Sous Vide Prime Rib Roast

We’ve enjoyed Prime Rib for our Christmas Dinner for as long as I can remember.

The method that I used to use for making my prime rib involved heating the oven to a certain temperature, then putting the roast in the oven, turning off the oven, and leaving it to slow roast in the residual heat for four hours.

The problem with this?

If anyone opened the oven during that four hours – your whole plan was foiled. Since all the heat would escape from the oven.

I’ve since discovered an easier, more stress free method for making prime rib.

🌟 Sous Vide 🌟

It’s a total game changer. And it makes for the most delicious, most tender, most juicy prime rib ever!

Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredient notes

• Beef Ribeye Roast – I typically sous vide a 5 pound bone-in rib roast. Plan on about 1 pound per person (more on that below). Timing will remain the same regardless of the size.
• Beef Broth – Low-sodium is preferred so that you can control the salt. This is used to make the au just for serving.
• Butter – I use salted butter to make a compound butter. If you only have unsalted, simply add a pinch of salt.
• Garlic Powder
• Fresh Rosemary + Thyme
• Herbs de Provence
• Salt + Pepper
• Horseradish – For serving. Or, try one of these 12+ sauces for prime rib.

Standing rib roast preparation

• It’s simple to prepare a rib roast for sous vide cooking. Just generously season it with salt and place it uncovered in the refrigerator for at least one hour (and up to overnight). The salt will not only season the meat, but also help to tenderize it. And leaving it uncovered in the fridge helps to air dry it, making for better browning when finishing the prime rib.

How to seal for sous vide cooking

• It’s best to use a large vacuum seal bag or a gallon sized ziploc bag (doubled up to prevent leaking) for cooking a rib roast sous vide. Because it’s a heavy piece of meat, you want to be sure that it doesn’t break through the bag. 
• You can seal the bag using a vacuum sealer. Or, seal the ziploc bag using this water displacement method to “vacuum seal” it.
• Removing the air from the bag is important though. First, it ensures that the bag won’t float in the water, but will stay submerged. And second, it ensures that your prime rib roast cooks evenly and safely.

How long does it take to sous vide prime rib?

• The roast should spend 6-10 hours in the water bath. This timing works regardless of the weight of your rib roast. 

Temperature guide

In the oven, you would only cook a prime rib until it registers 115-degrees for medium rare. That is because the roast will continue to cook as it rests outside the oven. However, with sous vide, the entire roast will cook evenly throughout. Here are the cooking temperatures for sous vide prime rib: 

• Rare – 130 degrees
• Medium Rare – 132 degrees
• Medium – 137 degrees

How to sear it

1. Pat the roast dry with paper towels.
2. Rub the roast with garlic-herb butter.
3. Roast it in a 550-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. 
4. Alternatively, you can broil the roast about 8” from the heating element for 2-8 minutes, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn. 

How to slice prime rib

• Hold the roast up by the rib bones and slice close to the bone contour to remove the meat from the bones. Then slice the roast into equal slices. 

Here’s a great slideshow to give a better idea of how this process works. 

Tip: Carve only as many slices as you need. Leaving the rest of the roast intact will help it stay warm and retain its juices.

FAQs

What to serve with it

• Arugula Salad
• Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
• Baked Potatoes
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Mashed Cauliflower
• Beef Gravy
• Horseradish Sauce, or, try one of these 12+ sauces for prime rib
• MORE → 35+ BEST sides for prime rib