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Garlic butter herb prime rib is melt in your mouth tender, cooked to medium-rare perfection, and marbled with fat. The seared garlic butter herb crust is incredible!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Holiday Feast: The holidays wouldn’t be complete without a prime rib roast. You could pair it with Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, and Rolls.
- Easy to Make: Prime rib may seem intimidating, but with my tips and easy-to-follow instructions, you will have the most succulent, tender prime rib of your life!
Herb Garlic Butter Prime Rib Ingredients
I always buy my roast with the bone. The butcher at our local grocery store cuts the bone but leaves it partially attached and ties it onto the roast. This makes it easier to carve the meat, and the bone creates a rack for the meat to cook on. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Prime Rib: I like to get a bone-in cut and tied.
- Butter: Make sure that the butter is softened to blend well with the herbs and seasonings.
- Garlic Cloves: If you don’t have any fresh garlic cloves on hand, you can use minced garlic! 1/2 teaspoon equals about one clove.
- Thyme, Oregano, and Fresh Rosemary: I like to use freshly chopped herbs to make the flavor taste top-notch!
- Salt and Pepper: Use these to taste!
How to Cook Prime Rib
Preparing steakhouse-worthy prime rib isn’t as tricky as it seems. Enjoy this decadent recipe this holiday season with friends and family!
- Prepare the Meat: Remove the meat from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before bringing it to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Mix Together Garlic Butter Herb Sauce: In a small bowl, mix butter, garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Then, rub all of the butter on the outside of your prime rib and place it in a roasting pan or large skillet with the fat side up.
- Cook Prime Rib: Cook for 15 minutes and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. It is about 15 minutes per pound of meat. Bake until it reaches an internal temperature of 110 degrees.
- Let the Meat Rest: Remove from oven and let it rest with foil for at least 20 minutes. The temperature will rise to 130 degrees for a medium rare prime rib.
What Cut Of Meat Is Best?
A prime rib roast (or a standing roast) is cut from the back of the upper rib section of the steer. It usually is a total of 7 ribs. You will need a 3-bone rib roast to make this slow-roasted prime rib. This is cut from either the chuck or the loin end of the rib sections. Here are some tips on how to choose the best meat!
- Bone IN: You will want a bone in the prime rib. On average, a 2-6 pound prime rib has 2 to 3 bones.
- Tied: When ordering from a butcher, ask to keep the strings on it if possible. This ensures it cooks evenly and keeps its form while cooking.
- Deckle: If possible, ask to have the largest deckle. The deckle is tender and the most flavorful piece of meat.
Cooking Tips
Melt-in-your-mouth garlic herb prime rib is just what you need to celebrate the holidays this year! These quick and simple tips will help cook it to perfection!
- Use a Thermometer: Using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat is the best way to ensure a perfect prime rib every time.
- Take it Out of the Fridge: Take your prime rib out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let it rest before cooking. This will ensure an even cook time.
- Keep the Bone In: You can remove the bones before cooking, but it is unnecessary. The bone in adds to the flavor and helps keep the prime rib tender and juicy.
- Let it Rest! Remove your prime rib from the oven when it is about 5 degrees lower than your desired temperature. Cover your meat and let it rest. It will slowly cook as it is resting.
- Cooking Information Per Pound: The bones create a natural roasting rack for the meat. Cook the prime rib at a higher temperature of 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and continue to cook until the thermometer reads 110 degrees. About 15 minutes of cooking time per pound.
Cooking Temperatures
Prime rib can be a little intimidating to make because you are trying to achieve the perfect medium-rare temperature. In the closed oven method, you roast the meat at 500 degrees for 5 minutes per pound. Then, you leave the oven closed for 2 hours, and it slowly cooks. If using this method, I highly recommend putting a thermometer inside the meat so you can check on it without opening the oven while it cooks.
- Rare: 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit
- Medium-Rare: 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit
- Medium: 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit
- Medium-Well: 145 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit
- Well Done: 155 degrees Fahrenheit
Storing Leftover Prime Rib
Having leftover meat is just another way to enjoy it a little longer! You still have all the tender, juicy flavors infused. Enjoy another slice of heaven a second time around with these storing ideas.
- How Long Does Prime Rib Last in the Refrigerator? It can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
- Can You freeze Prime Rib? Yes! Let it rest until completely cooled. Once it’s cooled, place in a ziplock freezer bag, letting all the air out. Lay flat in the freezer for 1 month. When ready to eat, place it in the refrigerator overnight until it is thawed.
- Reheating: If it’s been frozen, let it thaw completely. Place in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until it has reached the desired internal temperature. Enjoy!
A Reader’s Review
This was absolutely amazing! The flavor was phenomenal. I like my meat well done and it was still super tender.
More Beef Recipes to Enjoy
This prime rib recipe is one of my very favorites! If you loved it as much as I do, then I have a few more that you should try! They are all so different but super delicious! Try one or try them all…. you can’t go wrong with any of them! Your family will thank you later!
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Garlic Butter Herb Prime Rib Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Remove the prime rib from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before bringing it to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- In a small bowl mix butter, garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Rub all of the butter on the outside of your prime rib and place in a roasting pan or large skillet with the fat side up.
- Cook for 15 minutes and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. It is about 15 minutes per pound of meat. Bake until it reaches an internal temperature of 110 degrees.
- Remove the prime rib from the oven and let it rest with foil for at least 20 minutes. The temperature will be 130 degrees Fahrenheit for a medium rare prime rib.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Going to make this for the first time tomorrow. With all the melted butter, will the drippings be ok to use to make a gravy or will they be too oily?
Can you use a “reverse sear” method for this recipe?
Do you think it’s possible to use a “reverse sear” method with this recipe? The “Reverse Sear” method flips the process, first slow roasting the meat at 250 degrees F to your desired internal temperature. The meat is then rested and seared at 500 degrees F just for a few minutes before serving. I think it would still work but would love confirmation!
DJ!
I have not tried this method with this recipe. If you decide to give it a try and it works, please let me know. I love to hear feedback!
Outback offers a season and sear to their prime rib in that type of order. It is DELICIOUS!
Followed the 15 min per pound cooking time. Had a 5.25 lb 2 rib, cradled prime rib ($88). Roasted 15 min at 450 and 63.75 min (5.25 x 15 min = 78.75 min, less 15 for the first at 450) at 325 deg. At the 75 min point checked with an instant read thermometer and the roast internal temp was, ready for this – 85 deg. PANIC TIME. My guests were on a tight schedule and I had timed everything at 15 min per pound, including side dishes. I continued cooking the roast for another 30 min and reached 98 deg. I needed to pull it, rested it for 15 min and carved. You can imagine at that temp the roast was obviously extremely rare. Left me no choice but to carve and microwave each piece -UGH!! 15 min per pound was a poor recommendation. BTW I use a quality internal oven thermometer
If that ever happens again, season and sear each piece on both sides in a pan. Outback offers this choice when getting prime rib at their restaurant. It is very good!
Exact same thing happened to me. 15 minutes a pound at the extremely low heat of 325° is simply too little. I had to move it up to 350 and almost double the time, and it was still mooing. Any ideas for a better cook time?
My prime rib roast is 16 pounds any advise? I’m using roasting pan , salted or nasal Ted butter, TIME is so important, want ir medium rare
I made this last Christmas, it was sooo good! Thank you so much for sharing❤ This will be my go-to prime rib roast recipe from now on? Happy New Year and more power!❤❤❤
Do you cover the prime rib while cooking or only after you take it out the oven
You will cover the prime rib at the very end when you take it out of the oven. Hope that helps! XOXO
Make this
This recipe was amazing. Prime rib turned out perfect, and the instructions and tips were very clear. A meat thermometer is critical for the perfect prime rib. People are still raving about how good it turned out.
will this recipe smoke like the recipes that you start at 500 and turn off oven?
I have not tried it smoked like that before. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out! Enjoy! XOXO
Made this for Christmas, turned out fantastic!
I cooked it on convection roast and it cooked a little fast and hot. So I took it out a little sooner than the recipe called for.
My Daughter TERI made this for our Christmas dinner, it was so good . Loved the crust
I prepared this recipe for my family Christmas day. The roast was perfectly cooked and delicious!
Simply amazing! Made as described in recipe and it was perfect!! Made for a fantastic Christmas dinner!! Hi
While this is a good recipe the temp and cook time are way off at 325 degrees for 6 pounds it would take all day to cook. I had to turn up the temp to 380 degrees fo 3 hours
6 pounds is an hour and 1/2 at 15 min a pound.
my Christmas prime rib turned out perfect! I followed this recipe and cooked my roast in a cast iron skillet in the oven
I love cooking with my cast iron skillets. Curious, though, did you use a deep skillet? Many thanks! Trish