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My recipe for Sous Vide Prime Rib makes it easy to cook a luxurious holiday dinner! This is a no-fail recipe for prime rib sous vide. The meat cooks to be succulent, juicy, and perfectly tender every time - even if you're a total beginner to making sous vide rib roast!
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Prime Rib Sous Vide
Let me show you how to sous vide prime rib, and I guarantee you're going to want to make it this way every year. I've dry aged prime rib, cooked it in the smoker and on the grill, roasted it bone-in and boneless, and I've even air fried and pressure cooked prime rib. Let me tell you, sous vide rib roast is as easy as perfection gets!
All you have to do to sous vide prime rib is seal it in an airtight bag, sous vide it at 132°F for 6-10 hours, then quickly sear it in the oven and serve. It turns out perfectly every time, but is totally hands-off and simple even for total beginners to cooking prime rib. So, pop open my prime rib temp chart and comprehensive guide to cooking prime rib - then keep scrolling to learn how to sous vide rib roast, with serving suggestions and more!
Perfect! I sous vide the prime rib for 10 hours at the recommended 132 degrees. The reverse sear with the butter was amazing! I will never make prime rib any other way.
Tools to Sous Vide Rib Roast
- A sous vide machine. You won't need a vacuum sealer for this recipe - you can sous vide prime rib without one! Of course, if you have one, you can use it.
- A large pot for the water bath.
- Airtight plastic bags large enough to hold your prime rib.
- A small mixing bowl to make your prime rib butter rub.
- A roasting pan with a rack to sear your prime rib in the oven after sous vide cooking it.
- You will also need a sharp knife and cutting board to slice and serve the sous vide prime rib.
Sous Vide Prime Rib Roast Ingredients
- Prime rib roast: This recipe is specifically for a boneless rib roast, but you can also make bone-in prime rib sous vide! Just make sure you have a big enough pot.
- Kosher salt: You'll want to use a nice flaky salt like sea salt or Kosher salt. The larger crystals cling to the meat more efficiently than table salt and have a much better flavor.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter for butter rub, as it lets me customize the flavor precisely to my preferences!
- Garlic powder: Garlic powder will work out much better for this recipe than raw garlic. Trust me, I've tried both! Garlic cloves don't tend to cook as well in the sous vide machine and can leave the beef too strongly flavored with that raw garlic tang.
- Rosemary: Fresh herbs are ideal for this recipe. You can pack them right into the bag with the beef and then chop them up later to use in the butter rub. If you don't have fresh, you can use dried.
- Thyme: You'll want fresh for the best possible flavor. However, you can use dried, and it'll taste great, too- use less.
- Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper has the freshest and most intense flavor, perfect for beef.
- Optional, Beef broth: If you want to make au jus with the reserved cooking liquid, make sure to have some beef broth on hand!
For detailed instructions with step-by-step photos, answers to FAQ, expert tips, and more, scroll below the recipe card!
Sous Vide Prime Rib
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Roasting pan and rack
- Gallon ziplock bag
Ingredients
- 5 lb. Prime rib - bone-in
- Kosher salt
Garlic Rosemary Butter Rub
- 1 stick Salted butter - softened
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh rosemary - chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh thyme - chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Black pepper - coarse ground
- Au Jus - for serving, optional
Instructions
- One hour before starting to cook, season the roast with salt and pepper.5 lb. Prime rib,Kosher salt,1 Tablespoon Black pepper
- Set up the Sous Vide machine to heat to a temperature of 132°F, and attach it to a very large pot of water. Place the roast in a plastic bag, then submerge it in the water completely.
- Sous vide the meat for 6-10 hours, depending on the size of the roast. Remove from the bag, reserving the liquid, and pat the roast dry and let cool slightly.
- Combine the softened butter, garlic powder, chopped herbs and pepper in a bowl, then use it to coat the top and sides of the roast. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 550°F.1 stick Salted butter,2 Tablespoons Garlic powder,1 Tablespoon Fresh rosemary,1 Tablespoon Fresh thyme
- Sear the beef in the oven for 8-10 minutes on a roasting pan with a rack, until the crust is golden.
- Let the beef rest 15 minutes in aluminum foil, slice, and serve! Use the reserved liquid for Au Jus.
Notes
- Prime ribs are large cuts of meat, so I suggest using a large soup pot or Dutch oven for the water bath. If the prime rib doesn't fit the container correctly and doesn't remain fully submerged, it won't cook evenly.
- For the oven sear, make sure to set a wire rack on the pan so that the air can circulate under the beef as well.
- Resting seems like something that can be skipped, but never skip resting beef! Make sure you tent the roast with foil and let it sit for 15 minutes. This ensures the meat is as juicy as possible.
- Slice against the grain of the beef to ensure each slice is ultra tender.
- It can be hard to remove all the air from the zip lock bag. I find it easiest to submerge all but the opening in water and zip it that way, then use a weight or clip to keep the bag submerged while cooking.
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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How to Sous Vide Prime Rib Detailed Instructions
1: Season Beef
Season the roast with salt and pepper one hour before starting to cook.
2: Seal Bag
Set up the Sous Vide machine to heat to a temperature of 132°F, and attach it to a very large pot of water. Place the roast in a plastic bag or vacuum seal bag if you have a vacuum sealer, then submerge it in the water completely.
3: Sous Vide
Sous vide the meat for 6-10 hours, depending on the size of the roast. Remove from the bag, reserving the liquid, and pat the roast dry and let cool slightly.
4: Add Butter Rub
Whisk the softened butter, garlic powder, chopped herbs, and pepper in a bowl, then coat the roast's top and sides. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 550°F, or as high as your oven can go.
5: Reverse Sear
Sear the beef in the oven for 8-10 minutes on a roasting pan with a rack, until the crust is golden.
6: Rest & Slice
Let the beef rest 15 minutes in aluminum foil, slice, and serve! You can slice it into thick slices or like me, I prefer thinner slices. Use the reserved juices for Au Jus!
Expert Tips
- Prime ribs are large cuts of meat, so I suggest using a large soup pot or Dutch oven for the water bath. If the prime rib doesn't fit the container correctly and doesn't remain fully submerged, it won't cook evenly.
- Set a wire rack on the pan for the oven sear so the air can circulate under the beef.
- Resting seems like something that can be skipped, but never skip resting beef! Make sure you tent the roast with foil and let it sit for 15 minutes. This ensures the meat is as juicy as possible.
- Slice against the grain of the beef to ensure each slice is ultra-tender.
- Removing all the air from the zip lock bag can be challenging. I find it easiest to submerge all but the opening in water and zip it that way, then use a weight or clip to submerge the bag while cooking.
FAQ
It is worth it to try rib eye roast sous vide! Using the sous vide machine ensures the meat will be perfectly cooked without ever getting tough or overcooked, and heats the meat evenly so there will never be any spots that are under cooked. It's foolproof and so delicious!
Sous vide machines keep the meat at an exact temperature, meaning that it's nearly impossible to overcook the meat! So long as the machine is set to the correct temperature of 132°F, the meat will not get overcooked.
For a perfectly pink and tender prime rib, set the sous vide to 132°F. This will ensure that the meat is fully cooked to satisfaction without ever reaching a temperature high enough that it might overcook and become tough! This also leaves a temperature gap that lets you sear it in the oven without overcooking it.
Reverse Searing Prime Rib
A critical part of sous vide recipes is the sear! The sous vide machine is incredible for perfectly cooking through meat or vegetables, but the one thing it can't do is give food a good crispy crust.
That's why reverse searing, or searing the food after it's been fully cooked, is so perfect! By using the oven to sear the meat at a very high temperature for a short amount of time, just the crust of the meat will get a good crisp crust without the rest of the rib risking getting over cooked.
Sous Vide Prime Rib Cooking Temperature
| Beef Doneness | Internal Temp |
|---|---|
| Rare beef temperature | 125°F - center is bright red and soft |
| Medium-rare roast | 135°F - center is warm red, edges are pink |
| Medium roast | 145°F - warm pink throughout, no red remaining |
| Medium-well roast | 150°F - only the center is pink |
| Well-done roast | 160°F - little or no remaining pink |
The temperature at which you cook your prime rib is up to you and your family's tastes! I like my beef medium-rare but feel free to adjust the temperature based on what your family will enjoy.
What to Serve with Sous Vide Beef Roast
Don't forget my amazing horseradish sauce and au jus!
Once you try prime rib sous vide, you will fall in love with it. This is the easiest way to cook and expensive piece of meat like prime rib!
Michelle says
Perfect! I sous vide the prime rib for 10 hours at the recommended 132 degrees. The reverse sear with the butter was amazing! I will never make prime rib any other way
Isabel Laessig says
So happy to hear this, Michelle. Thank you!