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Prime rib sliced on a cutting board.
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4.97 from 146 votes

Best No-Fail Prime Rib (Garlic Herb Crust)

This is the best prime rib recipe with a garlic herb crust - the perfect holiday standing rib roast. Watch the video below to see how I make it in my kitchen!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: prime rib, prime rib recipe, rib roast, standing rib roast
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Equipment

Ingredients

Prime Rib

  • 6 pounds prime rib bone-in (with bones cut off and tied back on)
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion quartered (if making the red wine au jus)

Red Wine Au Jus (Optional)

  • ¼ cup drippings from prime rib pan make sure to separate the fat from the drippings
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 ½ cups red wine
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder (in a slurry) to thicken

Instructions

Prime Rib

  • Remove the prime rib from the fridge 2 to 3 hours before cooking, and allow it to come to room temperature.
    Raw prime rib on a plate on a table.
  • Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). In a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, salt, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper.
    Mixing garlic herb butter in a glass bowl for prime rib.
  • After the prime rib has come to room temperature, pat it down with paper towels to make sure it's dry. Then rub the entire outside of the prime rib with the herb butter mixture.
    Coating the prime rib with garlic herb butter.
  • Place the prime rib in an oven-safe pan or roasting tray with the bone-side down, fat-side up. Place the onion slices in the pan around the meat, if you're making the red wine au jus. If not, you can omit the onions.
    Prime rib with herb butter in a pan with onions.
  • Cook the prime rib in the center of the oven for 20 minutes at 450°F (230°C). It should get a nice sear on the outside. If not, cook it a few minutes longer. Then reduce the temperature of the oven to 325°F (160°C) and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 120°F (50°C), which takes about an hour and a half, for medium-rare. But go by temperature, not time, as it will depend on the size of your prime rib and your oven.
    Cooked prime rib in a pan.
  • Remove the prime rib from the oven and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. You can tent it with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Then, remove the string and bones, and slice it up into thick ½-inch thick slices.
    Sliced prime rib on a cutting board.

Red Wine Au Jus

  • After you've removed the fat from the pan, add up to ¼ cup of drippings back in along with the beef broth and red wine. If you have leftover herbs, you can toss those in as well.
    Making red wine au jus in a pan.
  • Simmer this for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half. It's meant to be a thin sauce, but if you'd like to add a little bit of a thickener, you can do that as well. Strain the au jus to remove the onion and any browned bits, then drizzle over the prime rib.
    Straining the red wine au jus.

Video

Notes

  • If you can, get your butcher to cut the bones off the prime rib, and tie them back on for you. It's much easier to simply snip the string and remove them at the end!
  • Keep an eye on the internal temperature even while the prime rib is resting. If you rest it too long, the temperature may increase a bit too much.
  • For the red wine au jus, I recommend a fat separator, to ensure your sauce isn't too greasy.

Nutrition

Calories: 1129kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 100g | Saturated Fat: 43g | Cholesterol: 225mg | Sodium: 1193mg | Potassium: 824mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 207IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 5mg