Smoked Prime Rib Recipe: How to Make Smoked Prime Rib

Smoked prime rib is a dish that involves cooking beef prime rib in a smoker to imbue it with a satisfying smoky flavor. Prime rib—also known as standing rib roast and ribeye roast—is a tender, well-marbled cut from the cow’s rib section. It’s what you get if, instead of slicing through the ribs to get ribeye steaks, you leave them together as one big roast, anywhere from two to six ribs wide.

You can enjoy this cut of meat as part of a barbecue spread alongside side dishes like mac and cheese, potatoes, and homemade horseradish sauce.

The amount of time it takes to smoke a prime rib will vary, depending on the rib size and the grill temperature. It should take between 35–40 minutes per pound of meat to reach rare or medium-rare doneness, if you cook it at the recommended smoking temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit. The total cooking time could range from between 2–7 hours.

At 250 degrees Fahrenheit, the meat will take about 30 minutes per pound to cook, and at 275 degrees Fahrenheit, it will take approximately 20 minutes per pound to cook.

Follow these simple tips to make a perfect prime rib in your smoker:

1. 1. Pick the right wood. Hickory is the best wood to infuse this meat with a potent smoky flavor, followed by other classic smoking options like pecan, oak, and mesquite.
2. 2. Choose the proper quantity of meat. Buy 1 pound of uncooked meat per dinner guest when purchasing your cut of beef from the butcher or grocery store. Purchasing these quantities will ensure that you have plenty of meat to go around after the trimming process, plus leftovers for making next-day French dip sandwiches dipped in au jus.
3. 3. Use a bone-in or boneless prime rib. Either boneless or bone-in rib roast will make for a delectable smoked prime rib. If you’re using a bone-in rib roast, tie the rib bones back with butcher’s twine before smoking the meat.
4. 4. Keep the temperature consistent. Keep a close eye on the grill or smoker throughout the cooking process to ensure that the temperature remains around 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Major temperature variations can result in unevenly-cooked meat, with a burnt or dry surface and undercooked center.
5. 5. Use a thermometer. Use a high-quality meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the meat. Insert the meat thermometer into a few different portions of the rib to get a thorough temperature read. The final temperature of the roast will be dependent on your desired doneness. Pull off the meat when the internal temperature reaches 125–130 degrees Fahrenheit for rare, 135 degrees for medium-rare, and 140 degrees for medium.