Smoked Prime Rib

Smoked Prime Rib

Whether you want the perfect holiday table, or just feel like eating something decadent, follow this recipe for the best, juiciest, most amazing prime rib, cooked on a pellet smoker. The instructions are simple, and with just a few ingredients, and a couple tools, you will have the centerpiece of your meal. And wow, what a centerpiece it will be!

Serve this prime rib, or standing rib roast with Roasted Carrots and Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes or Cheesy Skillet Potatoes for delicious and simple meal, that looks complicated and fancy.

A prime rib is a special cut of beef. Maybe even the most special cut. It is marbled, juicy, and when cooked properly, it has such incredible flavor, it is no wonder it is often the centerpiece for special occasions and holiday meals.

Having raised my own beef for the past several years, I can tell you, this is a cut of meat you want to cook for those special occasions. But it comes with a hefty price tag, so you do not want to mess it up. Which is why I have made this recipe over and over, tweaking, testing, and adjusting to get it just right, so when you make it, you can confidently prepare and serve a masterpiece.

What You Need to Make Prime Rib

This prime rib is ridiculously simple, especially for the results you get. It starts with a great standing rib roast, then a delicious rub, and is finished with a garlic butter bath, that takes it up to a whole new level. You do not want to skip any of the steps.

Here is what you need to make this epic prime rib. It is eazy peazy and the ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store:

• 1 (8-10 Lb) 4-Bone Prime Rib Roast
• 5 Tablespoon Prime Rib Rub, or Make your own **see below
• Butter Bath

Butter Finish:

• 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs Minced garlic
• 1 tsp Dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Prime Rib Rub:

You can use a ready made rub, like this Prime Rib Rub from Traeger, or make your own:

• 3 Tablespoon Kosher salt
• 3 Tablespoon Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic granules
• 3 Tablespoon Chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Brown sugar

What Cut of Meat is Prime Rib? 

The prime rib is a beef cut from the primal rib of the cow. It contains between 6 and 12 ribs. It’s cut from higher up on the cow which makes it more tender. And because this is an area where the cows aren’t using those muscles as much, they get nice marbling of fat and they’re not as tough. Unlike a brisket, which is a muscle that is used frequently when a cow walks and stands, the prime rib is tender, and requires less finagling with temperature to make tender.

But, it is also expensive. Those more tender cuts of beef are far more rare on the cow, making them come at a premium. Which means, because you are paying a pretty penny for your prime rib, you want to make sure you cook it right! 

Is Prime Rib the Same as Ribeye?

Ribeye steaks are also cut from the prime rib. Essentially, they are the same cut of meat, but ribeye is cooked and served as a steak, and a prime rib is cooked and served as a roast.

What’s the Difference Between USDA Prime and Choice?

When selecting your Prime Rib Roast, you can often chose between USDA Prime and Choice. So what is the difference? The difference is how much fat marbling the meat has. Prime Grade has much more fat marbling throughout the meat than the Choice Grade. However, both are high quality grades. 

The “prime” label is the highest grade, and “choice” the next highest. Both are great, and chances are if you are purchasing at a grocery store, and not a high end butcher, you will be getting a USDA “choice” grade standing rib roast, or prime rib.  If you want USDA Prime prime rib, which has more fat marbling, it will likely cost you about fifty percent more per pound, and you will need to special order it from your butcher.

How Much Prime Rib Per Person?

When purchasing prime rib, you want to get the right amount, as it is fairly expensive. Therefore, as a general rule, I recommend a pound per person. Prime rib is typically between 6 and 12 pounds for a full rack, but a butcher can cut and sell any amount you want. 

Another general rule is 2 people per bone. A full prime rib won’t be able to fit in most ovens, although it could on a smoker, so usually the butcher will cut it to a 3 or 4 bone Prime Rib Roast. But they can cut it to whatever size you need. 

Recommended Equipment

In order to make the best tasting prime rib, a few tools are required. 

• Meat Probe: An absolutely essential piece of equipment for getting the perfect cook on your prime rib roast. Use a reliable meat probe to measure the internal temperature during your cook. I recommend the MEATER probe, or another reliable meat probe for measuring internal temperature while cooking. And I also recommend a Thermapen One (by Thermoworks) for getting a more accurate reading throughout your roast. 
• Pellet Smoker: This recipe is for cooking your prime rib on a pellet smoker, producing beautifully juicy, tender, flavorful results. I recommend the Traeger. But any pellet smoker that keeps consistent heat will do the trick. Just make sure it is clean so you don’t get flare up, etc. from old food and grease. 
• Pecan Pellets: You can definitely use a different flavor or pellet, such as Hickory or Apple, but Pecan is my personal favorite for this recipe.

How to Make Smoked Prime Rib

Making Smoked Prime Rib is not complicated, with the right tools, and a little patience, you can have the best prime rib ever. 

Step One: Prep the Prime Rib Roast

Room Temp: Roasts should be brought close to room temperature before they go into the smoke to ensure more even cooking. to achieve this you want to take the roast out of your fridge, and set on the counter to allow to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Trim Fat and Cut Bones Away: If your butcher hasn’t already done so, cut the bones away from the roast and tie them back on to the roast with kitchen string. This will make it much easier to carve the roast, while still allowing you to stand the roast on the rib bones while cooking.

Remove excess fat from the roast if there is any. “Excess” fat is any fat more than an inch thick on the roast. You do not want to cut all the fat off, as that is what you need to get a juicy, tender, flavorful roast. Prime rib is expensive and you are paying good money for that fat, so leave it on. If you buy a good cut of meat, the butcher should have removed any excess fat already, but if needed, trim up any that wasn’t removed.

Season: Then season the roast with your rub mixture. You can use a homemade mixture, or a pre-made one like the Traeger Rub. 

Step Two: Preheat and Prep Your Pellet Grill

When ready to cook, set the Traeger temperature to 250℉. When it is ignited, and you see smoke coming up, close the lid and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes. It is ready for your roast when you see some blue smoke, and the temperature remains steady. This can sometimes take longer than 15 minutes depending on temperature and conditions. 

Step Three: Cook the Prime Rib Roast

Insert the probe into the center of the roast, avoiding the bones and any large pockets of fat.

Place the roast directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 120℉, about 4 hours. 

After the internal temp reaches 115°F, remove the roast from the grill and let rest for 20 minutes.

Note: * Do not cook based on an estimated time, rather use a meat thermometer to get the best results, some roasts cook faster, some slower, and this is not a cut of meat you want to take chances with.

Step Four: Return to Grill with Butter Bath

Your roast is not quite done, cover it with foil, and let it rest. While the roast rests, increase the pellet smoker temperature to 450°F and preheat with the lid closed.

While the grill heats, make your butter bath by melting your butter and stirring in the garlic, salt, and dried parsley. And set aside. 

Once the roast has rested 20 minutes, and the smoker is preheated, bathe your roast in the butter mixture, and then return it to the grill. Make sure your meat probe is still in place so you can continue to monitor the internal temperature. 

Close the lid, and let it cook to 120°F, and then rotate the roast, and continue cooking, with the lid closed, until the internal temperature reaches 125°F for medium-rare or your desired temperature, which should take about 8-10 more minutes. Note: Prime Rib is best cooked to a medium-rare. The edge pieces will be cooked a bit more, for those that like theirs a little more done. 

Step Five: Rest and Serve

When the roast hits the right internal temperature, remove the roast from the grill and cover with foil, let it rest for 30 minutes, during which time the temp will rise about 5 degrees, so keep this in mind when selecting the temp you cook to. This rest period allows the juices to redistribute and absorb so you get a totally tender and juicy result. So do not skip this part. 

Once it has rested 30 minutes, slice and enjoy.

To slice the roast, you want to start by cutting away the strings that were used to hold the roast to the rack of rib bones. Remove the bones, then make nice, even slices.

Determining the Doneness of Prime Rib

Prime rib is too expensive a cut of meat to leave to chance, which is why a good quality meat thermometer is a key part of this recipe. Having a good meat thermometer and using it will not only allow you to monitor your cook as it progresses, but insures you do not ruin this expensive cut of meat.

Prime rib is best served rare or medium rare. Once it’s overcooked, there is no going back, so error on the side of not cooking long enough, versus too much. The temperature you want to cook to is as follows:

• For a rare roast: 115°F.
• For medium rare: 120°F-125°F.
• For a medium: 130°F.

Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. As the prime rib roast rests, the internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees. So keep this in mind when deciding when to pull it off your grill/smoker. 

 

Serve With

This recipe is so perfect for Holiday Meals and I love pairing it with:

• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Best Ever Roasted Broccoli
• Lion House Rolls
• Pineapple Lemonade
• Chocolate Cake (Classic)

Tips and Tricks

Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy…but here are a few tips and tricks to help you get perfect results every time:

• Let The Butcher Do the Work: If I can save myself time by letting the butcher do the work, I will. So, buy your prime rib with the bones cut off (by the butcher) but tied back on. This saves you loads of work, but still produces the best results.
• Leave the Fat: The fat gives your roast flavor. Only trim fat it if exceeds an inch. Your butcher should have already done this for you. So leave it unless it is excessive, as you pay a lot for that flavor from the fat, so don’t cut it all away. 
• Rub It: There is some debate on how to get the best flavor on a prime rib, but I can tell you, use a rub. The roast is too big to marinate and get proper flavor throughout, and injecting it can lead to a dried out prime rib from moisture loss. So, rub it and cook on your pellet smoker. 
• Use the Right Tools: Get an instant read thermometer and use a PROBE for keeping an eye on the internal temperature. The probe will help you monitor the cook so you stay on top of it, and the instant read thermometer will give you even more accurate results. The best way not to ruin prime rib roast is to cook it to the right temperature. So, invest in a good meat probe. I love the Meater brand. And a good instant read thermometer. I love Thermoworks, specifically the Thermapen One. 
• Rest It: Let it rest. Resting the rib roast allows the juices to re-distribute and gives you the most tender, juicy roast. I know it can be so tempting to dig in early, especially because it is going to look and smell amazing. Don’t do it! Do NOT skip this step.

Other Great Recipes:

• Steak with Chimichurri
• Sirloin Steak
• Steak and Potato Foil Packs
• Low Carb Steak Fajita Roll-Ups
• Steak with Garlic Mushroom Cream Sauce

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