There are a lot of different ways to prepare prime rib, but this smoked prime rib roast recipe is by far my favorite. If I am cooking a prime rib for my friends and family this is exactly how I do it.
Before we get into all the details let's set the table - smoked prime rib is not an everyday meal. It's special. You've invested good money in the meat, and there's a good chance that you'll be sharing this meal with your closest family members and friends. That's why it's so important not to wing it.
Table of Contents
What Exactly is a Smoked Prime Rib Roast?
A full prime rib—sometimes referred to as a standing rib roast—is comprised of the sixth through the twelfth ribs (seven bones): It is located between the chuck and short loin sections. This muscle doesn't get worked much, making it incredibly tender.
How Much Do I Need?
I plan approximately one pound of meat per adult. If I know that some of my guests are light eaters, I adjust accordingly. A 4-bone prime rib will weigh 8-10 pounds and is perfect for a gathering of 8-10 people.
If you order the prime rib at a butcher, let them know how many people you'll be feeding, and they should be able to give you a recommendation for how big a prime rib roast you'll need. Alternatively, you can order a prime rib online or grab it locally. When I'm cooking a special meal, it's even more important for the quality of the meat to be the best it can be.
How to Prepare a Smoked Prime Rib Roast
A smoked prime rib roast is fancy, but I like to doctor it up a little bit. Adding compound butter to the surface of the prime rib will add an extra layer of flavor and moisture to this already incredible cut of meat.
If you've never made compound butter before, that's ok! It's easy to make, and this is a great time to give it a shot. You'll just need a few ingredients:
Butter
Garlic
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Combine all of the ingredients using a mixer, and set to the side. Full measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Set up your smoker to smoke at 225 degrees using indirect heat and oak wood. There are a lot of different wood options available, but with smoked prime rib, I've found that it's best to stick to Oak or Apple.
While the smoker is coming up to temperature, cover the entire surface of your prime rib with the compound butter mixture. You can add a few sprigs of herbs on top of the roast if you'd like too.
I place the prime rib in a large roasting pan with chopped veggies. This will catch the juices, and if you'd like, you can use them to make a GREAT gravy to serve with the prime rib.
How to Make Smoked Prime Rib
When your smoker is up to temp, place the roasting pan in your smoker. Plan on smoking the prime rib for 30-35 minutes per pound. Your goal here is to get the internal temperature up to 120 degrees. It's really crucial that you use a high-quality thermometer, and the Thermapen is my go-to for every cook.
When the internal temp hits 120, pull the roasting pan with the prime rib from the smoker and adjust your temp up to 450+ degrees. When the smoker gets up to temp, place the prime rib back in the smoker and let it cook until the internal temp hits 130 (rare)-135 (medium rare) degrees.
Let the smoked prime rib rest for about 20 minutes before slicing it thin and serving.
If you made it this far, congratulations, you just made an incredible cut of beef, and you're going to eat REALLY well. If you're looking for other high-end meals like this one, consider my smoked picanha recipe. Another great option is my smoked beef wellington recipe or my fool-proof brisket recipe.
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Smoked Prime Rib Roast
When it comes to holiday meals, smoked prime rib is the ultimate. Gather your friends and family, and get ready to share one of the greatest cuts of meat you've ever sunk your teeth into.
Smoke the prime rib at 225 to 235° until it reaches an internal temperature of 100°, which takes about 2 ½ to 3 hours. Bump up the smoker to 500° and finish cooking until it reaches about 118° to 120°.
A good general guideline for smoking prime rib is 15 minutes per pound. However, we'd advise against trying to figure out a precise prime rib cooking time. You're just setting yourself up for disappointment. There simply is no way to tell with such a large cut of meat -- every time you cook, it will be different.
It's no secret that roasts need to cook slow and slow, but for that killer crust on a prime rib the secret is to hit it with a lot of heat first. Like our other prime rib recipes, this rosemary-rubbed prime rib cooks at 450F for 20 minutes before cooking for another 60 to 90 minutes at 350F.
What is the most important thing to do before roasting a prime rib roast? It's critical to allow the prime rib roast to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking it. This will help thaw the meat and raise its internal temperature to ensure it cooks more evenly.
(At 225 degrees plan 40 minutes of cooking time per pound). Use an instant-read thermometer to probe in multiple areas toward the center of the cut. See notes for the temperature chart. Rest: Remove Prime Rib from smoker and let sit, tented in foil, for 30 minutes.
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.
Once the Prime rib has done its time in the smoker and is al dente, the next step is to sear the exterior. You want to be careful during this step and make sure not to burn the outside, but just caramelize it enough to seal in all the natural flavor.
As the rib roast approaches done, you can wrap it in foil and let it finish off on the smoker—this is a typical method in the smoking process. What you will get is a rich, flavorful, and smoky prime rib.
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.
Lock in flavor and add flavor to your prime rib roast with a great sear before roasting. Don't skip this step! Learn how to cook a prime rib roast with Executive Chef Rose: https://www.omahasteaks.com/blog/recipes/dijon- herb-prime-rib-roast-with-garlic-butter-mushrooms/
Butchery: Both rib roast and prime are primal cuts of beef; however, prime rib recipes call for the cut to remain whole, whereas a butcher typically divides a rib roast into individual ribeye steaks. The rib roast is generally a boneless cut of meat, while prime rib comes with the bone still in it.
For best results, salt your prime rib on all surfaces with kosher salt at least 45 minutes before you start cooking it, and preferably the day before, leaving it in the fridge uncovered overnight. Initially, the salt will draw out some moisture and end up dissolving in it.
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. On average, each pound of rib needs 15 minutes to cook (i.e., a 4 lb.
Place a boneless roast on a rack inside the pan. Bake prime rib at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking until desired level of doneness. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat: Rare: 120 degrees F (about 10-12 min/pound).
Anything under that temperature and your ribs will be chewy, stringy, and tough. At 195 degrees F, that tissue starts to gelatinize and turn into tasty, melty deliciousness. Most ribs hit their sweet spot for doneness around 198 degrees F, but some take until 203 degrees F to be perfectly tender.
Aim for 115 to 120°F for medium rare (125 to 130°F after resting), or 125 to 130°F for medium (135 to 140°F after resting). And remember, a roast will continue to rise by 5 to 10°F as it rests (see rule #13 below), so make sure to pull it out early to account for that!
With the smoker prepared and once the roast has had a chance to come to room temperature, it's time to start smoking. Place the rib roast on the smoker over the drip pan, bone-side down.
Upping the temperature to 250°, from the established tried and true rule of smoking at 225°, has some shocking and actually delicious results! You see, when we smoke brisket at 225° F the timing is around 1-1.25 hours per lb. Shockingly at 250°, you're cutting about 50% of the cooking time off!
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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