Chef John’s Perfect Prime Rib Recipe

Use my easy “mathematical method” for cooking prime rib, and you’ll be rewarded with the best prime rib that’s perfectly pink and delicious. For the math to work, you must leave the beef out at room temperature for at least 6 hours.

Chef John’s Perfect Prime Rib Recipe

Krysta

Use my easy "mathematical method" for cooking prime rib, and you'll be rewarded with the best prime rib that's perfectly pink and delicious. For the math to work, you must leave the beef out at room temperature for at least 6 hours.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Additional Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Main Dishes

Servings 4

Calories 1757 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 4 pound bone-in prime rib roast room temperature
• ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• kosher salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Place prime rib roast on a plate and bring to room temperature, 2 to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Combine butter, pepper, and herbes de Provence in a bowl; mix until well blended. Spread butter mixture evenly over entire roast. Season roast generously with kosher salt.
• Roast the 4-pound roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. (If your roast is larger or smaller than 4 pounds, multiply the exact weight times 5 minutes.)
• Turn the oven off and, leaving the roast in the oven with the door closed, let the roast sit in the oven for 2 hours.
• Remove roast from the oven, slice, and serve.

Notes

Chef’s Notes

Now, while the method could not be easier, there are a couple things that this method requires: a full-size, modern oven with a digital temperature setting that indicates when it is preheated. Older ovens with manual controls can vary greatly, and the doors may not have the proper insulation.

Here’s another pro tip for you: Because prime rib is expensive, you should always insert a probe-style thermometer to monitor the internal temp of your roast and avoid any chance of over-cooking. Set the probe alarm (125 F for medium-rare) just in case, and pull the prime rib from oven even if there’s still time left on the oven timer.