Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

smoked prime rib

(3 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Pamela Rappaport
The Villages, FL

My family loves this and, while it looks time-consuming, it's very easy! You're just waiting for it to cook. This is also how I smoke New York strip loin roasts.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

The entire Kitchen Crew loved this prime rib recipe. Cooking low and slow results in a fantastic prime rib. Smoking adds tons of smoky flavor and cooked the roast to perfection. The meat is tender and succulent. We used tri-color peppercorns and they gave the roast a beautiful color. Using a smoker also frees up the in-demand oven. If you like horseradish, the sauce is a delicious addition.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield 2 to 8
cook time 7 Hr
method Smoke

Ingredients For smoked prime rib

  • 2-5 bone prime rib roast (standing rib roast)
  • olive oil or other cooking oil
  • sald and freshly ground pepper
  • HORSERADISH SAUCE
  • 1/2 c
    sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp
    prepared horseradish (or to taste)
  • dash salt

How To Make smoked prime rib

Test Kitchen Tips
We smoked this prime rib in an electric smoker which made it super simple to prepare. It took about 25 minutes per pound to cook to medium-rare in our smoker.
  • Prime rib on a cutting board.
    1
    Lay the prime rib on the cutting board. You want a good cap of fat left on the meat, 1/4 to 1/2 inch, can trim off excess.
  • Rubbing the prime rib with oil.
    2
    Rub the entire surface with cooking oil.
  • Sprinkling the roast with salt and pepper.
    3
    Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
  • Letting the prime rib rest.
    4
    If you have the time, it is ideal to place it uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours. This allows the salt to penetrate and is called a dry brine.
  • Letting the chill come out of the prime rib.
    5
    Take it out of the fridge about an hour before cooking to take the chill off.
  • Setting the smoker to the proper temperature.
    6
    Prepare you smoker and set the temperature at 225 degrees.
  • Placing the rib roast in the smoker.
    7
    Place the rib roast directly on the cooking rack bones down.
  • Attaching the thermometer to the roast.
    8
    Insert a meat thermometer so you can determine when to take it out.
  • An open bag of wood chips for smoking the prime rib.
    9
    Add your chips or pellets for the smoke. Cherry, apple or any lighter flavored wood is good. Smoke it for at least the first 2 to 3 hours.
  • Smoking the meat in the smoker.
    10
    Continue cooking in the smoker until the internal temperature is 135 to 140 for medium rare.
  • The cooked prime rib in the smoker.
    11
    Total cooking time can take from 5 to 7 hours depending on the size of roast/number of bones.
  • Tenting the prime rib with aluminum foil.
    12
    Remove to a platter and immediately tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. Longer if it's a really big one.
  • Mixing together the horseradish sauce ingredients.
    13
    While it's resting, mix everything for the horseradish sauce. Taste and adjust. Some people like a squeeze of lemon juice or dash of Worcestershire. Make it yours.
  • Smoked prime rib cut into slices.
    14
    Slice between the bones and serve. Sometimes I cut the meat from the bones in one piece so that I can slice it thinner. Then I slice the bones apart and put them on the platter and the family fights over them!
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