Chef John's Perfect Prime Rib (2024)

FAQs

What is the best temperature to cook a prime rib roast? ›

Brown the roast at 500°F (or as high as your oven will go) for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 325°F to finish roasting: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Roast in the oven until the thermometer registers 115°F for rare or 120° for medium rare, and 130°F for medium.

Start by cooking your prime rib at 500°F for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 325° F and cook for 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, or 14-15 min per pound for medium well. A meat thermometer is essential to ensure you cook it perfectly!

How do restaurants make prime rib so tender? The secret to restaurant-style prime rib is cooking the meat super slow at low temperatures. I recommend cooking prime rib at no higher than 200 degrees F. This cooks the meat very slowly, turning the fat into butter and rendering the proteins juicy and soft.

Prime Rib Tips

Here is the formula: Multiply the exact weight times 5 minutes. For me it was 5.35 x 5 = 26.75 minutes, which we round up to 27. You'll cook your room-temperature prime rib at 500 degrees F for exactly that many minutes.

Roast at 225 degrees until internal temperature reaches 110 degrees. Turn off the oven and allow internal temperature to reach 115 for rare, 120 for medium rare. After removing from oven, loosely tent with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

This will allow the meat to cook more evenly. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Pour 1-2 cups of water or beef broth in the bottom of a roasting pan. As the fat from the roast drips into the pan as it cooks, this will prevent it from burning in the bottom of the pan.

Prime Rib Cooking Time

Reduce heat to 325˚F and continue baking: 10-12 min per pound for rare. 13-14 min per pound for medium-rare. 14-15 min per pound for medium.

Putting a dry rub on too early increases the likelihood of it being washed off or knocked loose before you get the beef cooked. Aside from seasoning mixes designed to go on up to one day before cooking for brining purposes, you'll only want the dry rub on the Prime Rib in time for the start of cooking.

Place the roast fat side up, bone side down, in a large roasting pan. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. This allows the heat to sear the roast, trapping the juicy flavors inside while the rest of the meat cooks.

Why is my prime rib always tough? ›

Overcooking the Prime Rib

That's why prime rib is so expensive: it's a huge piece of extremely good beef. Therefore, it's important not to cook it beyond medium-rare. Going past that temperature means the roast will no longer be tender.

Do you cover prime rib roast when cooking? You can cover rib roast when cooking after searing it to help it retain some of its moisture, but it's not necessary. For the best results, leave the roast uncovered until you remove it from the oven or grill and place it at room temperature for resting.

Heat the oven to 250°F with the rack in the lower middle position. Cook for 4 to 5 hours or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the roast is 125-130°F for medium-rare prime rib, or 135-140°F for medium.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the temperature on the oven down to 250°F and continue to cook the prime rib for 12-15 minutes per pound of meat, or until the internal temperature reaches 122°F for medium rare. The internal temperature will continue to rise 5-10 degrees as you rest the meat.

The Benefits of Slow Roasting

First, slow roasting produces a Prime Rib that is tender, juicy, and has evenly cooked meat.