Best Ribeye Roast Recipe! A Cattle Rancher’s Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a ribeye roast and a prime rib roast? ›

Prime rib is simply a bigger, less-processed section of the cow's primal rib, while a ribeye is a piece of that rib section sliced into a smaller portion. Both cuts also share a reputation for being utterly delicious. The rib primal is tucked into an area of the cow that doesn't do much work.

Ribeye roast includes one of the most tender muscles on the animal, the spinalis dorsi. Food scientists rank the spinalis as the third-most tender on the animal. This is the small muscle attached to the top of the roast, and is also called the ribeye cap.

In a 325 degree F oven: Medium-rare: 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Medium: 25 to 30 minutes per pound. Medium-well: 30 to 35 minutes per pound.

Dry Brine for Prime Rib

Experienced pitmasters recommend starting your prime rib preparation days in advance with a dry brine. That's a BBQ term for salting your meat, then letting it sit in a refrigerator while the salt penetrates the meat.

Both rib eye and prime rib are excellent steak cut options for different purposes. They're both incredibly flavorful, have fantastic marbling, and are both prime beef options with just the right amount of fat to improve taste and texture.

Searing is an important part of roasting a prime rib. Searing the roast first will kill the surface bacteria, which is a nice touch, especially when you are roasting at lower temperatures.

Cook Time and Temperature:

Start by cooking your prime rib at 500°F for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 325° F and cook for 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, or 14-15 min per pound for medium well. A meat thermometer is essential to ensure you cook it perfectly!

Place the roast fat side up, bone side down, in a large roasting pan. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. This allows the heat to sear the roast, trapping the juicy flavors inside while the rest of the meat cooks. On average, each pound of rib needs 15 minutes to cook (i.e., a 4 lb.

Most ribeye cuts are boneless, and even the few variations with a bone are usually from the rib section. On the other hand, a cowboy ribeye is a large muscle usually found in the cow's back and above the rib cage. The long rib bone gives it a distinctive appearance resembling a cowboy's axe or tomahawk.

For thicker cuts of steak (like ribeye or filet mignon), 450° is your magic number. For thinner steaks, like flank and skirt, you're better off just using the broiler. —If you're using a skillet, get it HOT. This rule mostly applies to thick cuts of meat and is key for a beautifully seared and caramelized crust.

Which is more tender ribeye or prime rib? ›

Since prime ribs and ribeye steaks come from the same primal cut of beef, the difference in their flavors comes from the way they are cooked. Prime ribs are seared and then roasted slowly under low heat, making them more tender, while ribeyes are grilled quickly over high heat, making them more charred.

Since the loin end of a standing rib roast is more tender than the rest, prime rib is generally considered to be the best cut all around, but the front section of a rib roast has the advantage of more fat.

These two choices may come from the same cut of beef, but they're not interchangeable; ribeyes and prime rib roasts are cooked differently and serve different purposes.

When you're shopping for prime rib, ask for a standing rib roast. That's the name you'll see at the butcher counter. The standing rib roast unsurprisingly comes from the rib section of the cow.