This Prime Rib Roast is cooked to a perfect medium rare, and smothered in a compound butter spiced with chili powder, cumin, fresh herbs, and garlic. This feast is fit for any holiday or special occasion.
Is there anything more truly beautiful and satisfying than a delicious prime rib? We’re talking a deep brown crust that is perfectly seasoned with a compound butter with lots of herbs and spices. Then as you slice it open, you reveal a juicy pink center and a maelstrom of drippings and fat.
Prime Rib Roast
Prime rib roast is perfect for a holiday dinner or a special occasion. It’s not an economical cut of meat so when you do buy it you want to make it worth your time and money. But when you do make it the right way, get ready for those compliments, because they will be coming.
Choose Well-marbled Meat
The star of a good prime rib roast is obviously the prime rib so make sure you choose the right one. The more marbled your meat, the juicier and more flavored it will be.
If you can afford it, choose a dry-aged cut of beef. Dry-aging is a process where large cuts of meat are held in a temperature and humidity-controlled room for several weeks. The whole idea behind this is that during this time, the meat will become more tender and flavorful.
Buy a bone-in prime rib. The idea behind this is insulation. Meat around the bones will cook slower, therefore the meat around the bones will be extra tender and juicy.
What Ingredients Are Needed for Prime Rib Roast
All you need is the prime rib and seasoning. Seasoning can be as simple as salt and pepper as long as you generously season the meat. However, I wanted to add a bit more flavor into my prime rib by making a compound butter loaded with herbs and spices.
All this compound butter is going to do is just enhance the flavor of the roast. It truly is worth the extra effort.
How to Make Prime Rib Roast
Plan ahead and remove your roast from all its packaging and let it sit out at room temperature for one to two hours. Also make sure your roast is fully thawed, you do not want to cook a roast from frozen. Pat it dry with paper towels.
Preheat your oven to 450 F degrees.
Make the compound butter but mixing the butter together with the herbs and spices using a spatula. This butter will infuse the roast with extra flavor. Totally worth it. Spread this butter all over the roast.
I like to make a gravy from the drippings so I always add some garlic and onion at the bottom of the skillet. Place the roast bone side down over the onions. If you don’t have a skillet large enough to fit the roast, use a roasting pan.
Cook the roast for 15 minutes at 450 F degrees then reduce the temperature to 325 F degrees. Continue to cook the roast until your meat thermometer reads 120 F degrees. Estimate about 15 minutes per pound, however, start reading the temperature after about an hour.
Once the thermometer hits 120 F degrees, remove the roast from the oven. Place it on a cutting board and cover it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes. The roast will continue cooking, this is called carry-over cooking, raising the internal temperature to 130 degrees for a perfect medium-rare prime rib.
Prime Rib Roast Internal Temperatures
Timing is a pretty loose guide when it comes to cooking prime rib. Ovens are all different. A thermometer is the ONLY way to guarantee a perfectly cooked prime rib just how you like it.
| Rare | 120 F degrees (48.9 degree Celsius) |
| Medium Rare | 130 F degrees (54.45 degrees Celsius) |
| Medium | 140 F degrees (60 degrees Celsius) |
| Medium Well Done | 150 F degrees (65.5 degrees Celsius) |
| Well Done | 160 F degrees (71.1 degrees Celsius) |
How Long to Cook a Prime Rib Per Pound
The general rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound but this is a very general rule of thumb. As mentioned above the best way to tell when your prime rib is done the way you want it, is to use a meat thermometer.
Also, always try and give yourself a little wiggle room when serving this for your holiday meal.
How To Serve
My favorite way to serve prime rib is with mashed potatoes. There’s nothing more comforting than a slice of this juicy prime rib roast over a cloud of creamy mashed potatoes and smothered in gravy. Here are some other recipes you can serve along with your roast:
- Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Garlic and Herb Roasted Carrots
- Dinner Rolls
Looking for More Beef Recipes? Try These:
- Beef Bourguignon
- The Best Crock Pot Roast
- Beef Brisket Gyros
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Hungarian Goulash
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Oven Baked Beef Brisket
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Prime Rib Roast
Ingredients
Compound Butter
- 8 tbsp butter unsalted, room temperature (1/2 cup or 1 stick)
- 2 tsp chili powder I used a mild chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tbsp thyme chopped, fresh
- 1 tbsp rosemary chopped, fresh
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
- 5 lb prime rib
Prime Rib Roast
- 2 medium onions quartered
- 5 cloves garlic peeled
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
Gravy
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup beef broth low sodium
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Remove your roast from all its packaging and let it sit out at room temperature for one to two hours. Also make sure your roast is fully thawed, you do not want to cook a roast from frozen. Using paper towels, pat the roast completely dry.
- Preheat your oven to 450 F degrees for at least 30 minutes, while the prime rib comes to room temperature.
- In a bowl mix the butter with the chili powder, cumin, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- With either a spatula or your hands, spread the compound butter mixture over the entire roast.
- Place the onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary in a large skillet that will fit your roast. If you don’t have a large enough skillet, use a roasting pan.
- Place the roast over the onions in the skillet.
- Cook the roast for 15 minutes at 450 F degrees, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue to cook the roast until your meat thermometer reads 120 degrees. Estimate about 15 minutes of cooking time per pound of prime rib.
- Once the thermometer hits 120 F degrees, remove the roast from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board. Cover it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes. The roast will continue to cook as the juices inside settle, raising the internal temperature to 130 degrees for a perfect medium-rare prime rib.
- Slice and serve with gravy over mashed potatoes.
Gravy
- While to roast is resting, place the skillet with the onions, garlic and herbs over medium high heat.
- Add the red wine and beef broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. The sauce should reduce a bit.
- Mix the 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water and to the skillet. Whisk it and continue to cook for a few more minutes. The sauce should thicken. Use more cornstarch if wanting a thicker gravy.
- Strain into a bowl, then pour it into a gravy boat.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Nutritional information assumes 2 servings per pound.
It came out perfect and so tasty. Thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear! Enjoy 🙂
Good morning.
I am wonder why you use cornstarch for this gravy instead of oil/butter with flour?
Steve
Absolutely! Mix cornstarch with water and add it at the end as the gravy bubbles. Whisk, and add the slurry a little at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
Hello, was wondering if I could substitute white wine for the red wine in the gravy?
For sure!
Very good. Thank you.
Do you have to put it in a skillet as I don’t have one. Would a roaster work?
Yes you can use a roaster!
Hi, I have a small roast 2.2 pounds and am wondering if i should still do the 15 mins at 450?
Yes!
I made this and died. Absolutely amazing recipe! A must try, will be cooking roast this way from now on.
I have the same sized one I’m cooking today. So do the starter 15 minutes then another 15 minutes per pound?
did your recipe this with an 8lb roast and it came out perfect!!!! thank you so much!
That’s great to hear! Enjoy 🙂
This recipe is AMAZING! We ate like Kings yesterday.
I can’t wait to try it. I’m making it today!!!🥩🍷
I made this recipe using a 6.24 lb. prime rib roast for our 28th anniversary dinner. My wife & I loved it. I shared a link to this recipe with some friends and one of them prepared it for their family Christmas dinner. They also loved it. One point: The recipe does not mention skimming any of the rendered fat and butter from the pan before starting the sauce. I removed all but a couple of tablespoons, then made the sauce according to the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe! So easy to follow and the meat turned out perfect! I will keep this as my go-to recipe for prime rib in the future! Was a little nervous because the cut of meat is so expensive, but your recipe made it so easy to follow. Used the internal thermometer that came with the oven for the first time and that made all the difference! No guessing at the temperature or having to open the oven to read the temperature. Everyone loved this, thank you again!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi there, would you recommend leaving the meat uncovered in the fridge overnight? I’ve seen this in a few other recipes. thanks!
You mean before cooking? I haven’t tried it myself, but I just read about it a little bit and it seems that it should be ok if you salted the prime rib and this should increase the moisture in the rib. However without trying it myself I’m not sure if it would work with this recipe.
This was a great recipe! I cooked a 4 pound rib roast in a cast iron skillet, using ribs of celery as a rack to hold in place. The beef was tender and the pan sauce had a rich, toasty flavor from the butter dripping off the meat and browning with the juices and herbs.
I made a 6 1/2 lb 4-rib roast today for my family, following the recipe exactly, and it was perfection! This was my first ever rib roast, and at $150 for the cut, I was extremely nervous about screwing it up. I think I did two things here the ended up with a perfect medium rare: First, I watched the internal temperature like a hawk – checking after the first hour, then the next half hour, then the next two 15 minute intervals. This allowed me to get the roast out at exactly 120 degrees. Second, I let the roast rest fir a full 45 minutes- if I hadn’t given it that extra time, I think it would have been too rare. Thank you, Joanna, from another JoAnna, for such comprehensive directions and an amazing recipe – Christmas dinner was a huge hit!
I’m so happy to hear this, glad you liked it!
FANTASTIC!! Wow would not change a thing! Amazing recipe!