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If you have been wondering how long to cook prime rib at 250 degrees Celsius, or how to cook a boneless prime rib roast, we are going to teach you all of those things today and more. We will also tackle how to prepare a small prime rib roast or any prime rib size for that matter, as well as how to cook prime rib steak.
Prime Rib Cooking Time
Getting the cooking time right is essential when you are dealing with a piece of premium meat like the prime rib.
There are several methods, and all of them will produce desirable results. When you work with a lower temperature, the cooking time will be extended.
- If you are cooking at 165˚ Celsius, you will need to cook for 20 minutes per pound of meat. Simply multiply the time factor by the number of pounds, and you will get the total cooking time. A ten-pound prime rib will require 200 minutes, or 3 hours and 20 minutes.
- At a slightly higher temperature of 235˚ Celsius, cook the prime rib for half an hour before cutting down the temperature to 165˚ The cooking period for each pound of meat has now be reduced to just 15 minutes per pound of beef.
- When a nice sear has developed on the outside of the meat, turn down the temperature of your oven and cook for an additional half an hour to 45 minutes to thoroughly cook your prime rib.
Experts recommend tenting the meat with aluminum foil to avoid any unnecessary searing when the meat is almost done.
Tenting will also allow the juices to change direction and go back to the meat, as opposed to all the juices just flowing out as what usually happens when the temperature inside the flesh and the ambient temperature are equalizing. - The essential positioning for prime rib for optimal cooking is placing it bone side down, and then flavoring the meat with your preference of seasonings. Dry rubs and sauces are equally applicable to cuts of meat like prime rib.
- The meat thermometer must be inserted into the meat, and make sure you do not hit any bone on the way in. The thermometer has to go all the way through so you can get a correct reading and not undercook your premium meat.
- If you want your meat medium-rare, cook for only 22 minutes per pound. For medium, it’s 25 minutes per pound, and for well done, go up to 30 minutes per pound of meat.
- The internal temperatures for the different levels of doneness are as follows: 60˚ Celsius for medium-rare, 68˚ Celsius for medium, and 74˚ Celsius for well done.
Take note that the cooking time will vary, and these are only guides. Use a meat thermometer as the target internal temperature of the meat may be attained much earlier (or later) than the average cooking time. - Expect smaller sized prime rib roasts to cook more quickly than larger chunks of meat, for obvious reasons.
Creating Prime Rib Perfection
Never worry again about how you cook prime rib. These tips will turn you from a home cook to a professional in no time.
- A good roast starts with selecting the right kind of meat. Opt for meats that are marked “standing rib roast” or “eye of the rib roast.” Most of the prime grade ribs are sold directly to restaurants by specialty distributors, so it would be difficult to find them in groceries and supermarkets.
- The boneless roast is preferable for those who struggle with carving in-bone roasts. Flavor-wise though, the bone-in variety is still better. It’s up to you how to balance everything out when you prepare your roast.
- The basic seasonings for prime rib include salt, pepper, mustard, lemon zest, fresh garlic, etc. Unlike other meat preparations, there is no need to season prime rib for a long time. The meat itself is flavorful, moist, and out of this world. Marinating, it is possible, but under normal circumstances, there is no need to do so. Let the meat express itself after being cooked to perfection, and you should be fine.
- If you want your prime rib roast to be truly garlicky, make small slits or cavities in the meat and insert freshly sliced garlic into the cavities. The garlic will cook into the meat, and all of the extracts will mini-marinate the prime rib to garlicky perfection.
- Always use pans that are only slightly bigger than the roast itself. Avoid pans that are too big, because we want to center the juices and keep them underneath the roast as it is cooking. Otherwise, the juices from the prime rib will simply evaporate with the heat. That would be a waste of perfectly flavorful juices.
- Bone-in roasts are cooked better when you have the fat side up. The reason for this is while you are cooking, the fat will be coating the prime rib roast continuously, adding to its flavor and maintaining its moistness inside. This is the best possible scenario, and nothing is wasted during the cooking process.
- Two things that you should never do to prime rib roast are: putting water on the pan to “help” the roast along and second, covering the rib. Leave the rib as it is and let nature do its job in the oven.
- After cooking, always allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. It is usual for the meat temperature to rise at least five degrees after you pull it out of the oven. While you are cooking it, however, it is always wise to push the meat thermometer as far inside as you can go so that you can get an accurate reading.
- Save all of the drippings and create a sauce from it. Slather the prime rib roast with gravy, and you will reach rib nirvana after carving the meat.
