While smoking the Prime Rib:
We decided to go the distance and make Prime Rib for Christmas dinner this year. We prepped the Oklahoma Joe smoker and put the prime rib on. Patiently we waited and watched and four hours later, my husband pulled the 5 pound slap of juicy meat off the smoker. We let it rest and then sliced into it, holding our breath. As he sliced through the tender meat, juices ran onto the cutting board and he folded the two pieces in half.
We stared in awe at the beautiful hunks of meat, we each tried a little bite of the meat. Tender and juicy, the meat was perfect and melted in our mouths like butter. I thought I would share this very easy recipe for the best prime rib.
Preheat your smoker:
If you are using wood chips, prepare them by soaking them in a cup of very hot water
About 20-30 minutes prior to putting the prime rib on
Light the coals and let the coals heat up until at least 60% of the coals look ashen
Keep an eye on the smoker temperature, keep it between 225 and 250 F
Ingredients for Prime Rib:
This recipe is for a 5 lb. Prime Rib Roast
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
*You can add additional rub or spices, but we just used salt and pepper
Prepare the Prime Rib:
Take a small to medium size cookie tray and lay aluminum foil over the surface
Lay the prime rib on the cookie tray and lightly sprinkle salt and pepper over every surface of the roast
Pour a little olive oil over each side of the roast and gently massage into the meat
Smoke the Prime Rib:
Cook time: 4 hours
Take the prepared tray and place it on the smoker grate
Add your wood chips if you are using
Close the smoker lid and let the magic begin!
While smoking the Prime Rib:
Try not to open the lid of the smoker too much in order to keep the heat and the smoke even within the chamber
Make sure that you maintain the heat at 225 – 250 F, if you need to add a few more coals to the smoker to keep the heat up, then do so
Let the ribs rest:
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Pull the prime rib off the smoker and place on the kitchen counter
Wrap the Prime Rib with aluminum foil and don’t touch!
After the 20 minutes is up, you may slice the prime rib
After slicing the Prime Rib in half, my husband placed one half back on the grill to sear the outside for about 4 minutes on each side. Your choice if you want to do this or not.
Important notes for you:
Change the seasoning if you would like something different…sweet, spicy, savory anything will work with this
Temperature of the Prime Rib:
Rare meat is 120 – 125°F
Medium rare is 130 – 135°F
Well done is 140 – 145°F
Cooking time per pound:
35 minutes per pound at 225 degrees F for smoking a rare roast
40 minutes per pound at 225 degrees F for smoking a medium roast
We ate horseradish with the prime rib or you are welcome to make an Au Jus to go with it, but honestly this meat is so amazing, I don’t think you need anything with it at all!