Easy Christmas Prime Rib is a staple during the holidays, but can also make a wonderful dinner option for Christmas and New Year’s Day! All you need for this easy Prime Rib recipe is a good-sized Prime Rib, a spice kit, rosemary, Irish Butter, and a good meat thermometer. Make this sinfully delicious Prime Rib dinner tonight and have delicious leftovers all week!
Easy Christmas Prime Rib is a classic Holiday meat and also works wonderfully for New Year's! This delicious entree pairs well with my Christmas Sangria and be sure to make my Chocolate Peppermint Bark Yogurt Parfaits for dessert.
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🐄 DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY PRIME RIB
Easy Christmas Prime rib has always intimidated me, even as a food blogger. This traditional holiday staple always wigged me out, because I convinced myself I would overcook it and or under cook it.
On Christmas, I decided it was time to let these silly thoughts go and make Prime Rib.
I’ve created this easy and perfect Christmas prime rib recipe just for you! The ones who are intimidated when cooking huge chunks of meat. Be intimidated no more because my Prime Rib recipe is easy and I’ve listed the steps below.
🍽 USE THE RIGHT TOOLS & PROPER EQUIPMENT
The most important item you need for Christmas Prime Rib is a good meat thermometer. You can pick one up at your local grocery store or check out my favorite one here.
Make sure it’s a quality brand because the meat thermometer is an integral part of creating a perfectly cooked Christmas prime rib. You will also need a good roasting pan with a roasting rack.
💭PRO TIPS FOR COOKING PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB
Using the right tools and proper equipment ensures even cooking and tender meat.
Christmas prime rib should be pink in the middle. Some people prefer it really pink, nearly raw, but I don’t.
I like mine to be a good pink hue, but not bloody. If red juice coming out of your Prime Rib is your jam, simply cook the prime rib for less time per pound.
🧂SPICES AND LOADS OF BUTTER ARE YOUR FRIENDS
You can find a good, quality prime rib seasoning from your local butcher or grocery store. I make my own at home. It's easy to make your own meat rubs and the best part is, you know exactly what is going on your Christmas prime rib.
The key to a quality prime rib seasoning is low salt. The only ingredients you want in your prime rib rub are sea-salt, paprika, oregano, celery, garlic, onion, pepper, rosemary, and parsley. That’s it!
If you are unable to find a good prime rib rub with these seasonings, simply make one yourself. It’s easy and you can use it for roasting other meats as well.
BUTTER MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER
Butter, butter, butter. You know when you go to a steak house and the steak you order is tender and full of flavor? You achieve this by basking your prime rib in butter. Loads of butter. And not just any butter, but you want to use a high-quality Irish Butter.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you know the only type of butter we use in our household is Kerry Gold Irish Butter. It’s a rich gold color, and it makes it so much more flavorful. Not sponsored at all, I just love this stuff for cooking.
🔪 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB
Preheat your oven to 450-degrees. The first step is you take your prime rib, pat it dry, and rub room temperature butter all over it.
Next, rub your spices all over the buttered prime rib. Place the prime rib in a roasting pan and let it sit room temperature before you cook it. Add some fresh rosemary sprigs to the bottom of the roasting pan.
Place the prime rib in the oven and roast it for 30-minutes at 450-degrees. Then, roast it at 350-degrees for an hour to an hour and a half. The sweet spot to making perfect prime rib is to roast it in total for an hour and thirty minutes.
You don’t want to overcook the meat, but you don’t want to undercook it either. Insert a meat thermometer into the prime rib and make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 120-degrees for medium.
If you like it more on the rare side, 110-degrees is rare, and medium well would be 130-degrees. We found that 120-degrees was perfect!
Let the prime rib sit under tinfoil for 5-minutes and then slice into it. That’s it! This is how you make perfect prime rib.
Not nearly as intimidating as you thought, and you’ll impress all of your family and friends with this easy holiday staple.
Pair it with fresh horseradish sauce and you’ve got a delicious meal right at your fingertips!
Have you made Prime Rib before? Let me know if it use to intimidate you.
Check out delicious appetizer recipes below to pair with your Holiday feast!
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📖 Recipe
EASY CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB
Equipment
- Roasting Pan
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 5 lb Prime Rib (This should make 5-6 ribs)
- ½ stick Kerry Gold Irish Butter
- Prime Rib Spice Rub: Sea Salt, Paprika, Oregano, Celery, Garlic, Onion, Pepper, Rosemary, and Parsley seasonings.
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450-degrees
- Take your prime rib and pat it dry, and rub room temperature butter all over it.
- Rub your spices all over the buttered prime rib.
- Place the prime rib in a roasting pan and let it sit room temperature before you cook it. Add some fresh rosemary sprigs to the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Roast the prime rib at 450-degrees for the first 30-minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 350-degrees and continue roasting the prime rib for an hour to an hour and thirty minutes, depending on how you want your prime rib cooked.
- Place a meat thermometer into the prime rib and make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 120-degrees.
- See blog post for exact cooking times, depending on rare, medium, and medium-well.
- Remove from oven and let it the prime rib sit for 5-minutes under tinfoil, before slicing.
- Enjoy with fresh horseradish.
Suzy says
I always find prime rib to be intimidating but you made this look so easy! Love it!
Carrie Robinson says
This would be such an impressive dish to make for a holiday dinner! 🙂
Beth says
Mouthwatering goodness all the way and I agree with you I like it pink.
Andrea Metlika says
I've always stood clear of prime rib because it is so intimidating. Not anymore. I feel confident I can do this because of this recipe. Yay!
Jen says
Great step by step instructions. More butter than I would have expected but so worth all the calories.
Noelle says
This was so simple to make and was a great classic recipe! Whole family loved it!