Easy Smoked Prime Rib

This Easy Smoked Prime Rib recipe requires just a few simple steps before smoking low and slow to get an incredibly flavorful and perfectly smoked prime rib.

If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at smoking a prime rib but haven’t because the process seems tedious and you’re afraid to ruin an expensive roast, this is the recipe for you. It’s really not as difficult as it might seem, and the results are absolutely delicious!

This recipe is easy to follow and yields perfectly tender and juicy meat. I have to admit that fear of failure had set in before I’d even plunked down the money for the prime rib and I was skeptical that this smoking endeavor was actually going to pay off. But all that worry was for nothing. It turned out perfectly and it was super simple.

» You might also like these Simple & Delicious Traeger Baked Potatoes.

Ingredients Needed

• Prime Rib roast – Plan on 3/4 to 1 pound per person – I leave the ribs attached to the roast with butcher’s twine.
• Coarse Kosher salt – for the dry brine. Coarse salt works better than fine salt.
• Butter – I use salted butter. It needs to be softened beforehand.
• Rosemary and thyme
• Garlic
• Fresh lemon juice

How to Prepare a Prime Rib for Smoking?

Preparing a prime rib for smoking is surprisingly simple and only requires a few simple steps, but you do need to think ahead a bit. It’s best to prepare the roast a day or two before you plan to smoke it.

Step One: Trim

First, trim excess fat from the prime rib so you have only about 1/4″ of fat cap left on any portion of the roast. Some come with a thick fat cap, some don’t. Just get your sharp knife and trim it down to 1/4″.

Step Two: Salt

Next, liberally season the rib with coarse kosher salt. You want to do this at least 24-48 hours before you smoke the roast. The salt pulls some of the moisture from the outside of the roast, but it also dry brines it, adding a lot of flavor, and preparing the exterior to get a nice bark (the tasty crispy crust that forms while smoking).

Once you’ve salted it, put it back in the refrigerator uncovered. Pull it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes to an hour before you plan to smoke it so it can come up in temperature, which will ensure a more even cooking.

Step Three: Compound Butter

The next step is to make a compound butter for the roast. You’ll need a food processor or mini chopper. I use the Ninja Express Chop. Be sure to set the butter out at least 30 minutes before so it’s soft enough to blend.

Mix together the butter, herbs, garlic, and lemon juice. Pulse it until it’s well blended. Coat the entire rib roast with the butter. Just slather it on thick.

Step Four: Smoke

Finally, preheat your smoker to 225° F. Place the roast in a roasting pan or tin and put it in the center of the grill so it cooks evenly. Insert a temperature probe so you can monitor the internal temp without having to open the smoker.

Smoking prime rib can take a while, so put on your patient hat. It’s important to cook it slowly over a low heat so that all of the flavors can be locked in and your roast turns out juicy every time.

When it nears the end of cooking, you can open the grill a few times to check various parts of the roast for temperature.

I personally think that the optimal internal temperature for prime rib is between rare and medium rare, which is a final temperature of 125°F to 135°F. There are two more steps to take into account when determining at what temp to remove the roast. One is the reverse sear and the other is carry over cooking. The reverse sear needs 10 degrees and the carry over cooking needs 5 degrees. So plan to remove your roast when it hits 15 degrees under your final desired temperature.

If you’re going for rare, take the roast off the smoker when it hits 110° F. For medium rare, take it off at 120° F.

Step Five: Reverse Sear

You can do the reverse sear on the smoker, on a grill, or in the oven. Do what suits you best. You’ll need to crank the smoker/grill/oven up to 425° F. When it’s up to temp, put the roast in and cook it until the internal temperature reaches 120° F for rare or 130° F for medium rare.

Remove the roast, tent it loosely with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute and the final temp to be reached.

What to Serve it With

When serving prime rib, there are a variety of mouthwatering dishes that can be paired to create a truly unforgettable meal.

• A classic accompaniment to prime rib is horseradish sauce, which has a sharp flavor profile that cuts through the richness of the meat. Serve that in a bowl on the side.
• Potatoes are always a popular choice as a side dish, whether mashed, roasted, or au gratin.
• Roasted vegetables like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and glazed carrots are all great side dishes to add some color and flavor to your plate. You can even smoke veggies at the same time as your roast.

What is a Prime Rib Roast?

A prime rib roast, commonly called prime rib, is an impressive cut of beef that often ends up as the centerpiece of many a Christmas table. It’s referred to by a few different names, so you might have also heard it being called a standing rib roast, or just a rib roast.

If you’re an aspiring butcher, then you’ll want to know that the rib roast is a large section of up to seven ribs from the primal rib section of the beef. Here’s how Food Network describes it, “Cows have thirteen ribs on each side; the first five are called the chuck, the middle seven are the standing rib roast and the very last rib is the loin.”

Prime rib is an impressive yet uncomplicated main dish. It’s perfect for holiday feasts or any special occasion because of it. Even though it is quite expensive, it’s absolutely worth it if you cook it properly. No one can resist it’s tender juiciness. Even those members of our family who insist on eating well done steak were eating it at medium and fully enjoying it.

What Grade of Prime Rib to Buy?

When shopping for prime rib, it’s important to consider the grade of beef you’re purchasing. The three common grades are select, choice and prime. Select has the least amount of fat and marbling, choice is a step up with more marbling than select but not as much as prime. Prime has the most marbling which adds flavor and tenderizes the meat.

Not every rib roast is “prime” grade. Obviously a prime grade roast is going to be the best, but it’s also more expensive. I’ve found that a “choice” grade prime rib turns out really good too, so I don’t usually bother paying for the more expensive one.

Prime can often be expensive, but if you’re looking for that melt-in-your-mouth experience, go for prime grade.

How Much Prime Rib to Make Per Person?

Figuring out how much prime rib per person can be a tricky task, because it depends on the size of appetites and what else it’s being served with. A general rule of thumb is to plan on 3/4 to one pound per person. If you’re serving other main dishes alongside the roast, then you can lower that to 1/2 pound.

I think you should also plan to have some leftovers, because you’ve gone to all the trouble to do the smoking. If it’s all gone in just one meal, that makes me sad. So if I’m serving 6 people and this is the only main dish, I usually cook a 5-pound prime rib.

How Long Do You Smoke Prime Rib?

Smoking prime rib will vary, depending on the size of the roast you are cooking. It’s important to smoke it slowly over a low heat so that all of the flavors can be locked in and your roast turns out with a nice smoky aroma and flavor.

I smoke prime rib at 225° F and it usually takes at least 3-4 hours for the internal temperature of a 5-pound prime rib to reach 125°F (for medium-rare) or 135°F (for medium).

You may need more or less time depending on the size of your roast. Always make sure to monitor the temperature throughout the process with an internal thermometer probe AND an occasional check with the instant read thermometer. That’s the only way to be sure you’re hitting the proper temperature and not overcooking it.

Like it, Love it, Want Some More of It? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch us cook and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. We really love it when you save our recipes to Pinterest 😊

Pin it for later!