Juicy Boneless Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Perfectly tender, perfectly juicy, and satisfyingly seasoned, this show-stopping Boneless Prime Rib Roast is a bold and beautiful Holiday dinner recipe packed with flavor.

Looking for more prime rib recipes? Try my Roasted Prime Rib Au Jus recipe!

overhead shot of boneless prime rib cut in slices and served on a platter

AN EASY PRIME RIB RECIPE FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER

Sometimes, cooking is about teasing the best flavor and texture out of challenging ingredients. But, other times, it’s about letting your already-amazing ingredients shine! That’s how I feel about prime rib roast.

These roasts are top-of-the-line in terms of quality, flavor, and tenderness, so I like to use a very simple set of seasonings and technique, allowing the prime rib to be the star! Is there anything more special and delicious than a beautiful roast on your Christmas table? I’m not sure that there is!

close up shot of sliced prime rib roast served on a platter

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

This recipe is for a three to four pound boneless roast. I like to use boneless prime rib roasts because, they are easy to carve, and also because it’s easier to calculate how much roast you have and need. A good estimate is ½-pound per person, so a 3-pound roast will feed six people. However, if sticking to the recommended weight of a single serving size, a 3-pound roast can feed 8, and up to 10 people.

One Prime Rib Roast: I recommend buying a boneless roast between 3 and 4 pounds.
Salt and Pepper: You’ll need a generous amount to season a roast this size! I use two teaspoons of kosher salt and one of ground pepper.
Butter: Soften the butter before using.
Thyme and Rosemary: I use dried herbs in this recipe, one teaspoon of dried thyme and half a teaspoon of rosemary.
Garlic Powder: This gives a wonderful, savory flavor to the meat.
Bay Leaf: A whole bay leaf is essential for that classic roast-beef aroma and taste.

mashing butter and dried herbs in a bowl

HOW TO MAKE BONELESS PRIME RIB ROAST

You’ll need a few special items to make this roast the best it can be. Kitchen twine is one of those items. Is it possible to make the toast without tying it up? Definitely! But, tying it will result in the most even cooking and juicy roasting, so I really do recommend it. It’s also A MUST to have an instant-read thermometer, and a good roasting pan. I use a big cast iron skillet.

Bring the Roast to Room Temperature (Roughly). Take the beef out of the fridge one hour before you’re ready to cook it. Let stand at room temperature for one hour.
Preheat the Oven and Dress the Roast. Preheat your oven to 450˚F. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the beef. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, and crushed bay leaf; mash with a fork until combined and rub this mixture all over the roast. Finally, tie kitchen twine around the roast at 2-inch intervals, to create a tidy bundle.
Pre-Roast at High Heat. Place the seasoned and tied beef in a large cast iron skillet. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, to seal in the juices.
Continue Roasting at a Lower Heat. Turn down the oven temperature to 325˚F and continue to roast until the internal temperature of the beef reaches 120˚F. Make sure to start checking for doneness around the 35-minute mark, so you have an idea as to how much longer you need to cook it. It’s very important to use an instant-read thermometer to check the meat, because it is fast and accurate and won’t interrupt the cooking process needlessly.
Cool and Slice the Roast. When the roast is done to your liking, remove it from the oven, and transfer the beef to a cutting board. Cover it with foil and let it stand for 20 minutes before slicing. When ready, slice the roast as thinly as you prefer, and serve immediately.
Enjoy!

boneless prime rib tied with kitchen twine

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Take Time into Account. It’s very important to allow enough time for this recipe! You need a whole hour before cooking to let it come to room temperature, plus half an hour afterward to let it stand before carving.
Don’t Cover While Cooking. It’s common to tightly cover certain types of meat, to give it the most tenderness, but prime rib does better uncovered. The high temperature at the beginning of the roasting sears the meat, sealing in juices; that’s all you need! No covering required.
Test the Temperature Early. As the roast gets closer to being done, the internal temperature goes up faster and faster. So check it a little early, and continue to check fairly frequently until it hits your target temperature. And, remember, it will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven.

overhead shot of boneless prime rib cut in slices and served on a platter with large fork

WHAT GOES WITH A PRIME RIB ROAST?

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVERS

To refrigerate, put in airtight containers or wrap leftovers tightly and seal in food storage bags. Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, place prime rib in a baking dish. Add a splash of beef broth (or leftover gravy, au jus, etc), and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 300˚F until heated through. The amount of time will vary depending on how large and thick the piece(s) of roast are.

sliced prime rib roast served on a platter

CAN I FREEZE PRIME RIB?

Yes! To freeze, wrap leftovers tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, and then seal into freezer bags, pressing out as much air as possible.
Leftovers will keep for up to six months.
Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating.

ENJOY!

Tools Used in this Recipe

BONELESS PRIME RIB ROAST

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Resting Time1 hr

Total Time2 hrs 30 mins

A classic recipe for deeply flavorful and perfectly roasted boneless Prime Rib roast, seasoned with thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and rosemary.

Instructions

Take the beef out of the fridge one hour before you’re ready to cook it. Let stand on the counter at room temperature for one hour.
Preheat oven to 450˚F.
Season beef all around with salt and pepper.
In a small mixing bowl combine softened butter, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, and crushed bay leaf. Mash with the back of a fork until completely combined.
Rub the butter mixture all over the beef.
Using kitchen twine, tie the roast at 2-inch intervals. *Tying the roast is not a must, but in doing so, your roast will cook more evenly and it will retain its shape.*
Place roast in a large cast iron skillet.
Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Turn down the oven temperature to 325˚F and continue to roast until internal temperature of the beef reaches 120˚F. Start checking for doneness around the 35-minute mark so you have an idea as to how much longer you need to cook it. Most importantly, use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. There’s no other way to tell if the meat is done to your likeness.
When done, remove from oven and transfer the roast to a cutting board.
Cover it with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before slicing.