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Make a delicious holiday dinner for the entire family with this medium rare prime rib recipe. Served with a rich, red wine jus and creamy horseradish sauce, for the perfect main course.

I love serving it with creamy mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes but feel free to serve it with the sides of your choice!

Dinners don’t always have to be difficult. However, sometimes, you want to make something a little more in-depth than those usual quick dinners. When you add in a side like Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, that’s when the party really begins. Well, a party for my taste buds, and yours! Go try it for yourself. You’ll see exactly what I’m referring to. 

How To Make

1. Prep – Let the rib roast rest on the counter for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 500 degrees F. Tie each rib with twine and wrap the ends of the bones with foil. Make sure to pat dry the meat with a paper towel so the butter sticks nicely.
2. Make the butter rub – Mix together the softened butter, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Thoroughly coat the rib roast with the mixture.
3. Cook – Place it in a proper deep dish, and cook for 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook for 13 minutes per pound. Roast should reach an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees for medium rare.
4. Cover and rest – Remove the meat from the oven and wrap it in foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
5. Start the au jus gravy – Place a skillet over high heat with the pan juices, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and beef stock. Bring to a fast simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Season with salt and then strain it.
6. Prepare the horseradish sauce – Combine all of the horseradish sauce ingredients and season with salt.
7. Serve – Pour the au jus over the prime rib slices with a dollop of the horseradish sauce and enjoy.

 

Top Tips

• Skip the au jus – If you want to eat this prime rib without the gravy, that’s perfectly fine. I love the added gravy because it skyrockets the flavor. However, it’s not a must for the meat to be delicious. Just make sure to season generously with salt.
• Use top loin roast – A great substitute for prime rib is top loin roast. So, if you’re running into issues with finding your prime rib, go for this option instead!
• What to serve with prime rib? – Your usual or classic side dishes are always a great go-to for this recipe. Cheesy Corn, Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Garlic Potatoes, or Cheddar Garlic Mashed Potatoes are all amazing choices.
• When purchasing prime rib, you can ask the butcher to cut the rib bones off or not. Sometimes what they do is cut the bones off of the roast but then tie them back on with cooking twine so you can still get the flavor from the bones without having to cut the bones off afterward.

How Much Prime Rib Per Person?

Try to estimate that your guests will eat about 1/2 – 3/4 lb per person. If you’ll be serving turkey, ham, or any other meat I would do 1/2 lb per person. If prime rib is the only meat, I would do 3/4 lb per person. Again, this all depends on the individual.

How Long Does it Take to Cook a 4 lb Roast?

Do keep in mind that the roast will continue cooking once it comes out of the oven. 13-14 minutes per pound is ideal.

I hope you enjoy this holiday classic dinner as much as I did! Although, you may certainly enjoy this year-round.

More Delicious Holiday Recipes…

• Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
• Juicy Roast Turkey
• Maple Roasted Turkey Breast
• Honey Baked Turkey Wings

You can find more delicious recipes and cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and Facebook.