SmokeBarbecue
Smoked prime rib
A standing rib roast treated like a reverse-sear steak at roast scale. Smoke for flavor, then a hard finish if you want crust.
Made it?
2 hr 6 min · 30 min hands-on · pull 125°F · rest 30 min
Ingredients
7 lb on the fire · ~4.6 lb to the table · 9 plates at 8 oz
- bone-in prime rib, 3–4 bones, tied7 lb
- kosher salt2 tbsp
- cracked black pepper1 tbsp
- granulated garlic2 tsp
- oil or softened butter1 tbsp
Method
- 1
Salt the roast 12–24 hours ahead, uncovered. Rub with oil, pepper, and garlic before it goes on.
- 2
Smoke at 250°F, bones down, until 118–120°F in the center for rare-to-medium-rare, 2–3½ hours.
- 3
Rest 20 minutes tented. Optional: blast at 500°F or sear the fat cap 2 minutes for crust.
- 4
Rest another 10 minutes. Carve off the bones, then slice ¾-inch steaks across the grain.
If you don’t have it
- Bone-in prime rib → Boneless ribeye roast. Bones are a heat shield and a serving handle. Boneless cooks a little faster — watch the probe.
- Smoke → Oven reverse at 250°F. Same temps, no wood. Still rest, still optional high-heat finish.
- Oak → Pecan, or no wood in the oven. Hickory can bully a mild roast. This cut is closer to steak than barbecue.
Same cook, different day
Closed-oven holiday
The patio is frozen. 250°F oven to 120, rest, 500°F blast 8 minutes. Same roast, indoor.
Individual ribs
Two people. Cut into bone-in steaks and reverse-sear like ribeye. 250 to 115, sear, 125 rest.
Horseradish board
Buffet. Pull at 118, rest 30 minutes, slice, serve with juices and a sharp horseradish cream.
On the plate
With this, try
- With this dish, try making potatoes au gratin.
In the oven the last 70 minutes of a roast, or while steaks reverse. Yukon Golds, ⅛-inch, layered with cream, garlic, salt, Gruyère. 350°F until a knife meets no fight, then a brief broil.
1 hr 15 min
- With this dish, try making grilled asparagus.
When the meat comes off to rest. Thick spears, oil, salt. Hot grate 2–3 minutes, roll, another minute. Lemon. Pencil spears go in a hot skillet, not on the bars.
10 min
- With this dish, try making baked potato.
In the oven when a reverse-sear steak goes on, or the last hour of a roast. Scrub, oil, salt the skin. 400°F until a probe slides, 50–70 minutes. Split, butter, sour cream, chives. Foil only if you like wet skin.
1 hr