This simple-to-follow Smoked Traeger Prime Rib recipe promises BIG flavor and delivers the moistest, most flavorful prime rib you'll ever have the pleasure of sinking your teeth into! Serve smoked prime rib with Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn or Traeger Smoked Potatoes.
Prime rib is definitely one of my favorite cuts of beef, and as luck would have it, it's also one of the most expensive.😬 This means you HAVE to get the recipe right, or you will have wasted hundreds of dollars, am I right? No pressure, I've got your back with this foolproof smoked prime rib recipe.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
There are so many reasons why this gluten-free and GMO-free smoked prime rib recipe is amazing. First, the simple prime rib rub consists of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, and a small amount of cayenne pepper. Together, they do a perfect job of flavoring the rib roast.
The salt in the smoked prime rib rub will first draw the moisture out of the prime rib roast, forming a dry crust around it. You may think you've ruined the prime rib, but not to worry! Through the amazing process of diffusion, the meat will not only absorb the seasoning but also the moisture back into the meat.
Finally, we're slathering a mixture of butter, garlic, and herbs all over the roast, which will provide an incredibly flavorful and crispy crust, especially since we are making reverse sear prime rib.
Are you familiar with reverse searing? When you reverse sear prime rib, it simply means that the meat is seared at the end of the cooking time instead of at the beginning.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Beef Prime Rib: Choose an 8-10 pound standing prime rib (bone-in). This means that the rib bones are still attached and allow the rib to stand on the bones. The bones add flavor, so avoid buying a boneless roast. Some people like to remove the bones and use them as a base to rest the roast on, this also makes the finished prime rib easier to slice.
- Butter: Instead of olive oil, this recipe calls for unsalted butter. Since the roast will already be heavily seasoned with kosher salt, avoid using salted butter.
- Herbs: Although I added dried rosemary, thyme, and herbs de province to the butter and garlic crust mixture, fresh herbs can definitely be substituted. If you do use fresh herbs, use 3x the amount.
- Montreal Steak Seasoning: If you don't have Montreal Steak Seasoning on hand, it's ok to leave it out.
- Cayenne Pepper: The cayenne pepper adds a bit of heat which is not necessarily traditional, but our family loves it. It can easily be left out.
- Garlic: There is no need to include garlic powder in the dry rub because we will be using an entire clove of garlic in the herbed garlic butter crust.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
🍖 How to Smoke A Prime Rib
Day 1 | Season Prime Rib and Prepare Herbed Butter
Step 1: Wash and dry prime rib, then set it onto a pan. If the roast has a thick fat cap, trim some of the fat from the top of the roast.
Step 2: Mix kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Step 3: Rub the seasoning into the prime rib. Go a little lighter on the ends, to keep them from being overly salty. Place on a rack over a tray and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
Pro Tip: This method of drying the roast in the fridge is called dry brining (some call it dry-aging, but dry-aging takes a lot longer). This same method is used in this best way to grill ribeyes post.
Garlic Herb Buttery Crust
Step 4: Prepare Herbed Butter: Add softened butter, herbs, and garlic cloves to a food processor. Blend until a paste is formed.
Step 5: Using a spatula, transfer the herb mixture into a small Ziploc sandwich bag and roll it into a log. Refrigerate the herbed butter until needed.
Day 2 | Smoking the Prime Rib
Step 6: Six hours before you plan on eating the prime rib, pull it out of the fridge along with the butter. Give it 2 hours to come to room temperature.
Step 7: After the prime rib has rested for 1 hour and 45 minutes, add pellets and set your Traeger or electric smoker to 225℉. Select Super Smoke and preheat for 15 minutes. Spread half of the herbed butter over the prime rib, then place the prime rib on the grill. Insert the probe or a meat thermometer into the thickest part, and set the probe temperature to 110℉.
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Step 8: Begin checking the internal temperature after 3 hours. When the roast reaches 110℉, pull it off the grill and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, kick up the Traeger's temperature to 450°F.
Step 9: Before putting the prime rib back on the grill, brush with the remaining herbed butter. Re-insert the probe into the thickest part, and set the probe temperature to 115°F-120°F for rare/medium-rare, 130°F for medium, and 140°F for medium-well. The internal temperature will rise by another 5° during the final resting period.
Rest Traeger Smoked Prime Rib Roast Before Serving
Step 10: When the smoked prime rib is ready, remove from the grill and wrap in foil for 15 minutes. If it's going to be a while before you serve it, wrap the foil-wrapped roast in a clean towel and place it in a small cooler (without ice) until ready to serve.
What Readers Are Saying
Family, let me know this was the best prime rib I smoked EVER!! I'll take that as a win. Thanks for the recipe, I will be using it again. —BJ
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve Traeger Prime Rib with Easy Scalloped Potatoes, Smoked Asparagus, or a Crunchy Broccoli Salad. Don't forget the horseradish sauce on the side! And if you're serving this smoked prime rib for the holidays, be sure to avoid these common holiday meal mistakes!
Estimated Prime Rib Smoking Time by Pounds
The following is the estimated smoking time to get the prime rib to 120°F (while smoking it at 225°F to 250°F). These are not hard and fast rules but estimates. Many factors can change these times including the temperature of the meat, the temperature of the grill, the temperature outside, and how many times you lift the lid to sneak a peak.
- 4 to 5 pounds: 2 — 3.5 hours
- 6 to 8 pounds: 3 — 4.5 hours
- 9 to 10: pounds: 4.5 — 6.5 hours
Or figure it out using the following formula:
- At 225 Degrees F, it will take approximately 40 minutes per pound.
- At 250 Degrees F, it will take roughly 30 minutes per pound.
Smoked Prime Rib Internal Temperature Chart
The following are suggested internal temperatures to get the meat cooked to your liking:
- 120°F (rare)
- 125 to 130°F (medium-rare)
- 135 to 140°F (medium)
- 145 to 150°F (medium-well)
- 155 to 160°F (well-done)
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Prime rib should be smoked with the bone side down and the fat side up.
The wood chips or pellets most widely used to smoke prime rib are hickory, oak, pecan, apple, and cherry. In this recipe, we're using hickory.
You don't need to wrap prime rib while it is being smoked. Since it's high in fat, it remains moist and flavorful while being smoked low and slow.
Plan for approximately 1 lb of meat per person, depending on who you are serving (adults vs. small children). If you'd like to have leftovers, plan for an additional pound or two.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper do a perfect job of seasoning a prime rib. However, if you're looking for a different flavor, you can't go wrong with Santa Maria dry rub, is amazing!
Both prime rib and ribeye steaks come from the same cut of meat (which is referred to as the primal rib section). While prime rib is considered a roast, a ribeye is a small portion of the roast, sold and cooked as a steak.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- When seasoning the roast, use a large cookie tray underneath. The excess seasoning will land in the tray and can be used to season the areas you missed.
- It's important to bring the prime rib to room temperature before it is smoked. Smoking a cold roast will add to the cooking time and who needs that?
- Do not raise the lid of the smoker while smoking the prime rib. It reduces the temperature inside and adds to the cooking time.
- This recipe calls for cooking the meat low and slow. If you want to shorten the cooking time, you can kick up the temperature to 250℉.
- If you'd like to make au jus to serve with the sliced Traeger prime rib, smoke the roast in an aluminum pan or tin to collect the yummy juices.
- Resting the roast allows the juices to redistribute, so don't skip that part!
- If you decide to debone the prime rib, use butcher's twine to secure the prime rib over the bones so that the roast has a natural rack to stand on as it smokes.
- The times in this recipe are estimates, it's best to go by the internal temperature as opposed to cooking time. Give yourself plenty of time as it takes longer to smoke meat during cold temperatures.
🥩 Other Smoker Recipes
If you're looking for other smoked recipe ideas, you're in luck! Try my juicy smoked burgers or any of these reader's favorites:
- Smoked corned beef brisket
- Spicy smoked pork jerky
- Smoked brisket burnt ends
- Chipotle smoked Mac and cheese
- Smoked turkey breast
🥩 More Traeger Recipes!
If you enjoy this smoked prime rib recipe, check out these related recipes!
📖 Recipe
Perfectly Smoked Traeger Prime Rib
Ingredients
- 8-10 lb 4-bone prime rib roast
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Garlic Herb Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
Instructions
Day 1 | Season The Prime Rib And Prepare Herbed Butter
- Wash and dry prime rib, then set it onto a pan. If the roast has a thick fat cap, trim some of the fat from the top of the roast.
- Mix kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Rub the seasoning into the prime rib. Go a little lighter on the ends, to keep them from being overly salty. Place on a rack over a tray and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
Garlic Herb Buttery Crust
- Prepare Herbed Butter: Add softened butter, herbs, and garlic cloves to a food processor (paid link). Blend until a paste is formed.
- Using a spatula, transfer the herb mixture into a small Ziploc sandwich bag and roll it into a log. Refrigerate the herbed butter until needed.
Day 2: Smoking the Prime Rib
- Six hours before you plan on eating the prime rib, pull it out of the fridge along with the butter. Give it 2 hours to come to room temperature.
- After the prime rib has rested for 1 hour and 45 minutes, add pellets and set your Traeger or electric smoker to 225℉. Select Super Smoke and preheat for 15 minutes. Spread half of the herbed butter over the prime rib, then place the prime rib on the grill. Insert the probe or a meat thermometer into the thickest part, and set the probe temperature to 110℉.
- Begin checking the internal temperature after 3 hours. When the roast reaches 110℉, pull it off the grill and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, kick up the Traeger's temperature to 450°F.
- Before putting the prime rib back on the grill, brush with the remaining herbed butter. Re-insert the probe into the thickest part, and set the probe temperature to 115°F-120°F for rare/medium-rare, 130°F for medium, and 140°F for medium-well. The internal temperature will rise by another 5° during the final resting period.
- When the smoked prime rib is ready, remove from the grill and wrap in foil for 15 minutes. If it's going to be a while before you serve it, wrap the foil-wrapped roast in a clean towel and place in a small cooler (without ice) until ready to serve.
Notes
- When seasoning the roast, use a large cookie tray underneath. The excess seasoning will land in the tray and can be used to season the areas you missed.
- It's important to bring the prime rib to room temperature before it is smoked. Smoking a cold roast will add to the cooking time and who needs that?
- Do not raise the lid of the smoker while smoking the prime rib. It reduces the temperature inside and adds to the cooking time.
- This recipe calls for cooking the meat low and slow. If you want to shorten the cooking time, you can kick up the temperature to 250℉.
- If you'd like to make au jus to serve with the sliced Traeger prime rib, smoke the roast in an aluminum pan or tin to collect the yummy juices.
- Resting the roast allows the juices to redistribute, so don't skip that part!
- If you decide to debone the prime rib, use butcher's twine to secure the prime rib over the bones so that the roast has a natural rack to stand on as it smokes.
- The times in this recipe are estimates, it's best to go by the internal temperature as opposed to cooking time. Give yourself plenty of time as it takes longer to smoke meat during cold temperatures.
Jenna says
What flavor pellet do you recommend?
Hilda Sterner says
Here's the answer from the FAQ section of the post: The wood chips or pellets most widely used to smoke prime rib are hickory, oak, pecan, apple, and cherry. In this recipe, we're using hickory.
BJ says
Family, let me know this was the best prime rib I smoked EVER!! I'll take that as a win. Thanks for the recipe I will be using it again.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, BJ! I'm so glad to hear that. Have a great New Year!
Arthur says
Recipe is almost perfect. Just need to deduct 10 degrees or so at all stages because it will continue to cook as it rests. If you pull it out at 135 it will be overdone after resting
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks for the review Arthur! I think you're right. I had the same results today. Will adjust accordingly!