Smoked Rosemary Prime Rib — Culinary Seasons

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The secret to perfectly Smoked Rosemary Prime Rib is… LOW & SLOW! You don’t want to rush the cook on this cut of beef, after all you spent a lot of money on it, why not make it perfect. It doesn’t matter if you are using a smoker or roasting in the oven, following these tips on roasting prime rib will deliver the best results to wow your guests.

Let’s Cut to the Chase…

What is a Prime Rib Roast?

Prime Rib is a cut of beef from the center section of the ribs behind the front shoulder. This section doesn’t get much exercise which develops a significant amount of marbling in the beef which as we know, Fat = Flavor.

Primal Cuts of Beef

There are three parts of the prime rib or cut ribeye steak, each bring a different amount of fat to the roast. Depending on where from the whole primal it is cut there will be some differences in the size of each part.

Spinalis or Ribeye Cap – this area of meat has the most marbling, the flavor of the roast or steak is most flavorful.
Longissimus Dorsi or Eye of the Ribeye – as the name implies, this is the center of the roast. While not as much marbling as the Spinalis, the amount of marbling fat is significant and is what most of the meat comes from on the cut of beef.
Complexus – this is a smaller part of the muscles that make up a prime rib or ribeye. If the eye large this muscle may not be present if the eye is large.

Selecting a Prime Rib

When planning to cook Smoked Rosemary Prime Rib, let’s start with how many guests will you be feeding? A good rule of thumb for a bone in roast is 1 pound per person and for a boneless prime rib, 1/2 pound.

1 pound of meat may seem like a lot for one person but remember there is weight lost during the cooking process. The final weight of the bone in roast will be about 30% less with shrinkage and the bones being removed. Boneless prime rib will be about 20% weight loss.

Considering the shrinkage during the cook and the amount of fat that is on a cut of prime rib the resulting meat falls into an acceptable range for a portion.

Bone in vs Boneless

During the holiday seasons the meat department will most likely have roasts that are bone in which may have the bones still attached or they may be cut away and tied together with butcher’s twine.

If you are looking for something different ask the meat department if they have other options such as boneless or having them cut away the bones from the meat. You are paying for it you might as well get what you want.

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As stated before, the key for a perfect cook on prime rib is low and slow. It doesn’t matter if you are oven roasting, smoking or reverse searing, the basic cooking theory still applies. This large cut of beef needs to slowly rise in temperature to retain an even color and temperature throughout.

Oven Roasting Prime Rib

Let’s start with the tried and true method of Oven Roasting. Roasting in the oven reaches back to the old days in England when they started this holiday tradition. Season the prime rib, bone in or boneless, preheat your oven to 475-500°. As a result this high temperature will sear the outside of the meat and herb crust.

After 15 minutes, turn down the heat. anywhere from 225° to 325° is acceptable. If you are looking for a more tender beef, consider cooking at 225° but the time will increase considerably. Cooking at a lower temperature allows the meat protein strands to slowly cook vs cooking at a higher temperature where the protein strands to quickly tighten. Sticking with a 300° temperature is a safe bet as in most cooks it will provide an amazing prime rib.

Smoking Prime Rib

Basically the process for smoking prime rib mimics the process for oven roasting. There are some differences and benefits of smoking, differences lie in the end result

The biggest difference and benefit is the smoke. Smoking meats are generally done at 200-225°. As a result, smoking at the lower temperature allows the meat to absorb the smoke over a longer time to develop a nice smoke ring thus adding to the flavor.

Rosemary Rubbed Prime Rib ready to go on the smoker. Smoked Rosemary Prime Rib

In this recipe the Smoked Rosemary Prime Rib is smoked at 300°. This temperature provides a good result with a reasonable cooking time. Play with different temperatures or types of smokers, pellet vs offset or even a kamado style ceramic grill. All will give different results packed with smoke flavor.

Reverse Searing a Prime Rib?

Since we have been talking low and slow roasting, why not reverse searing! This method starts with a low and slow cook, not a high heat sear. Cook the prime rib at a your preferred low and slow temperature. Once the meat reaches 5 – 10 degrees below your ideal temperature. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Heat up a cast iron pan, cast iron grill plate or even over grill grates to a hearing heat. Once the roast has rested, sear the outside of the prime rib until it develops a nice crust. This is a lesser used method but can result in a juicy, tender prime rib with a seasoned charred crust.