| Smoked Prime Rib |
Recipe Type: Main
Author:
Cook time: 6 hours
Total time: 6 hours
There’s nothing quite like Prime Rib, especially slow-roasted and lightly smoked with apple wood and mesquite to add another layer of flavor. This recipe combines a dry rub for the meat and some vegetables for the drip pan that makes great Au Jus gravy. Cook time will very by size of rib roast and cooking temperature. Average cook time is 4 to 6hrs.
Ingredients
- 1 (6 lb) three-rib Prime beef rib roast, trimmed and tied
- ¼ to ½ Cup Horseradish or Creole Mustard
- 2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs Celery, chopped
- 1 medium Onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 Batch Prime Rib Dry Rub (Link)
- 4 Chunks apple wood, soaked in hot water for 1 hour and drained
- 2 Chunks mesquite, soaked in hot water for 1 hour and drained
Instructions
- Coat the outside of the prime with a thin layer of Creole or Horseradish mustard and evenly apply the rub. Wrap the roast with food film and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
- Bring the roast to room temperature and place roast fat side up in a smoker-safe roasting pan.
- Prepare smoker for a 4- to 6-hour roast at a temperature of about 225 degrees F. When smoker is up to temperature put the roasting pan with the prime rib on top rack and add two chunks of apple wood and one chunk of mesquite to the coals.
- About half way through the smoking add chopped vegetables to the roasting pan. When the roast reaches an internal temperature of 115 degree F. in the center of the roast (for a rare to medium-rare roast), remove roasting pan from smoker. (For medium meat, remove the roast when it reaches 130 degrees F. It is a waste of money to cook a rib roast beyond 140 degrees F.) Place roast on carving board to rest for about 20 minutes. Remove and discard roasted vegetables.
- (Chef’s Note: if you can’t smoke the roast, cook it in the oven. You won’t have the same smoky flavor, but it will make a great Prime rib roast with a tasty and crispy browned crust and a juicy interior. Be sure the roast is at room temperature before cooking.
- Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Cook the roast for 5 minutes per pound being as accurate as possible with the weight of the roast (decimal points count!). At the end of the cooking time, turn the oven off and, leaving the door closed, leave the roast in the oven for 2 hours to finish cooking.)
Notes
Buy a Prime-grade rib roast from the small end of the rib section; it will have less fat and more meat, but don’t buy a roast smaller than three ribs as they tend to cook unevenly. Most supermarket beef is graded Choice, which can be excellent, so you may have to special order a Prime-grade roast.
The roast should have a moderately thick layer of white fat over the meat. Trim off the fat cap to about ¼-inch thickness, but don’t trim all the fat. That’s what gives marvelous flavor and moisture to the meat as it cooks. If desired, have the butcher cut the bones from the roast and re-attach them for easier carving.
