How to Cook a Small Prime Rib Roast (Closed Oven Method) (2024)

FAQs

Should prime rib roast be cooked covered or uncovered? ›

Do you cover prime rib roast when cooking? You can cover rib roast when cooking after searing it to help it retain some of its moisture, but it's not necessary. For the best results, leave the roast uncovered until you remove it from the oven or grill and place it at room temperature for resting.

Cook it medium to medium-rare

“It's too chewy,” he says, “because the collagen in the meat hasn't broken down.” Prime rib in the medium rare to medium range is more tender.

Cook the prime rib low and slow at 250°F until the internal temperature reaches 120°F, about 3 hours, depending on its size. Take the roast off the heat. Crank the heat up to 450°F or 500°F, then return the meat to the grill to crisp the exterior of the roast.

Bake prime rib at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking until desired level of doneness. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat: Rare: 120 degrees F (about 10-12 min/pound).

A roast is a large cut of meat: it needs more seasoning than you might expect. Season it generously with kosher salt the day before roasting it and let it sit in the fridge uncovered overnight. When you take it out of the fridge before roasting, add pepper and any additional herbs.

Lock in flavor and add flavor to your prime rib roast with a great sear before roasting. Don't skip this step! Learn how to cook a prime rib roast with Executive Chef Rose: https://www.omahasteaks.com/blog/recipes/dijon- herb-prime-rib-roast-with-garlic-butter-mushrooms/

Bring meat to room temperature: Remove prime rib from the refrigerator one hour before cooking. Season it on all sides with salt and cover it loosely with plastic wrap as it comes to room temperature. Prime rib roast will cook better and more evenly when it's at room temperature.

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.

“You want to have the beef nice and moist,” says owner Joe Betz. Once the salt is in place, the meat is put into the oven for around two and a half hours at a medium temperature. The salt helps trap the heat to better cook the prime rib. “It conducts the heat and seals it,” says Betz.

A low and slow start delivers perfectly evenly cooked medium-rare doneness all the way from edge to center. Blasting the prime rib with heat just before serving gives you a crackling-crisp, browned crust.

Can you cook a prime rib roast at 250 degrees? ›

Take your time! Plan ahead and dry-brine the roast for at least a day and then allot 4 to 5 hours to slow roast the prime rib at 250°F. Low and slow will cook it evenly! Blast the crust!

Standing Rib Roast Cook Time Chart (for medium-rare)

6 pounds (bone-in): 20 minutes at 500 degrees F; 70 minutes at 325 degrees F.

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.

Leaving prime rib roast uncovered while roasting allows the meat to develop a nice brown crust. You should only cover the roast with aluminum foil if it is becoming too brown.

Prime Rib Roast, at room temperature (very important)

Remove the roast from the refrigerator 1 ½ to 2 hours before cooking, the longer time for the largest roast (if you don't let the roast come to room temperature, if will take longer to cook your roast).

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

Place the roast fat side up, bone side down, in a large roasting pan. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. This allows the heat to sear the roast, trapping the juicy flavors inside while the rest of the meat cooks.

Preparing the Prime Rib Roast

Pull the rib roast out of the fridge and let temper on the counter for three hours.

The latter question is an easy one to answer: You don't need any of them. The vast majority of roasting tasks you'd typically perform in them—roasting turkeys, prime ribs, legs of lamb, and other large cuts or whole beasts—can be performed on a simple roasting rack or wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.