, take the beef out and place it on a sheet pan (to catch any juices) and keep at room temperature. This step is key to an evenly roasted prime rib recipe.
- Make sure you let the prime rib rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving
- For maximum flavor and tenderness, be sure to use Certified Angus Beef® brand Prime Rib
Nutrition
Some photography by Marion Myers
Kammy says
Amazing recipe. Perfect every time!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Kammy! We’re so glad you like it!