Smoked Prime Rib Roast Recipe | Fire & Smoke Society Spices (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to smoke prime rib at 225 or 250? ›

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°.

It is best to use a mild wood—stronger-flavored woods like hickory or oak are going to overpower the prime rib flavor. Any fruitwood, such as cherry, will work very well with a rib roast. Keep the smoke light to medium—a heavy smoke will create an acidic flavor, particularly in the fat.

A roast is a large cut of meat: it needs more seasoning than you might expect. Season it generously with kosher salt the day before roasting it and let it sit in the fridge uncovered overnight. When you take it out of the fridge before roasting, add pepper and any additional herbs.

To make the prime rib rub

To make the dry rub, just mix black pepper, smoked paprika, mustard powder, granulated garlic, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme. Follow that up with a teaspoon of Kosher salt and onion powder.

(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.

Place the prime rib directly on the grill grates, fat-side up. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 125℉-130℉ for rare or for 135 °F for medium-rare, 3 1/2-4 hours.

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.

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.

Carefully slice the meat off the bones and rub kosher salt all over the prime rib. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 24 hours. Let the prime rib come to room temperature before searing it in an oiled skillet.

Combine water and cider vinegar in a spray bottle. Coat the prime rib generously with seasoning, and place in the preheated smoker. After 30 minutes, spritz the beef with the apple cider mixture, then repeat the spritz every 30 minutes during the cook. After 1.5 hours, begin monitoring the internal temperature.

How to add flavor to prime rib? ›

Place the prime rib on a roasting rack and set in a roasting pan on your grill. I always add a little water to my pan and wow does it give you some amazing flavor! Use fresh herbs. I love using fresh thyme, sage, oregano and parsley.

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.

Meat Thermometer

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.

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.

Place the prime rib in your smoker. Smoke until the internal temperature is 120° for rare or 130° for medium. Wrap the prime rib in foil and let it rest for 30 minutes. Be sure to save the juice for your Au Jus.