Prime Rib Rub - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Should I rub my prime rib the night before? ›

Step 1: Season Overnight

This is a hefty cut of meat. Because of its density, it requires extra time for the salt in your seasoning to penetrate deep into the roast. The day before you plan to cook, you should generously season it with salt and pepper (and we mean generously).

How do restaurants make prime rib so tender? The secret to restaurant-style prime rib is cooking the meat super slow at low temperatures. I recommend cooking prime rib at no higher than 200 degrees F. This cooks the meat very slowly, turning the fat into butter and rendering the proteins juicy and soft.

Oiling your prime rib before seasoning is not necessary, as the natural fat in the meat will render and baste the roast during cooking. However, you can lightly coat the meat with olive oil or melted butter before applying the rub if you prefer.

Start by cooking your prime rib at 500°F for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 325° F and cook for 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, or 14-15 min per pound for medium well. A meat thermometer is essential to ensure you cook it perfectly!

Our perfected broiling method and seasoning techniques ensure each cut of USDA Prime beef we serve arrives cooked to perfection and sizzling on a 500° plate.

Place the roast fat side up, bone side down, in a large roasting pan. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. This allows the heat to sear the roast, trapping the juicy flavors inside while the rest of the meat cooks. On average, each pound of rib needs 15 minutes to cook (i.e., a 4 lb.

You'll cook the prime rib low and slow in the oven, then crank up the heat at the end to achieve a crisp outside. This method has several advantages: the prime rib loses less juice to the bottom of the roasting pan and it cooks evenly all the way through.

Use Olive Oil Instead

Instead, David Rose recommends home cooks use olive oil or grapeseed oil to lessen any chance of the roast charring. "I make it with the grapeseed oil or olive oil, and then I make that compound butter, and when it's resting, I put that compound butter on there and let it rest, as well," he says.

Searing is an important part of roasting a prime rib. Searing the roast first will kill the surface bacteria, which is a nice touch, especially when you are roasting at lower temperatures.

Do you oil ribs before dry rub? ›

Apply the dry rub to both sides of the rib racks. Don't be afraid to use generous portions too. Make the coating as thick as you can. You can coat the ribs with olive oil or mustard first to help it stick.

Brown the roast at 500°F (or as high as your oven will go) for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 325°F to finish roasting: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Roast in the oven until the thermometer registers 115°F for rare or 120° for medium rare, and 130°F for medium.

So by all means, salt and pepper generously, but you only need enough on the surface to season every bite, including the non-edge sections. Just don't lose sleep about it. The most logical time to season your prime rib is at some point during the 3 hours you have it sitting on your counter coming to room temperature.

2. Prepare the Rub. You can season the roast a day in advance, but no later than 2 hours before cooking time. The seasoning needs time to flavor the meat while it's raw.

Properly seasoning meat makes a huge difference to its flavor. Ribs, for instance, are delicious when cooked properly but can easily become dry and tough when overcooked. The solution is to season them overnight, so the meat absorbs all of the seasoning's flavor before it's cooked.

Anywhere from 15 minutes to 48 hours. You'll want the dry rub to sit on the ribs for at least 15 minutes to tenderize the meat and draw out the moisture, but you can refrigerate the ribs coated in the dry rub for up to 48 hours.

I always put the rub on so it has 10-12 hours to work into the meat. I do this for ribs, butts, and brisket and have had no bad results in the quality.