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Prime Rib

Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter

Prime rib with a garlic, rosemary, and thyme butter crust, roasted hot then low and served with a red wine pan au jus.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 lb) bone-in standing rib roast 2 to 3 bones
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 8 tbsp, softened
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion quartered
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • prepared horseradish for serving

Instructions

  • Salt it early: Pat the roast dry and rub the kosher salt and black pepper over every surface. Set it on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to 24. The salt works its way in, and the dry surface browns far better in the oven.
  • Let it come to room temperature: Take the roast out of the fridge 2 hours before it goes in the oven. A cold center means the outside overshoots by 20 degrees waiting for the middle to catch up. This stretch is hands-off and isn't counted in the times on the card.
  • Make the garlic herb butter: Mash the softened butter with the garlic, rosemary, and thyme in a small bowl until evenly mixed. Spread it thickly over the top and sides of the roast, right over the fat cap.
  • Blast it hot: Heat the oven to 500°F. Scatter the quartered onion in a roasting pan and set the roast on top, bone side down. Roast 15 minutes, until the butter has melted in and the surface is browned.
  • Drop the heat and roast to temperature: Lower the oven to 325°F without leaving the door open any longer than you have to. Roast about 13-15 minutes per pound, roughly 65-75 minutes for a 5-pound roast, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of the meat and clear of the bone reads 125°F for medium rare. Start checking at 60 minutes.
  • Rest 30 minutes: Move the roast to a cutting board and tent it loosely with foil. It climbs another 5-10 degrees as it sits, landing at 130-135°F for medium rare. USDA guidance for whole cuts of beef is 145°F followed by a 3-minute rest, so pull the roast at 140°F instead if you want to meet that mark. Either way, the 30 minutes are not optional: carve it early and the juice ends up on the board.
  • Make the au jus and carve: Set the roasting pan over medium-high heat on the stove, pour in the red wine, and scrape up the browned bits for 3-4 minutes. Add the beef broth and simmer 5-6 minutes until it reduces slightly, then strain into a pitcher. Cut the bones away in one piece, slice the meat across the grain about 1/2 inch thick, and serve with the jus and horseradish.

Notes

Salt the roast at least 4 hours ahead and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours before roasting. Neither window is counted in the times above. Roast at 500°F for 15 minutes, then at 325°F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, and pull the roast when an instant-read thermometer in the center of the meat, clear of the bone, reads 125°F for medium rare. It climbs another 5-10°F while resting and lands at 130-135°F. USDA guidance for whole cuts of beef is an internal temperature of 145°F followed by a 3-minute rest, so pull at 140°F if you want to meet it. Rest the roast 30 minutes before carving either way.