Best Easy Prime Rib Recipe (2024)

Why This Recipe Works

Easy to Make: Don’t let roasting a prime rib intimidate you! This easy prime rib recipe is exactly that- easy. It is simple to make with just 3 ingredients and you can let the oven do all of the hard work.

Budget Friendly: Making a decadent meal like prime rib right at home is definitely the most budget-friendly way to do it! This is definitely something I recommend making at home instead of going out to a restaurant for.

Ingredients

This best easy prime rib recipe takes only 3 ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Prime Rib: Boneless prime rib is easier to carve and will cook more quickly. However, you can use a bone in prime rib as well!
• Salt: Season the prime rib before cooking with a flaky salt!
• Onion: Onion on the bottom of the baking dish will add extra flavor and aroma. Plus, you can make a sauce with it at the end if you’d like!

Here’s How to Make It

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat & Season: Preheat the oven to 390 F. Pat the beef as dry as possible with paper towels and season well all over with salt.
2. Place Onions & Beef in Dish: Spread the onions in a pile about the same size as the beef joint in the bottom of a baking dish. Place the beef on top.
3. Roast: Roast the beef for 20 minutes before reducing the heat to 340 F. If you’re cooking a boned pieces of prime rib, roast for a further 1 hour for rare beef, 1 hour 25 minutes for medium beef, and 1 hour 45 minutes for well done beef. If you’re cooking a rolled boneless piece of prime rib, roast for a further 45 minutes for rare beef, 1 hour for medium beef, for 1 hour and 15 minutes for well done beef.
4. Remove & Rest: Remove the beef from the pan and wrap in tin foil. Leave in a warm place- reserving the pan juices to make a sauce if desired- to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Don’t be tempted to skip this step or else the beef will be tough and not entirely cooked to rare, medium or well done as it continues to gently cook during the resting period.

Expert Tips

• To make a quick pan sauce, add 1/2 cup boiling water to the baking dish and whisk into the onions and cooking juices, scraping the brown bits off the bottom. If you have one, drain off the fat with a separator jug. Heat the reserved juices over medium high heat, adding hot water to reach desired consistency, seasoning to taste with salt and Worcestershire sauce, and thickening with 1/2 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 1/2 tablespoon cold water to create a paste.
• Don’t overcook! Keep in mind that the prime rib will continue to cook as it is resting, so be sure not to keep it in the oven for too long!
• Don’t skip the resting period! I know how tempting it can be to carve into a hot piece of roasted meat immediately after it comes out of the oven, but please do not skip the resting period. That goes for most roasted meats, but especially with prime rib. Resting it will give it time to finish cooking and allow the juices to set.
• Cut meat across the grain! When carving, you can see that the meat has lines that go all in one direction. It is best to cut across them to the most tender meat.

What temperature should beef prime rib be cooked to?

The temperature that beef prime rib should be cooked to depends totally on your preference.
Rare = 115 to 120 F
Medium Rare = 125 – 130 F
Medium = 135 – 140 F
Medium Well = 145 – 150 F
I don’t recommend cooking the beef to be more than 150 F. This temperature will result in a well done piece of beef after you let it rest! In order to check the internal temperature of the meat, use a meat thermometer to be sure.

What should I serve with beef prime rib?

This best easy prime rib recipe goes amazingly with some homemade creamy mashed potatoes and a simple vegetable like crispy green beans, sautéed brussels sprouts, or roasted broccoli and cauliflower!