Standing Rib Roast or (Prime Rib) is incredibly flavorful and delicious. It also makes a beautiful presentation for entertaining.
Cooking it is surprisingly easy! Follow these simple steps on how to cook a Standing Rib Roast perfectly!
"Made this and it was delicious. Followed the recipe almost exactly. I was short on olive oil so I used a little butter in combination with the olive oil. I will do it again. This roast was cooked perfectly, super simple to make and delicious."
★★★★★- Marcia
Standing Rib Roast can feel intimidating because it is an expensive cut of meat. You do not want to ruin your delicious, investment when cooking it.
Surprisingly, it is simple to cook!
In this post, I will walk you through steps and tips on how to cook your prime rib perfect every time. Try it with my homemade horseradish cream sauce... It is amazing together! I hope you love it as much as we do. Enjoy! Xoxo~Katie.
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Recommended cooking tools
For best results I recommend the following cooking tools for your beef roast.
- Oven safe thermometer- This will allow you to know exactly when to pull your prime rib out. I use the ThermPro and it does a great job.
- Roasting pan with rack-The rack keeps the roast from touching the bottom of the pan preventing the bottom from cooking in the meat juices and drippings at a different temperature from the rest of the roast. This is particularly important for a boneless roast. The bone-in roast can cook on the bones without the rack because the bones can act as a natural barrier to the roast. However, I still recommend the rack for the assurance of even cooking. This Cuisinart Roaster is a good pan.
Watch how to make
Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to cook a Standing Rib Roast.
- Standing Rib Roast or boneless Ribeye Roast- Ask your butcher to cut the bones off and tie them back to the roast. You will keep the flavor of the bones but it will make it much easier to carve. This will also allow you to cook the rib roast on top of the bones. If you keep the bones in the roast, you will have a harder time slicing the meat when ready to serve.
- Olive oil- This will coat the the beef to help brown the outer crust. You can substitute with butter. Keep in mind, the rib roast is very rich and butter will make it richer. Hence why I prefer olive oil. If you use butter, soften the butter to easily coat the beef rather than melting it.
- Salt and pepper- I find with steaks, simply using salt and pepper makes the best seasoning combination. Use a really coarse sea salt. Do not use table salt. The salt draws out the fats and juices to create the perfect outer crust. Pepper adds a little bite. Other seasonings can overpower or compete with the natural flavors of the beef while salt enhances it. However, if you want some additional seasonings, mustard, garlic, horseradish, and rosemary are great flavor pairings.
*Full recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Steps
Follow these simple steps to make Standing Rib Roast.
- Pat Standing Rib Roast Dry and leave uncovered in fridge for 3 hours or more. (This will help dry out the outer layer.) Then remove from refrigerator. Generously coat the rib roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place rib roast in a large roasting pan fat side up. Set out 2-3 hours to bring to room temperature.
- Preheat oven at 450 degrees. Insert oven meat thermometer probe in the center of the thickest part of the roast. Place the standing rib roast in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue to cook until the meat thermometer reaches 115 degrees for rare or 120 degrees for medium rare, or 130 degrees for medium. Prime Rib should not be cooked higher than medium.
- Remove from oven and let the standing rib roast rest for 20 to 30 minutes. It will continue to cook while resting. After resting, your prime rib should reach 120-129 degrees for rare, 130-134 degrees for medium rare, and 135-144 degrees for medium. Serve with au jus and creamy horseradish sauce.
Don't waste the drippings
Use the pan drippings for Yorkshire Pudding and Au Jus sauce.
Serving tip
The end pieces will be cooked more than the center. If there are people in your party that prefer a more cooked cut of meat, serve them the end pieces. If they prefer it cooked at a more well done temperature (Pure Blasphamy!) cook their slices individually in the au jus sauce.
How long does it take to cook a standing rib roast?
The standing rib roast will cook for 20 minutes at 450. Then it will cook approximately 11 minutes per pound for rare and 13 minutes per pound for medium rare.
However, this estimation is only to help you plan the timing of your dinner. Do not rely on the time estimate for actual cooking. Use your thermometer to guide your actual cooking time.
How many people does prime rib serve?
Estimate ¾ to 1 pound per person for a prime rib or 2 people per bone for a bone-in rib roast when purchasing for your dinner party.
Was this post helpful? Check out these cooking tutorials also!
Did your Standing Rib Roast come out perfect? Please leave me a comment below if you make this and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post a picture of your prime rib on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
How to Cook a Standing Rib Roast
Equipment
- 1 oven safe meat thermometer
- 1 roasting pan with rack
Ingredients
- 6 pounds standing rib roast
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Pat Standing Rib Roast Dry and leave uncovered in fridge for 3 hours or more. (This will help dry out the outer layer.) Then remove from refrigerator. Generously coat the rib roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place rib roast in a large roasting pan fat side up. Set out 2-3 hours to bring to room temperature.6 pounds standing rib roast, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, ¼ cup olive oil
- Preheat oven at 450 degrees. Insert oven meat thermometer probe in the center of the thickest part of the roast. Place the standing rib roast in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue to cook until the meat thermometer reaches 115 degrees for rare or 120 degrees for medium rare, or 130 degrees for medium. Prime Rib should not be cooked higher than medium.
- Remove from oven and let the standing rib roast rest for 20 to 30 minutes. It will continue to cook while resting.After resting, your prime rib should reach 120-129 degrees for rare, 130-134 degrees for medium rare, and 135-144 degrees for medium. Serve with au jus and creamy horseradish sauce.
Video
Notes
- Ask your butcher to cut the bones off and tie them back to the roast. You will keep the flavor of the bones but it will make it much easier to carve. This will also allow you to cook the rib roast on top of the bones. If you keep the bones in the roast, you will have a harder time slicing the meat when ready to serve.
- Use a really coarse salt. Do not use table salt.
Janet Ashenden says
One of the best Prime Ribs I have ever made. I left the roast uncovered in the frig overnight. The crust was amazing and the meat so tender you barely need a knife.
Dan Korthals says
This is exactly how I was taught to roast a Standing Rib Roast by my Grandmother, many moons ago. I HIGHLY suggest to anyone making this, to also prepare Yorkshire Pudding to accompany the roast.
You’ll use the drippings from the roast in muffin tins to give the Yorkshire Pudding a magnificent flavor. And it’s VERY easy to make, too. Don’t think of it as a ‘pudding’ as much as a soft, light, airy piece of wonderfully flavored bread like accompaniment. Trust me on this one. They go together like peas and carrots!
JVH says
First time trying a prime rib/standing rib roast, it turned out perfectly! Thank you! My friend suggested boiling the ribs and making French Onion soup...
Debra says
Would anyone know about how long a 11 pound roast would take to cook to medium rare? This is a huge piece of meat!
Katie Crenshaw says
This is just an approximation because ovens cook differently. However, based on a 11 pound rib roast, it should take about 2 hours and 45 minutes plus resting time. I highly, highly, highly recommend using a meat thermometer. The thermometer will be the only way to know if it is cooked properly. Hope you enjoy.