A classic favorite for holiday meals and special occasions, prime rib is a juicy, flavorful and well-marbled cut of beef. While it requires slow roasting to ensure that it stays moist, there are multiple side dishes and desserts waiting for baking. Rather than tying up the oven for one to two hours, consider roasting the prime rib in an electric roaster oven. Try the Oster Roaster Oven with Self-Basting Lid, which can be used for a variety of recipes and is easy to clean.
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Parts of the Rib Primal
Prime rib is cut from the rib primal, which is located under the front part of the backbone. It consists of ribs six through 12 and a large portion of marbled meat in the center. This juicy and tender roast is surrounded by muscle and then a thick layer of fat.
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Located between the chuck and the loin, the prime rib roast is also known as bone-in rib roast and standing rib roast. Other cuts include ribeye steak and roast, back and short ribs and cowboy steak.
A whole prime rib weighs 12 to 16 pounds. When planning for dinner, purchase 1 pound of bone-in meat per person, which will cook down to approximately 8 ounces. Generally, a four-bone roast serves eight guests. When ordering your prime rib, you can choose bone-in or boneless. While carving the cooked meat from the bones isn't always easy, boneless prime rib is not as flavorful as bone-in.
Prime Rib in an Electric Roaster
Place the roaster oven on a heatproof surface, such as a ceramic tile kitchen counter. Finished wood and other surfaces may be damaged unless the roaster oven is placed on hot pads or trivets. The exterior of the roaster oven is hot, so keep it out of reach of children and pets.
Place the roasting rack into the roaster oven. Heat for 15 to 20 minutes until it reaches 325 degrees Fahrenheit and the indicator light goes out. While the roaster oven is heating, pat spices over the surface of a 6- to 8-pound prime rib. The spices may include garlic, thyme, black pepper and salt. Place the prime rib on the rack and cover the roaster oven with the lid.
For best results, cook the prime rib between 325 and 350 degrees until it reaches the desired internal temperature and then turn off the roaster oven. Remove the prime rib, cover it with foil and let it rest for 30 minutes. If you need to hold the meat, set the roaster oven temperature to 150 degrees and return the prime rib to the oven to stay warm until it's time to carve and serve the meal. Save the juices to serve with the prime rib or use part of the drippings for gravy.
Cooking Times for Prime Rib
Cooking times for prime rib are:
- Rare: 10 to 12 minutes per pound or one hour, to 124 degrees.
- Medium rare: 12 to 15 minutes per pound, or 1 hour and 15 minutes, to 145 degrees.
- Medium: 15 to 17 minutes per pound, or 1 hour and 30 minutes, to 160 degrees.
- Well (not recommended): 17 to 19 minutes per pound, or 1 hour and 45 minutes, to 170 degrees.
Foodsafety.gov recommends roasting beef at a minimum temperature of 325 degrees. When following an older recipe that suggests roasting prime rib at 250 to 275 degrees, do not pierce the meat with a fork or meat thermometer until the surface temperature is 160 degrees or above. If the meat is below that temperature, you risk contaminating the interior of the roast with bacteria.