Smoked prime rib is a mouthwatering dish that is perfect for special occasions or simply when you want to treat yourself to something delicious. This succulent cut of beef is seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices, and then smoked to perfection, resulting in a tender and juicy roast that is bursting with flavor.

Simple Smoked Prime Rib Recipe

Prime rib is probably my favorite cut of beef. Juicy, indulgent, and despite how intimidating it can seem to prepare it, incredibly easy to make.

While I’ve roasted this expensive cut of meat and smoked it in various ways, this simple garlic herb-smoked prime rib is definitely the best way to make prime rib roast. Its simplicity lends to the flavor of the meat without overshadowing it. Nothing too fussy, just a nice crust on the outside, and juicy, flavorful meat on the inside.

Another bonus, you can smoke this on a rack set above a baking sheet to catch the drippings in to make a delicious Yorkshire pudding if you want!

How Much Prime Rib Per Person?

When serving prime rib, the average is to plan on one pound of meat per person. A bone-in standing rib roast will feed approximately 2 people per bone. That said, you may be able to plan for less if you’re planning on putting this on the holiday table with lots of sides.

One standing rib roast, or prime rib, is a large cut of beef and has approximately 7 bones. A full rib roast will weigh close to 15 pounds and feed around 14 people. That being said, you don’t have to purchase the entire roast if you don’t require that much meat, you can always tell the butcher how many pounds you need.

Should I Use Bone-In or Boneless Prime Rib?

Both are wonderful in their own right, however, if you can get a bone-in standing rib roast, that is the way to go. This will not only result in a more flavorful roast but also cook better than boneless.

That said, if you have a boneless prime rib roast, that’s ok, you’ll just want to make sure you put it on a rack in the smoker as it won’t have the bones as a natural rack to stand on.

Ingredients for Smoked Prime Rib Recipe

The beauty of prime rib roast is that the goal is to keep it simple. This easy smoked prime rib recipe doesn’t require a lot of fuss or ingredients and all of the flavors compliment the flavor of the beef and the rub helps form that delicious, thick, and crispy crust.

Standing Rib Roast – bone-in preferred, but boneless will work. This recipe is great for an 8-10 pound, bone-in roast, but you can modify it smaller or larger to suit the size of the prime rib you have.

Sea Salt – salt makes a juicier, more tender piece of meat.

Black Pepper – pepper enhances the natural flavor of the beef.

Olive Oil– olive oil helps the herbs and spices stick to the roast.

Fresh Rosemary – rosemary pairs perfectly with cuts of red meat.

Fresh Thyme – a great compliment to the flavors of the meat.

Garlic Cloves – a fantastic aromatic, garlic will help provide an earthy flavor to your

How to Smoke Prime Rib

Rest the meat. Bring the meat out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature about an hour before you plan on putting it on the smoker. Season it generously on all sides with some salt, cover with some plastic wrap, and let it come to room temp.

Make the garlic herb rub. Combine olive oil, salt, black pepper, chopped fresh thyme and rosemary, and minced garlic in a small bowl. Alternatively, you can put it all in a food processor or blender to make a thin paste.

Preheat the smoker. Heat the smoker to 225°F while the rib roast is coming to room temperature. For the best results, I recommend using hickory or oak wood pellets or wood chips. Mesquite wood is another great option.

Prepare the roast. Using paper towels, pat the roast dry. Coat generously on all sides with the garlic herb rub, making sure to season between the rib bones if using a bone-in roast.

Smoke. Place the prepared roast, bones down, on a flat rack situated above a rimmed baking sheet inside the preheated pellet grill to save the drippings.

Alternatively, you can place a bone-in roast directly on the grill grate if you don’t want to save the drippings. A boneless roast will need to be placed on a rack before smoking.

Smoke at 225°F until the internal temperature of the roast reaches about 5-10 degrees f before the desired doneness as it will continue cooking after being removed.

Rare– 120°F (25-30 minutes per pound)

Medium Rare – 130°F (30-35 minutes per pound)

Medium – 140°F (35-40 minutes per pound)

Rest. Remove the prime rib and drippings from the smoker and tent the prime rib roast with aluminum foil. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500°F.

Alternatively, you can bring the temperature of the pellet smoker up to 450°F, but I find it doesn’t sear as well as the oven, so I use the oven.

Reverse sear. After resting, place the rib roast, uncovered, in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan and place in the preheated oven to reverse sear the meat. This will take approximately 10 minutes.

Serve. After searing, the meat can be placed on a cutting board, carved, and served, with no resting required. To carve, slice along the rib bones to remove the roast, then, slice against the grain at a thickness of about 1/2″. Serve with au jus or horseradish, if desired.

How long to smoke prime rib

Cooking time is going to depend on how rare you want the meat. Using a meat thermometer is essential for getting it smoked to the right temperature!

Roast the standing rib roast until the probe thermometer reaches:

• 120°F for Rare (approximately 30 minutes per pound)
• 125°F for Medium Rare (approximately 35 minutes per pound)
• 130°F for Medium (approximately 40 minutes per pound)

Remember, the temperature will continue to rise another 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit after removing it from the smoker!

Be sure to factor in 30 minutes of rest time and 10 minutes for the high-heat sear when figuring out the total amount of time required to smoke this prime rib.

Tips for Making the Best Smoked Prime Rib

Don’t overthink it. Simplicity is the goal, but when seasoning with salt, be generous.

Don’t overcook. The temperature of the roast will continue to rise after it is removed from the smoker, so pull it out about 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit before the desired level of doneness. If, after resting, it still seems undercooked, you can always put it back in!

Allow it to rest. This gives it time for the fluids to settle which results in a juicier, more tender prime rib. If you don’t give it adequate resting time, the meat will be tough.

Use a meat thermometer. Whether you use an instant-read meat thermometer and check on it frequently or use a probe thermometer to watch the temperature the entire time is up to you, but a meat thermometer is essential to making the best prime rib.

Cut the meat against the grain. This means cutting perpendicular to the directional lines on the meat. If you cut with the grain it will be more difficult to chew.

Split the roast. This is optional, but if you have some people in the crowd that desire a more done slice of meat, then splitting a large cut of meat, like a 10 to 15-pound roast, will help create more end pieces, which will be more done than the center pieces making the whole crowd happy.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Prime Rib

Have leftovers? I’m jealous!

As soon as dinner is over, tightly wrap any leftover prime rib in plastic wrap, place it in an airtight container, and refrigerate or freeze. It is best to keep the prime rib intact, rather than slicing it. But if you already sliced up the whole roast, it’s ok. If you have any leftover au jus, you can sprinkle a couple of tablespoons on the meat before wrapping it to seal in some juices.

Leftovers are best the next day, but the meat can be refrigerated for 5 to 7 days or frozen for up to six months.

To reheat in the oven, you’ll follow the following steps. If the meat is frozen, be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating.

Preheat the oven to 300°F, place the roast in a pan, and add 1/4″ of au jus or beef broth to the pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, or until the meat reaches a temperature of 160°F.

To reheat in the microwave, you will lose some of the tenderness and pink color in the meat, but you can reheat in 30-second intervals checking the temperature between each interval until it reaches 160°F.

More Holiday Mains to Try Next:

• The Best Smoked Turkey | How to Smoke a Whole Turkey
• The Best Venison Backstrap Recipes
• Best Honey Roast Duck Recipe | Whole Roasted Duck

If you try this smoked prime rib recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below! Also, I’d love if you could leave me a five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ recipe review on the recipe card below. If you want more recipe inspiration, make sure to follow me on Facebook or Pinterest!