Beef, butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary and shallot are life-long friends. Make this prime rib for dinner and you’ll see why. Garlic and shallot gives a roasted sweetness and fullness of flavor, while thyme and rosemary provide a woodsy and floral background note. Prime Rib with a perfectly roasted exterior browned and glistening; its interior reflecting the rosy red of a movie star’s lipstick, and an aroma that pulls everyone to the table and beckons, “Let’s eat!”

How to Shop for Prime Rib

Prime rib is, without question, a splurge. It’s an expensive cut of meat but it goes a long way in terms of flavor and leftovers. Right about now, I think we could all use a little indulgence and a dinner that feels extra special. I recommend asking your butcher how far in advance to reserve a prime rib. Some supermarkets have them on hand, but some smaller, independent butchers may need close to a week’s notice to ensure they have one in the manner you’d prefer. Most cut them to order. Tell your butcher: How many people you’re serving (account for 1 pound per person), and whether you prefer bone-in or boneless, choice or prime cuts. Talk to them, they’ll be thrilled to guide you. For this recipe, I opted for boneless. ●     Prime and Choice: These are the most common grades of beef. The classifications measure quality, based primarily on the leanness and marbling of the meat. Prime is higher quality than Choice but both perform exceptionally in this dish. Prime can cost approximately 40 percent more than Choice, so budget is a factor to consider. ●     Boneless Roast: I used a boneless roast for this recipe. A boneless roast makes it easier to serve because you don’t have worry about cutting around the bones. ●     Bone-In Roast: For bone-in, the butcher will trim the bones from the roast, and then tie the roast with the bones in-place. A bone-in roast will add some additional flavor to the roast, but primarily to the drippings for gravy. The meat nearest the bone will cook at a slightly lower temperature than other parts of the roast, which is not an issue, but something to note. ●     Fat Cap: The amount of fat on your prime will vary based on the technique of your butcher. You really don’t need more than 1/2-inch fat cap. Ask them to trim it if there’s more.

How to Make Perfect Prime Rib Every Time

Personally, I do love, love, love a medium-rare prime rib. The outside is colored like deep caramel, while the edges have a gentle crust. The outside contrasts well with the inside of the roast, with its fat softened and rendered, leaving the meat moist and melting. All those in favor of medium-rare? And, the ayes have it. To get perfect prime rib every time, I recommend cooking the roast in two stages: 500°F to brown the outside of the prime rib, then lower the oven temp to 325°F to finish. This will coax out the beefy aroma and its rich, intense flavors giving you caramelization on the outside while keeping the inside tender and pink. If you cooked prime rib all the way through at the lower temperature of 325°F, the taste would be flat and monotone. Think of it like choosing elevator music over Dixieland Jazz. If you’re spending money on prime rib, you’re gonna want a party in your mouth. The moral of the story is: Keep your oven clean to prevent smoking and don’t be afraid of the high heat.
Resting the roast after cooking performs double-duty, both of which are essential: it makes the meat easier to carve, and minimizes the moisture lost when carving.

Cooking Temperatures

When it comes to Prime Rib don’t trust time; trust the temperature. It’s too expensive of a cut to risk oven and human variables (like how often someone opens the door and peeks in). Get a good meat thermometer and shoot for the internal temperature listed below. Let it sit for 20 minutes before carving. As the prime rib rests the temperature of the meat will climb by 5 to 10 degrees. Meaning the final temperature after resting for a rare prime rib will be around 120°F. Keep in mind, overdone can’t be undone! Prime rib is best served rare or medium rare. If you slice it and it’s too rare for you, put it back in the oven for a few minutes. In order to calculate cooking time, provide 10 to 12 minutes per pound for rare and 13 to 15 minutes per pound for medium-rare. In general, an 8 pound prime rib roast cooked to rare will take about 112 to 120 minutes to cook. Rare:

Target temperature 115°FAfter resting: 120°F

 Medium Rare:

Target temperature 120°FAfter resting: 125°F

Medium:

Target temperature 125°FAfter resting: 130°F

Well Done:

Never cook prime rib well done.

What to Serve with Prime Rib

It really comes down to what you and your family like, period. There’s tradition, yes, but someone had to be the first to bring that weird Jell-O recipe to the family dinner, so you really can’t fall short on any choice you make. Here are a few tasty and ideas:

Horseradish Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes Glazed Carrots

Leftovers!

I’m nearly tempted to make this just for the leftovers. Sandwiches are a favorite of mine and having your own roasted lunchmeat on-hand is quite the treat.

Cheese Steak Sandwich. The “roastiness” (yes, it’s a word) of the thinly shaved beef sits in ribbons atop a hoagie bun with melted cheese (I prefer sharp cheddar), and caramelized onions. It may not be a Philly cheese steak, but it’s yours — indulge yourself and do as you please. Roast Beef Sandwich. Thinly sliced beef, a bit of hearty iceberg lettuce, a swoosh of mayo, and horseradish sauce. It’ll warm you through and through. Tacos or enchiladas. Again, slice the beef thinly, spread out your favorite toppings, and make it a no-cook lunch or dinner for yourself. You deserve it.

More Holiday Main Dish Recipes

Roast Beef Tenderloin Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin Roasted Leg of Lamb Beef Wellington Classic Rack of Lamb Prime Rib

8 pounds boneless prime rib roast 1/2 tablespoon salt

For the garlic herb butter:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 10 large cloves garlic, minced 1 shallot (slightly larger than a golf ball), minced 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary 1 1/2 tablespoons ground pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the dripping gravy (about 4 1/2 cups):

1/2 cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch 1/2 cup fat prime rib roast drippings 4 cups beef stock or water 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Salting the prime rib will draw out extra moisture from the meat leading to better browning on the outside. Letting the surface come up to room temperature will make it easier to spread the herb butter over the roast. If the prime rib is still cool, the butter might clump together a bit as you try to rub it over the roast. That’s OK. Just do your best. It will cook up fine, if all else fails pile it on top so it drips down as it cooks. The bottom of the prime rib will sear slightly, adding additional flavor to both the meat and the drippings. If using an oven safe thermometer, insert the probe into the center of the prime rib. Place it in the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 500°F. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the fat in the roasting pan, and whisk for a minute or two to cook out the raw flour. It will look chunky. That’s OK. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan (that’s the gold) with the whisk and incorporate the roasted flavors into the gravy. Increase the heat to medium high, and whisk in the beef stock. It should thicken within a minute or so. If you want it thinner add more beef stock or water. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and or pepper to your liking.