Slow Smoked “Reverse” Seared Prime Rib

I am completely serious when I say that we have MASTERED the perfect Prime Rib. We have tried many techniques over the years but this one took the cake! We took a technique we recently started using on steaks and applied it to a roast achieving perfection! The key is “dry aging” for 24 hours, slow smoking until desired internal temperature is reached, then QUICKLY searing in the oven. It has the perfect amount of smoked flavor without over powering the flavor of the meat and no off-putting burnt crust of seasoning that usually happens with home cooked Prime Rib.

The most important thing is to purchase a good grade of meat. You have to pick a Choice or Prime Grade if you want a good end result. (As a daughter of a Cattleman I could go on for days about this… but let’s save that for another day.) You may have your butcher cut the ribs off and tie them back on the roast for you (this ensures even cooking), but we choose to do it ourselves.

You will need:

• A Choice or Prime Grade Prime Rib Roast with ribs cut & tied
• Salt
• Pepper

The first step is done the day before cooking. Take the roast and set in a foiled lined pan (rib side down). Liberally apply salt to all exposed surfaces of the meat. Then place in the fridge uncovered and let rest for 18-24 hours. This is a quick way of “Dry-Aging” the meat, locking in moisture and flavor.

1 hour before cooking, take the roast out of Fridge and place on the counter

Turn on Smoker to “Smoke” setting, or lowest heat setting. Ideally 180F-200F. Once ready, place the pan on grill and smoke uncovered until at least 110F internally. We prefer a rare middle to our roast, so please go to a higher temperature if you would like Medium to Well done. It took our 7lb roast 5-6 hours on our Traeger Grill to reach 110F.

Once the meat has risen to desired temperature, preheat your oven to 500F. In between transferring from the smoker to oven, brush with melted butter and apply ground black pepper to exposed meat surfaces. You can also baste the meat with any drippings in the pan. Ours did not have any drippings until after the oven sear. Sear for 7-10 minutes depending on how crispy you want the “outside”. We went for 10 and it was perfect for us!

Now the hard part… Remove from Oven and allow to sit and rest uncovered 15-20 minutes. It will be the longest 15-20 minutes of your life!! It is almost torture smelling the meat and having to wait!

To carve, cut all strings and dispose. I always carve the meat off the ribs and set the bones aside for Bone Broth. Carve steaks to your desired thickness. Typically 1/2-1 inch is desired. Serve with Creamy Horseradish sauce, Au Jus, and your favorite side dishes.

And just from writing this now I’m craving Prime Rib again, we literally just finished the leftovers and I’m ready to cook up another! We enjoy the leftovers in: Homemade Beef Ramen, Prime Rib French Dip Sandwiches and Prime Rib Tacos!