8 Steps to Make Smoked Prime Rib
Smoked prime rib is one of the best meat dishes to ever prepare for your friends and family. It is also an excellent way to leave your guests impressed, even if it's just for a small dinner. Everyone loves meat, and smoked prime rib is one of, if not the only, best roast meat dishes you can serve for dinners and other occasions. It elevates the whole dining experience, and you are sure to receive compliments from your guests after dinner.
Making your own smoked prime rib recipe may seem complicated, but in reality, it's not. It is effortless to make smoked prime rib for your dinners, and you will not spend the entire day slaving on this one dish. This article tells you everything you must know about smoked prime rib -- why people love it and the steps on how to do it.
Why Smoked Prime Rib?
However, you might find yourself asking why out of all cuts, prime rib is one of the best meat cuts for all occasions. What makes it so unique that many people want to have it on their dinner plates more than often?
The secret lies in the taste. Prime rib is usually packed with natural meat flavor, thanks to its location and its makeup. It has an "eye" of meat located at the center, and it is the best chunk of meat that makes prime rib so unique. This particular chunk of meat has fat marbling it, and it is also usually tender and juicy.
This chunk is surrounded by a hunk of fat and of fat marbled muscle. This adds to the flavor of the meat as these parts are not as utilized by the cow as the other parts. Because of that, it is known to be much tender and juicier and much more flavorful compared to further steak cuts.
Add to that your marinade, which also adds another level of spice and flavour to its natural meat flavor. You have a fantastic dish waiting to be served at family dinners, holiday buffets, or wherever you will serve it.
Steps on How to Do it
This recipe is your guide on making the best smoked prime rib for your dinners. Of course, you can tweak this to your liking, but this is the right way to do it. The measurements in this particular recipe can feed up to four people, and we used imperial sizes too.
Ingredients needed for smoked prime rib roast:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I buy for each person?
We all know how mouthwatering this dish can be, and we also know how much these cuts of meat cost each person. Therefore, it is essential to remember that you should always plan your preparation about the number of people you will be expecting for dinner. Pro tip: having too much is not a mortal sin.
If the roast is the main course, allocate at least a pound per person. If it is a part of the holiday buffet, allow at least half a pound per person since they have more food choices, anyway. When you are still in doubt, remember that more is better as it tastes as delicious when eaten the next day for leftovers.
What dishes can be usually served with prime rib?
It depends on you and your family's preferences. Still, prime rib is usually served with dishes such as corn pudding, cranberry Jello salad, green bean bundles, mash potatoes either on its own or as a casserole, and others. One thing's for sure, though: everyone will enjoy the savory taste of prime rib with any dish incorporated with it.
What is the best wood to use for smoking prime rib?
If you opt to use a traditional grill, you can use woods with light flavors, as these will not overpower the meat's natural flavors and ruin the entire dish. In this case, apple or cherry wood works the best for smoking your prime rib for your dinners.
Our Takeaway
Indeed, it is really delicious to have smoked prime rib for every occasion. It heightens the sophistication of the entire table setting, be it for a holiday buffet or just a simple sit-down dinner with your friends and loved ones.
It is easy to make your own prime rib recipe, and you should never worry about preparing too much as it still tastes as excellent the next day. Prime rib's secret comes from its location in the cow's body, as it is not frequently used compared to other body parts. Thanks to that convenient location, it has more tender and juicier meat than further cuts, making it one of the best cuts to prepare for every occasion.
Thus, enjoying prime rib for your dinners can genuinely be the highlight of the occasion, whatever it may be.
Why Smoked Prime Rib?
However, you might find yourself asking why out of all cuts, prime rib is one of the best meat cuts for all occasions. What makes it so unique that many people want to have it on their dinner plates more than often?
The secret lies in the taste. Prime rib is usually packed with natural meat flavor, thanks to its location and its makeup. It has an "eye" of meat located at the center, and it is the best chunk of meat that makes prime rib so unique. This particular chunk of meat has fat marbling it, and it is also usually tender and juicy.
This chunk is surrounded by a hunk of fat and of fat marbled muscle. This adds to the flavor of the meat as these parts are not as utilized by the cow as the other parts. Because of that, it is known to be much tender and juicier and much more flavorful compared to further steak cuts.
Add to that your marinade, which also adds another level of spice and flavour to its natural meat flavor. You have a fantastic dish waiting to be served at family dinners, holiday buffets, or wherever you will serve it.
Steps on How to Do it
This recipe is your guide on making the best smoked prime rib for your dinners. Of course, you can tweak this to your liking, but this is the right way to do it. The measurements in this particular recipe can feed up to four people, and we used imperial sizes too.
Ingredients needed for smoked prime rib roast:
- 1/2 (8-10 lbs) four-bone prime rib roast
- 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- Marinate the meat with all the spices, letting it sit for 15 minutes.
- If you want to cook smoked prime rib traeger, set the temperature to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and preheat for 15 minutes with the lid closed.
- Trim the excess fat on the meat while you are waiting for the grill to be preheated. Combine all the ingredients and coat the whole roast with the spice mixture.
- Place the meat on the grill, and cook it until the temperature inside the meat reaches up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the internal temperature every so often until it reaches 120 degrees. Once it's done, pull the roast out of the grill.
- Let the meat rest for another 20 minutes.
- Increase the grill temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and preheat while the meat is resting. Place the roast back inside once it is adequately heated, putting it for fifteen minutes.
- Flip the roast halfway through or until it reaches the optimal temperature for medium-rare, 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Finally, remove the roast from the grill and let it sit for another 30 minutes. Then, start the plating and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I buy for each person?
We all know how mouthwatering this dish can be, and we also know how much these cuts of meat cost each person. Therefore, it is essential to remember that you should always plan your preparation about the number of people you will be expecting for dinner. Pro tip: having too much is not a mortal sin.
If the roast is the main course, allocate at least a pound per person. If it is a part of the holiday buffet, allow at least half a pound per person since they have more food choices, anyway. When you are still in doubt, remember that more is better as it tastes as delicious when eaten the next day for leftovers.
What dishes can be usually served with prime rib?
It depends on you and your family's preferences. Still, prime rib is usually served with dishes such as corn pudding, cranberry Jello salad, green bean bundles, mash potatoes either on its own or as a casserole, and others. One thing's for sure, though: everyone will enjoy the savory taste of prime rib with any dish incorporated with it.
What is the best wood to use for smoking prime rib?
If you opt to use a traditional grill, you can use woods with light flavors, as these will not overpower the meat's natural flavors and ruin the entire dish. In this case, apple or cherry wood works the best for smoking your prime rib for your dinners.
Our Takeaway
Indeed, it is really delicious to have smoked prime rib for every occasion. It heightens the sophistication of the entire table setting, be it for a holiday buffet or just a simple sit-down dinner with your friends and loved ones.
It is easy to make your own prime rib recipe, and you should never worry about preparing too much as it still tastes as excellent the next day. Prime rib's secret comes from its location in the cow's body, as it is not frequently used compared to other body parts. Thanks to that convenient location, it has more tender and juicier meat than further cuts, making it one of the best cuts to prepare for every occasion.
Thus, enjoying prime rib for your dinners can genuinely be the highlight of the occasion, whatever it may be. 
