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holiday prime rib folsomfarm 2

The Best Oven Roasted Prime Rib

Nothing says love and gratitude quite like serving a perfectly roasted prime rib for a holiday meal. When done right, prime rib is a showstopper—juicy, tender, and utterly decadent. This cut comes from the rib roast, and instead of slicing it into individual ribeye steaks, it's cooked whole and then sliced to serve, offering a beautiful presentation. To achieve the perfect roast, it’s essential to use a meat thermometer to monitor its progress, ensuring you avoid overcooking and get the desired doneness.
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Servings 8

Equipment

  • Meat Thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • 5 pounds beef prime rib* if larger, double the spices/seasonings
  • Sea salt
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 4 cloves fresh minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup olive oil or butter
  • horseradish for serving optional

Instructions
 

  • Step 1: Bring meat to room temperature by removing prime rib from the refrigerator one hour before cooking. Prime rib roast will cook better and more evenly when it’s at room temperature.
  • Step 2: Season it on all sides with salt and cover it loosely with plastic wrap as it comes to room temperature.
  • Step 3: Adjust oven racks: When you are ready to cook the prime rib, lower/adjust your oven rack so the meat will cook in the center of the oven.
  • Step 4: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
  • Step 5: Mix together seasonings w/ oil: salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and olive oil.
  • Step 6: Pat the roast with paper towels. Spoon seasoning over it, rubbing it onto all sides.
  • Step 7: Get the meat on the rack and/or pan. If you have a bone-in roast, place the bones down, inside a roasting cast iron pan, no rack needed. For a boneless roast, place on a rack inside the pan.
  • Step 8: Bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking until desired level of doneness. The meat will continue to cook as it rests out of the oven so remove it from the oven 5-10 degrees before it reaches your optimal temperature. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat.
    Rare: 120 degrees F (about 10-12 min/pound).
    Medium Rare: 130 degrees F (about 13-14 min/pound)
    Medium: 140 degrees F (about 14-15 min/pound)
  • Step 8: One of the more difficult things with a prime rib is cooking to the temperature that everyone prefers. If you temp in the very center of the roast then just know the edges will be cooked more.
  • Step 9: Remove prime rib from the oven and tent it with foil. Allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. It will have a ton of residual heat and allowing it to rest will give it time for all of its juices to redistribute evenly throughout the roast before you start slicing into it.
  • Step 10: Carve prime rib roast by slicing against the grain into about ½ inch thick slices. Serve with horseradish, if desired.