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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.
What kind of thermometer did you use. I have been looking for one.
I would love to try your recipe for prime rib, but we like ours cooked a little more. How much longer do I need to cook it? (or to what temperature?)
Crap! I just read to half the herbs if using dry! Hope it still will taste good :/
I typically am the Grill Master at home and my wife makes every other wonderful meal. For this Christmas I wanted to make her a special meal that said I put my heart and soul into it. I followed this recipe exactly and it blew her mind! She teared up and loved it so much, she insisted we do it again for New Years.
Thank you for this amazingly delicious recipe and for making me look like a rockstar.
AWE!! That is amazing! Way to go! I am so glad that she loved it so much and you put so much time and thought into it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! XOXO
Hands down the BEST Prime Rib I ever cooked!
By no means is this my first time Roasting a Christmas Beast.
The flavors produced are amazing! Made all our taste buds SING!
Ok you foodies help me out here. I have 2 (total of 22 lbs) prime rib roast, both are about the same weight but Im preparing them separately but cooking at the same time in the same oven. So would I cook it 15minsx22lbs=5.5 hrs or cook at individuals
15minsx11=2.75 hrs??? Help!!!
I cooked a 7 Lb. Boneless Prime Rib for Christmas. Most of my Family likes it Med. Well Done. So I bought a good Temperature Probe that you insert into the middle of the Roast and a cord runs out through the Door and the Çontrol is Magnetic. I played with it a little and set the Temperature first at 130 then the Timer goes of and then I went to 140, then. 150, then pulled it out of the Oven, covered with Aluminum Foil and let it Rest for 30 Min.and my Internal Temp. Went up to 160 Degrees. Then I sliced it and it was still Pink on the Inside. I have never received the Complements that I received on Christmas Day. It was Awesome!!
P.S Do not cover the Roast in the Oven.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I have made a prime rib roast several times for Christmas and this recipe and cooking method tops all of the others I have made. We will most definitely make this again. Also want to try them garlic herb butter on a different cut of beef.
As a side note, your link to send as an email is not working – email comes up but no link.
When your talking about a prime rib roast that means your getting a prime grade. A standing rib roast comes in 3 grades. Economy, choice and prime. So the roast isn’t called a prime rib roast it’s called a standing rib roast of prime grade.
I e never encrusted my prime rib before, but I tried it this year. It’s a little heavy on the rosemary, but it was absolutely delicious ?. Thanks for the tip!!!
I tried this and it wasn’t bad but I overcooked it. The recipie said to pull it at 110 degrees and I should have listened but I felt that was too low so I pulled it at 125 and end up with most of it medium well. So whoever tries this, take it out at 110….
Tried this for Christmas Dinner 2017. FABULOUS!! I’ll never use any other recipe.
I have downloaded the prime rib and garlic brown sugar glazed salmon recipes. On both there is no indication of how many people this will serve. Please let us know on your recipes the amount of people to plan on. It is only my husband and myself and it helps to know if something makes too much for the two of us. Thank you! Pat Hatton
This is just like my recipe that I make for every Christmas but I take mine out of the refrigerator 2 hrs before I cook it. This way the center of my 10 lb roast is at room temperature. I also take mine out when it reaches 120 degrees for a perfect Medium Rare Roast.. Enjoy!
This was the BEST prime rib I have ever made! I made it for Christmas dinner and got rave reviews from my family. Will definitely make it agsin.
Should it be covered or uncovered when it goes in the oven?
Covered or uncovered?