The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib (2024)

Prime rib is a big, expensive piece of meat, and whatever occasion you're serving it for, it's obviously a special one. Regardless of what cooking technique you choose (and there are several), make sure you don't spoil the occasion by making one of these top prime rib mistakes.Have your roast technique down? Tackle the side dishes next.

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  • 01 of 05

    Cooking the Roast Cold

    The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib (2)

    Cooking cold meat is one of the biggest cooking mistakes there is because chilled meat needs to spend more time exposed to the heat, causing the outer parts of it to overcook. With prime rib, this mistake is amplified many times because of how massive the roast is. This extra weight means it takes a while to come to room temperature.

    The problems that occur if you fail to let your prime rib come to room temperature will vary depending on which cooking technique you use. With the closed-door method, the weight-to-cooking-time ratio won't work if the prime rib starts ice-cold, and you'll end up taking it out of the oven too early. With the traditional method, you'll simply end up with an overcooked roast.

    Start on the right foot by letting your prime rib sit at room temperature for a full 3 hours before roasting it.

  • 02 of 05

    Worrying About Seasoning

    The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib (3)

    Yes, it's important to season your prime rib, but worrying about whether to season it the night before or three hours before—or even right before it goes in the oven—is not a good use of your cooking bandwidth. The fact is that no amount of seasonings you apply to the surface (including soaking in a marinade) are going to penetrate beyond about 2 millimeters into that massive roast. (This is why people inject brine into roasts.)

    In fact, the longer the salt sits on the surface of the meat, the more moisture will get sucked out of it, which is the complete opposite of what you want. 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.

  • 03 of 05

    Overcooking the Prime Rib

    The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib (4)

    Prime rib comes from the rib primal cut, which is the second-most tender of all the cuts of beef (after the tenderloin). That's why prime rib is so expensive: it's a huge piece of extremely good beef. Therefore, it's important not to cook it beyond medium-rare. Going past that temperature means the roast will no longer be tender.

    This is not to say that you shouldn't cook your beef any way you like, but if you prefer your beef roasted medium, medium-well or well-done, you may want to consider cuts other than prime rib—perhaps a sirloin or a rump roast, for instance. You'll save at least $50, and you won't be missing out on the tenderness.

  • 04 of 05

    Poking the Prime Rib Full of Holes

    The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib (5)

    The different levels of doneness are measured by temperature and medium-rare is defined as a peak temperature of 135 F. (You'll wait for it to cool to 120 F before slicing it, but more on that below.) But that doesn't mean you should determine doneness by taking repeated measurements using an instant-read thermometer. It's a prime rib, not a pincushion!

    Fortunately, there are better methods. The standard prime rib roasting technique employs a probe thermometer that you insert into the meat and leave in while it cooks. When it reaches your target temperature, it's done, and you take the roast out of the oven, having only poked one hole in it. Even better is the closed-door method, which doesn't require a thermometer at all.

    Remember, prime rib should be tender and juicy. Poking it full of holes causes those juices to leak out. Don't do it!

    How Long Should You Cook Prime Rib?

    The exact cooking time will depend on the size of your roast and the oven temperature, so it's best to gauge doneness by temperature. For a medium-rare roast (which is recommended!) cook your roast to an internal temperature of 130F - 135F.

    At an oven temperature of 325F - 350F, estimate 13 to 15 minutes per pound for medium rare.

    Continue to 5 of 5 below.

  • 05 of 05

    Not Resting the Prime Rib

    The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib (6)

    Letting your prime rib sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes before slicing it is called resting it, and resting your prime rib helps ensure it will be as juicy as possible. When you roast a piece of meat in a very hot oven, the juices from the outer regions flee toward the center of the roast. The heat causes the proteins in the meat to contract, which literally squeezes the juices out of the cells. Slicing into the meat right away will just cause all those juices to come spilling out onto your cutting board.

    If you let the meat cool to 120 to 125 F, those juices are reabsorbed into their cells, and when you slice it, very little juice actually escapes, which means each bite will be as moist as possible. If you're using one of the traditional methods with a probe thermometer, simply leave the probe in after you take the meat out of the oven. When the temperature dips to at least 125 F, go ahead and slice. The beauty of the closed-door method is that it requires barely any resting at all. Same with the slow-roast method.

The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib (2024)

FAQs

The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Prime Rib? ›

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.

What is the secret to a good prime rib? ›

The secret to making perfect prime rib, according to a Michelin-...
  • Go with bone-in. You could always buy boneless, but, Syhabout says, a bone-in cut yields juicier, more flavorful meat. ...
  • Use a wet rub, not a marinade. ...
  • Cook it medium to medium-rare. ...
  • Slice it thin. ...
  • Doctor up the drippings.
Dec 26, 2021

How do restaurants make prime rib so tender? ›

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.

What is the most important thing to do before roasting a prime rib roast? ›

Rule #7: Season Well, and Season in Advance. For best results, salt your prime rib on all surfaces with kosher salt at least 45 minutes before you start cooking it, and preferably the day before, leaving it in the fridge uncovered overnight. Initially, the salt will draw out some moisture and end up dissolving in it.

Is it better to cook prime rib at 325 or 350? ›

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!

What is the best temperature to cook a prime rib roast? ›

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.

Is it better to cook prime rib slow or fast? ›

Slow roast Prime Rib stays pink and juicy, especially on the inside. If you want a little more browning and a firmer texture on the exterior, it's best accomplished with a reverse sear. Standard searing involves browning the meat in a pan on all sides before the rest of the cooking begins.

Should you rub a prime rib the night before? ›

Putting a dry rub on too early increases the likelihood of it being washed off or knocked loose before you get the beef cooked. Aside from seasoning mixes designed to go on up to one day before cooking for brining purposes, you'll only want the dry rub on the Prime Rib in time for the start of cooking.

Why do you salt prime rib before cooking? ›

The salt helps trap the heat to better cook the prime rib. “It conducts the heat and seals it,” says Betz.

How long should prime rib sit before cooking? ›

Let it sit on the counter for 4 hours before cooking. Bringing the roast to room temperature is especially important here because a cold roast will take much longer to cook. Step three: Cook it low and slow. Set the oven to 225 degrees F and put the roast in the oven.

Should you oil prime rib before cooking? ›

Rub the prime rib with olive oil. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, herbs and garlic powder. Rub this mixture onto the prime rib. Place the prime rib in a roasting pan, fat-side up, and insert an ovenproof meat thermometer so the tip is centered in the thickest part of the roast.

Is it better to sear prime rib first or last? ›

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 cook prime rib covered or uncovered? ›

Keep the rib roast uncovered while you cook it to allow it to brown on the outside. You can also give it a little extra sear in a hot pan for a few minutes on each side after it's finished roasting.

What is the secret to making perfect prime rib? ›

It's no secret that roasts need to cook slow and slow, but for that killer crust on a prime rib the secret is to hit it with a lot of heat first. Like our other prime rib recipes, this rosemary-rubbed prime rib cooks at 450F for 20 minutes before cooking for another 60 to 90 minutes at 350F.

Should you put water in the bottom of the roasting pan when cooking prime rib? ›

Placing the oven rack too high up will cause your roast to brown too quickly and burn! After 30 minutes in the oven, add a ½ cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. The key is to allow the onions to brown and caramelize while roasting, but not to burn and smoke in the fat.

How many minutes per pound for prime rib at 325 degrees? ›

Prime Rib Cooking Time

Reduce heat to 325˚F and continue baking: 10-12 min per pound for rare. 13-14 min per pound for medium-rare. 14-15 min per pound for medium.

What makes prime rib so delicious? ›

Prime rib has a large “eye” of meat in the center, which is juicy, tender, and marbled with fat. This eye has a fat-marbled muscle around it, and the whole thing is surrounded by a thick cap of fat. This means that prime rib is tender, juicy, and extremely flavorful because the muscles aren't heavily used.

How do you keep prime rib moist? ›

First things first, wrap leftover prime rib tightly in plastic wrap, preferably keeping it intact rather than slicing it. This will help keep as much moisture inside as possible.

What gives prime rib its flavor? ›

Fresh Herbs: In addition to fresh garlic, fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme really give this prime rib its perfect flavor. Onion Powder: A dash of onion powder is simple, easy, and really kicks this prime rib up a notch.

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