Perfect Prime Rib made with a garlic, thyme and rosemary crust is gorgeously browned on the outside and a perfect medium on the inside. Topped off with a gremolata it is the perfect show-stopping holiday/event meal!
Prime Rib is actually easy!
Perfect Garlic Prime Rib is an entree I have been making for client parties for years, not because it is difficult to make but because most home cooks are nervous about the risk of cooking it incorrectly since it tends to be a very pricey piece of meat.
This Prime Rib is actually one of the easiest holiday meals you’ll make. It really just consists of a lot of resting time and a couple of easy herb mixtures. The initial prime rib seasoning on the meat is full of garlic, thyme and rosemary which all stand up well to the long cooking time in the oven.
Here’s how the Perfect Garlic Prime Rib will look right out of the oven:
Prime Rib Seasoning: Gremolata is Beautiful for Holiday Meals
The gremolata that goes on top after it comes out of the oven is the perfect bright flavors you’ll love to stand up to and complement the flavor of the prime rib perfectly without needing any heavy sauces. Full of garlic, lemon zest, parsley and olive oil it is a bold bright flavor.
What kind of meat for Prime Rib?
When you ask your butcher/the meat department of your favorite store to prepare your prime rib roast there are just a couple of things you’ll want to note:
- This one may seem like it goes without saying, but you want it to be bone in.
- Ask for it to be trussed with a string, this helps keep the shape perfectly uniform while cooking.
- Let him/her know you want the largest deckle possible. This means you want that meat cap that wraps around the eye of the roast and looks like a little “c” over the center of it to be as big as possible. That deckle is the most flavorful and tender piece of meat in the whole cow. When I go to steakhouses or order meat I frequently order deckle cuts alone because you’ll never get a better bite of steak.
- If you’re asked how many “bones” you want this 7 lb. roast I had was a 3 bone roast, it is just their way of gauging size. You aren’t going to serve this as one person = one bone (That would be Flinstone’s level eating) so don’t worry if 3 sounds like it is a small amount, 3 bones is quite a large roast.
So just to recap: “Hey butcher, I am having an awesome party! I’m making the Perfect Prime Rib and needed a 7 lb. roast, bone in and trussed. Please make sure it has the largest meat cap/deckle possible, we all love that part of the steak.” In the words of Gus Portokalos, and there you go!
Tools Used in the Making of this Perfect Garlic Prime Rib:
Roaster with Rack: A perfect sized roasting pan with rack for your prime rib to sit on. I have the Mauviel version of this as well as this one and they are both fantastic options, the Cuisinart is also 1/3 the price, so go for that one!
Oven Ready Meat Thermometer: This is a perfect tool to keep in your kitchen for large roasts and it isn’t expensive. I’ve had mine for years.
Recipe
Perfect Garlic Prime Rib
- Yield: 8
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Course: Main
- Cuisine: American
- Author: Sabrina Snyder
Perfect Garlic Prime Rib made with a garlic, thyme and rosemary crust is gorgeously browned on the outside and a perfect medium on the inside. Topped off with a gremolata it is the perfect show-stopping holiday/event meal!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons garlic minced
- 4 leaves sprigs thyme torn from stem
- 2 leaves sprigs rosemary torn from stem and minced
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 7 pound Boneless Prime Rib Roast
Instructions
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
- Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, canola oil, kosher salt, and black pepper to a small bowl and mix.
- Rub all over the prime rib and let rest for an hour (to let meat come to room temperature).
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Place the prime rib, fat cap side up in a roasting pan.
- Place your meat thermometer into the side of the roast not touching the bones and as far in as you can place it.
Cook for 20 minutes at 450 degrees before lowering temperature to 325 degrees.
Cook an additional 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size of your roast and your meat thermometer (you're looking for a temperature between 125-130 degrees).
To cook my almost exactly 7 pound prime rib, I had it in the oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Serve topped with a gremolata.
Recipe Notes
I also topped this with Emeril's Gremolata.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 8 , Amount per serving: 1221 calories, Calories: 1221g, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 109g, Saturated Fat: 44g, Cholesterol: 240mg, Sodium: 1049mg, Potassium: 889mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 30g, Vitamin C: 1.9g, Calcium: 41g, Iron: 5.9g
All images and text © for Dinner, then Dessert.
Love your recipes
Thank you 🙂
Have you made a prime rib using a countertop rotisserie?
Any tips?
I haven’t used that kind of appliance, so I’m not comfortable recommending. Let me know if you do and how it turns out.
This looks delicious! Although, I’ve never made a rib roast I plan on making this for family this holiday. I hope mine turns out as nicely as yours pictured.
How do I make au jus?
When the Prime Rib is done, carefully pour the juices through the strainer and into the bowl If you’d need more au jus, you can stir in a little beef broth.
Do you cook it with the garlic, thyme and rosemary on it?
Yes, cook with the garlic thyme and rosemary on it, then the fresh herbs in the picture are added afterwards.
This came out perfect, the seasoning and cook method is spot on. I did not make the gremolata, went with a basic au jus instead and pulled it at 119° … next time I’ll pull it just a little earlier for more of a medium rare vs medium. I also salted and dry aged the beef in the fridge for 2 days prior to the cook and that helped season the interior. Really wonderful.
Sounds delicious!! Thanks for the 5 stars!
This was the best receipt ever. I cannot find the words express what a amazing dish. That all I can say it is better than excellent and I thank you so much.
Thanks Linda! So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I made this for our family’s New Year’s Day dinner. It came out perfect! And I made au jus with the drippings. Then we had French dip sandwiches the next day with the leftovers and that was also delicious. 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Wow, this looks amazing. Wish I had seen this recipe before Christmas. I would have made this rather than my lackluster lamb. 🙁
There’s always next year, though I wouldn’t suggest waiting that long, lol! It’s so good!
Wowzers! Now this looks impressive and delicious! 🙂
Thank you Carrie!
My hubby would LOVE this! It looks so flavorful!
THat Prime Rib is perfect. What a great dinner idea for next weekend. I haven’t made Prime Rib in forever.
Oh Sabrina! This looks incredible! My husband would absolutely love this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re welcome Christine!
These drool-worthy pictures just got my attention. This looks so good!!
Okay! When and where are you making this again! I am drooling over this!
I’ll send you a personal invite 😉
Wow, that does look absolutely perfect, yum!
Thanks Kimberly!