Ultimate Guide: How to Smoke a Prime Rib - Butcher's Playbook (2024)

Learning how to smoke a prime rib is a great way to make your holiday feast extra special. This method involves slow-smoking the meat to enhance its flavor, followed by flash-roasting it to create a rich, flavorful crust.

Ultimate Guide: How to Smoke a Prime Rib - Butcher's Playbook (1)

What Makes a Smoked Prime Rib?

A prime rib roast comes from the primal rib of a cow and includes seven ribs of marbled, tender meat that can weigh up to 30 pounds. The term “prime” doesn’t necessarily refer to the meat’s grade, but rather indicates that it comes from an entire primal muscle.

The highest grade of prime rib is Prime, which you’ll typically find at your butcher or at large stores. Most local grocery stores carry Choice-grade beef, and Select-grade beef is the lowest grade. Despite their different grades, they’re all technically considered “prime ribs” and are treated similarly in most recipes for smoking a prime rib.

Ultimate Guide: How to Smoke a Prime Rib - Butcher's Playbook (2)

Best Grade for smoked prime rib

The grade of beef you choose for smoking a prime rib can make a big difference in the final dish. Prime-grade beef, with its extra marbling, has superior flavor, tenderness, and moisture as the fat renders. However, it comes at a higher price.

If you’re working with a big budget and don’t mind spending a little extra, prime-grade beef is the way to go. But if you’re on a tighter budget, choice-grade beef will still give you great results.

The most important thing is to smoke the prime rib correctly, regardless of the grade. This recipe will help you do that, so you’ll end up with an incredibly delicious and tender prime rib, no matter what grade you choose.

If you’re really on a tight budget, select-grade beef will work just fine, but it won’t be as tender or flavorful as prime or choice-grade beef.

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How Much Smoked Prime Rib Per Person?

Figuring out how much smoked prime rib per person is a big part of planning. For seated dinners, you should plan on 1 pound of uncooked prime rib per person.

This estimation allows for any trimming required and compensates for volume loss during the smoking process. Plus, you’ll have enough leftovers for sandwiches!

Ingredients for Smoked Prime Rib

Here’s what you’ll need to make this smoked prime rib roast. It’s a simple recipe.

10-pound prime rib roast
1/2 cup horseradish mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

Quick note: Adjust the amount of salt and pepper in this recipe as needed to fully cover the roast on all sides.

Alright, let’s get that prime rib smoking! Here are the easy steps:

FIRE IT UP: Get your smoker going and heat it up to a cool 225 degrees F using whatever hardwood you love for beef.

RUB AND SEASON: In a small bowl, whip up some mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic together. Slap this mix all over the roast before giving it a good dusting with salt and pepper.

SMOKE TIME: Pop that seasoned beauty onto the grill grates of your smoker then sit back and relax until it hits an internal temperature between 120 degrees F (for rare) to 130 degrees F (for medium).

REST BEFORE THE FINAL TOUCHES: Move your roast onto a cutting board; cover with foil as you crank up your grill’s temp to 400 degrees F.

BACK FOR A QUICK SEAR : Once at full blast put back prime rib into smoker till reaching desired doneness (130°F – Rare ,135°F – Medium-Rare or140 °F – Medium)

Wondering how long to smoke prime rib?

For a rare finish, you’ll need to smoke it for about 35 minutes per pound at 225 degrees F. If you prefer medium, plan on about 40 minutes per pound.

The key to getting it perfect is to keep an eye on the internal temperature of the meat as it cooks. Use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s cooked to your liking.

Don’t forget to factor in about 30 minutes of rest time before you slice and serve. And another 15 minutes to give it a quick sear over high heat for a nice crust.

Smoked Prime Rib Recipe

Ultimate Guide: How to Smoke a Prime Rib - Butcher's Playbook (5)

Smoked prime rib is the star of every holiday table. With its incredible flavor and a delicious crust, my smoked prime rib method is guaranteed to be a hit every time!

PREP TIME: 15 mins COOK TIME: 6 hrs RESTING TIME: 30 mins

TOTAL TIME: 6 hrs 45 mins SERVINGS: 10 people CALORIES: 1364kcal

INGREDIENTS

▢1 pound prime rib

▢1 Tablespoon coarse ground kosher salt (adjust amount as needed to fully cover the roast)

▢1 Tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper (adjust the amount as needed to fully cover the roast)

GARLIC MUSTARD SLATHER

▢½ cup horseradish mustard

▢2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

▢4 cloves garlic (minced)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat. Get the smoker started and preheat it to 225 degrees F while you prep the prime rib.
Trim the meat. Trim the fat from the top of the roast to 1/4-inch thick.
Season. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Spread the mixture all over the roast, then season liberally with salt and pepper.
Smoke. Throw the roast on the grill and shut the lid. Smoke until the internal temp of the roast reaches 120 degrees for rare or 130 degrees for medium. For a rare, bone-in roast, plan on 35 minutes per pound of prime rib.
Rest. Take the roast off the heat and place it on a cutting board. Cover the roast with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Increase temp in smoker. While the roast is resting, turn your grill up to 400 degrees.
Sear. Once the grill is hot, put the roast back on and sear until you reach your desired doneness. Pull the roast off at 130 degrees F for rare, 135 degrees F for medium rare, or 140 degrees F for medium. Keep an eye on the temperature, as this should go quickly.
Rest, slice, and serve. Take your roast off the heat and place it on a cutting board. Let the meat sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

NUTRITION