Garlic Butter Prime Rib is the star of any holiday meal. It is juicy, tender, and full of flavor. It’s an easy-to-make beef dinner that everyone will love. Learn how to make this garlic herb rib roast for your next holiday.
What’s in this Garlic Butter Prime Rib Recipe?
This recipe starts with a 4-pound piece of beef that is then coated in garlic herb butter. The butter keeps the meat moist and infuses it with flavor.
- Prime Rib: You’ll want a boneless beef prime rib, also known as a standing rib roast. Make sure to let it come to room temperature so that it cooks evenly.
- Unsalted Butter: Helps the spices stick and adds a rich, buttery flavor to the roast.
- Garlic: Adds an earthy flavor and a pungent aroma.
- Olive Oil: Helps the spices stick to the roast and helps prevent them from burning in the oven.
- Spices: A combination of salt, pepper, dried thyme, and rosemary adds a mouthwatering herbal flavor.
Pro Tip: Make sure your butter is softened before mixing your herbs and spices. You want it to be soft but not melted.
Variations on Perfect Prime Rib
You can customize the herbs and spices in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite herbs or spices on the prime rib. I like Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence. Check out my ultimate list of cooking herbs for more inspiration!
Also known as a standing rib roast, it is a cut of beef from the primal rib that is roasted and served with au jus. It refers to the entire rib roast, rather than individual cut steaks.
Ribeye is cut from the rib roast. To be considered a ribeye, the steak must be cut before the roast has been cooked.
The rule is to have 1 pound per person. If you have a 4-pound prime rib roast, it will serve 4 people.
That depends on how you like your meat. For medium rare, I recommend 30-35 minutes per pound!
You can check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature should be between 120°F and 135°F at the center.
It’s simple! Remove any excess fat and then slice against the grain into slices.
How to Store and Reheat
Place any leftover rib roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, place the roast in an oven-safe pan covered with foil, add some leftover au jus or beef stock, and roast in a 300°F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Slice the roast and place the slices between parchment paper. Put slices in a Ziplock bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve this roast with holiday classics, like green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, asparagus almondine, or brown sugar glazed carrots.
Use leftovers to make beef stroganoff, French dip sandwiches, cottage pie, beef tacos, or open faced roast beef sandwiches. Yum!
Garlic Butter Prime Rib Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless prime rib roast (aka: standing rib roast)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature (½ stick)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place rib roast in a roasting pan and bring to room temperature, about 4 hours.4 pounds boneless prime rib roast
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place butter, garlic, salt, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and pepper in a small bowl, then mix until combined.¼ cup unsalted butter, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Spread butter mixture evenly over the outside of the roast.
- Roast the beef for 25 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 225°F. Cover the roast with foil and cook for another 1-1½ hours, checking for internal temperature at the 45-minute mark.
- Remove roast from the oven. See recipe notes for internal temperature guide.
- Allow the roast to rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
-
- Taking the prime rib out to raise it to room temperature is an important step. You will need to take it out at least 4 hours before adding the butter and baking it.
- Make sure your butter is softened before mixing your herbs and spices. You want it to be soft but not melted.
- You can customize the herbs and spices in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite herbs or spices on the prime rib.
- Temperature guidelines:
- Rare: 120°F. Remove at 115°F internal temp.
- Medium Rare: 125°F. Remove at 118°F internal temp.
- Medium: 130°F. Remove at 123°F internal temp.
- Medium Well: 135°F. Remove at 127°F internal temp.
- If using a larger or smaller prime rib, follow these cooking guidelines:
- Rare: 25-30 minutes per pound.
- Medium Rare: 30-35 minutes per pound.
- Medium: 35-40 minutes per pound.
- Medium Well: 40-45 minutes per pound.
- Oven temperature can vary; always check your prime rib on the earlier side of the recommended cook time!
- You will need a sharp knife to cut the prime rib. Be careful when cutting it, but make sure your knife is sharp enough to go against the grain of the meat.
Nutrition Information
Followed directions exactly for medium temp and it was completely raw. I know ovens may vary but not by much. 225 is 225 temp.
Hi, what size was your roast? Depending on the size, it may take a lot longer to cook!
How long do you recommend cooking a 6.5 lb bone in? Wanting it medium. Thanks!
We recommend about 35-40 minutes per pound for medium!
I have a 10 pound prime rib….. how long should I cook it?
For medium-rare, it’s about 30-35 minutes per pound!
The instructions say preheat oven to 400. The video says 500? Which would it be?
It should be 400!
Making 2 possible 3 for Christmas for 18 pp. but with the bone in. They are 8lbs each. How long would you say to cook it for?
We usually recommend 30-35 minutes per pound!
35 min per lb does not seem like what your recipe is calling for…
We always start with closer to 30 minutes per pound and recommend checking early, as oven temperatures can vary!
I need to make it for party of 12, would the cooking time change if I have a 10-15# rib?
Once the oven is at 225°F, it will take about 30 minutes per pound to roast!
Was great
Thanks for sharing!
Do I put the butter mix on the side as well as the top
Yes!
This looks delicious! Any ideas for a butter substitute? We don’t mix dairy and meat.
Oh man, I am sure whatever you use in your normal cooking as a sub will work!
Can this be done in slow cooker?
I have not tried that!