A prime rib in the smoker

25 Comments

  1. How long did the roast stand outside the fridge and what was the starting may temp? Looks like you used a kamado, did you use wood chunks or just lump? Did you cut it off the ribs before seasoning then tie it back on, and did the ribs stay on during the final testing period after cooking?

    1. David, thanks for you questions. We took the prime rib out of the fridge and it went right into the smoker (Big Green Egg) We used a combination of Apple wood chunks and cherry wood chips. The prime rib was boneless, but it would be just as good with bones. It’s just whatever you like better. Good luck and let us know if you have anymore questions.

  2. Good advice on making sure the family is ready to eat on time. I ended up with a medium-well roast a couple of years ago because it rested too long.

    For my Christmas Eve dinner I am considering placing the rib roast on an infrared rotisserie after it is finished on the smoker. Should I smoke it with the rotisserie spit rod in place so I don’t lose any juices putting it in after smoking or will it be fine?

  3. We suggest smoking it with the spit rod in the roast. If you do smoke it without the spit rod, make sure you let it rest after the smoke before putting it in.

  4. All I can say is wow – it came off the smoker at ~110F and went right into the oven at 500F for the climb to 118F – after a 30 minute rest (final temp ~135F) we attacked the beast with much gusto – can’t say I’ve ever tasted anything so good – thanks to my ThermaQ and Thermapen I was able to track the temps and pull it off at exactly the right time. Couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas meal.

    1. Richard,

      This is the kind of story we like to hear! Your rib roast sounds like it was amazing–wish we could have tried it 🙂

      -Kim

  5. I started a 10 lb / 4 rib beast this morning at around 9am – it’s up to about 86 degrees right now and smelling wonderful – been cooking it at around 206F in a Pit Barrel and things seem to be progressing perfectly.

  6. Do you have any suggestions on keeping the meat from scorching in the 500 degree oven? Mine kept wanting to make it’s own smoke in the oven. I kept the meat on the lowest rack and rotated it, but I still had to keep opening the oven to drop the temp.
    It turned out great, looked like the picture, but I didn’t like the black specs.

    1. You could do one of two things.

      1. Take it out of the oven earlier and let it rest longer.
      2. Take it out of the smoker 120-125°F and cooking it for less time in the oven.

  7. I tried this yesterday for my NewYears Dinner. It was the best ever!!! You just can’t beat the big green egg, my ThermaQ, and Thermapen. The products from thermoworks are great and the cooking tips are an added bonus. Keep up the good work in 2016. D

  8. David,

    So glad to hear we were able to help a little with your New Year’s dinner! Best wishes for the new year.

    -Kim

  9. I used this article to smoke a 6lb boneless Prime Rib for Valentines Day. It took about 4 and 1/2 hours in my gas grill at 190-210 to reach 110 degrees internal from a starting internal temp of 45 and a surface temp of about 50 degrees (left out of the fridge for 2.5 hours). I turned it once during smoking.

    The sear in the 500 degree oven took about 10 minutes to reach 117 (yes, it did set off the smoke alarm). We tented it and then carved when the internal reached 130 (about 25 minutes).

    Sadly, I had a pretty good sized (3/4 to 1 inch) layer of dark brown on one side. I suspect that it is because I didn’t turn the meet during searing as the article suggested, but I lost track of which side was up when. Be sure to do that when you attempt this.

    Other than the slightly overcooked edge, the method worked great and the meat was tasty! I may shoot for a slightly higher temp to take it off the smoker and less sear time, just due to personal preference.

    Thanks for all the great suggestions and recipes. They are one of the things that makes this site so great!.

    1. Jack,

      We appreciate you sharing with us how your cook went! It’s always helpful to learn from others’ experiences.

      Thanks!
      -Kim

  10. Made the Rib Roast today. Probably the best piece of meat that my family has ever tasted. Followed instructions exactly and used an electric smoker with the water bath for moisture. Smoked the meat for the first couple of hours until transferred to oven. Smoker temp at 210 degrees, 5.7 lb Standing Rib Roast took 3 hours to come to 110 degrees. 20 minutes on the counter covered by foil brought the temp to 118 degrees and around ten minutes in the 500 degree oven brought the meat to 125 Degrees and a perfect color. We eat it about twenty minutes later at 132 degrees. The crust was fantastic and the meat rare from edge to edge. The dots worked as advertised and the big numbers made reading the temp easy. Next time I will reduce the rub mix by half since it was way to much even when heavily applied.

    1. Barry,

      I’m so glad the DOTS performed well for you, and it sounds like your roast was amazing!

      Thanks,
      -Kim

  11. Could you not just crank up the heat to 500 on the smoker to finish it up there? Doesn’t usually take long to bring the BGE up to higher heats.

    1. Pete,

      Yes, you could totally finish it in the BGE. Just make sure you take the meat out while you heat it up. Another reason we finished in the oven is because of the radiant heat from the oven. You won’t get that from the BGE which means the crust might not be as crisp.

  12. These days some 7-8 years later Kenji is a big proponent of “the reverse sear” for anyone that does not own a smoker.We have used this method in the oven and still use “smoke as well as thermapen”. Delicious.

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