Reverse-searing is the only way to cook a prime rib at home and not blow $200 on a grey, overcooked roast.
Why you should cook this
Reverse-searing is the only way to cook a prime rib at home and not blow $200 on a grey, overcooked roast. Cook it slowly at 110°C until the centre reads 50°C, rest, then blast the outside in a 280°C oven for ten minutes. Even pink edge to edge, glassy crust on top.
This is the Christmas roast you make once and never go back from.
What to drink with it
A serious old-vine shiraz from the Barossa, or a chunky bourbon Old Fashioned (see our guide). Roasted potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.
Notes from the kitchen
Buy bone-in. Three or four ribs (1kg per rib feeds two). The bones insulate the meat and add flavour. A meat thermometer is non-negotiable. Sixty dollars at any hardware store. Without one, you are guessing on a $200 roast. Let the roast come to room temperature before cooking. Two hours on the bench, no covering.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Pat the roast dry. Season generously with salt and pepper, pressing into all surfaces. Refrigerate uncovered overnight (this dries the surface for a better crust).
- Two hours before cooking, take the roast out of the fridge. Combine garlic, herbs and oil in a bowl. Rub all over the roast.
- Heat oven to 110°C fan-forced (130°C conventional). Place the roast on a rack in a baking tray, bones-side-down.
- Cook 2.5-3 hours until the internal temperature reads 50°C for medium-rare (52°C for medium). Use a probe thermometer. Don't rely on time alone — oven and roast vary.
- Rest the roast on a board, loosely tented with foil, for 30 minutes. Crank the oven up to 280°C (or as high as it goes).
- Return the rested roast to the oven for 8-10 minutes until the surface is dark and crusty. The internal temp will rise about 3-4°C.
- Rest another 15 minutes. Carve between the bones, then slice thinly. Serve with horseradish cream and gravy.
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Grey edges, pink centre
You skipped the reverse-sear step or roasted it conventionally. The slow low cook brings the whole thing up evenly to fifty degrees, then the high blast finishes the crust without overcooking the inside.
Burnt crust on the bones
You skipped the foil shield in the final blast. Wrap the bones in a small piece of foil before the 280-degree finish to protect them from the worst of the heat.
Variations worth knowing
Boneless
Cheaper and easier to carve. Reduce cook time by twenty percent. Same temperatures, same probe target.
Garlic and herb crust
Whisk softened butter with twelve cloves of garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme. Spread on the surface before the final sear. Doubles down on roast-meat flavour.
Smoked
Reverse-sear in a smoker at 110 degrees for the first stage. Adds a layer of pecan or oak smoke. Finish in the oven at 280 for the crust.
Leftovers and make ahead
Cold sliced prime rib makes the best Boxing Day sandwich of all time. Wrap leftovers tightly in foil; refrigerate up to four days. Reheat slices briefly in a hot pan with butter, or eat cold with horseradish on rye.