How To Make Perfectly Smoked Prime Rib

Everybody, and I mean everybody (well, almost – except for vegetarians), loves prime rib. And why not? The meat is so flavorful, juicy, and sublime from the lovely fat content and tender meat.

And expensive! Many great steakhouses across the country pride themselves on their ability to deliver to their customers an incredible mouthwatering and breathtaking carnivore experience with prime rib.

But, the prime rib for most households gets relegated to special occasions only, like a birthday or anniversary celebration, because of the cost. I’m here to show you how to smoke an incredible prime rib with your offset smoker that is economical and absurdly exquisite.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY THIS OFFSET SMOKER SMOKED PRIME RIB

• Easy to find – Most large grocery store chains usually carry a standing rib roast. (See below to learn what the definition of prime rib really is. It will surprise you when you find out!) You can ask the butcher to cut one for you in any size, with or without the bone.This is their job, and they know how to do it, so don’t be afraid to ask.

• Economical – For this recipe, we are smoking a 7 pound two bone-in prime rib, which will feed six people. I paid $8.95 a pound, so 7 pounds was $62.56 or $10.44 a person. That’s economical for prime rib compared to what you pay for it at your favorite steak joint!

• Easy to prep – With only two ingredients, prep time is very quick and easy. But, it will be the best two-ingredient dish you’ve ever put in your mouth!

• Easy to smoke – This is literally one of the easiest recipes to smoke with your offset smoker. It takes 4 hours to smoke a 7 pound 2 bone-in rib roast. No moving around or flipping! So easy; just set it on your grill grate and forget it! REALLY!

INGREDIENTS FOR OFFSET SMOKER SMOKED PRIME RIB

• One 7 pound two-bone in choice standing rib roast
• 1 cup prime rib rub

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING OFFSET SMOKER SMOKED PRIME RIB

1. Bring your offset smoker to temperature – You will want to maintain a temperature of roughly 250 degrees throughout the entire smoking process.

2. Prepare the rib roast – Bring the rib roast to room temperature. Trim any excess fat off the rib roast, especially the fat cap, which is the thickest and most dense part of the fat on the top of the roast.

3. Rub the rib roast – Gently pat the rib rub into place, completely covering the roast. Be sure to cover any nooks and crannies as well. You can’t use too much rib rub!

4. Place the rib roast onto the smoker – Place the rib roast on the 8” x 10” wire oven rack and place it into your smoker. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 120 for rare or 130 for medium. For a 7 pound rib roast, at a smoking time of 35 minutes per pound, this will take you roughly 4 hours.

5. Remove the rib roast from the smoker – Let the rib roast stand for 30 minutes before carving. Slice the roast right in half between the two bones. You now have two very large steaks with the bone attached. Each one of these steaks will serve 3 people.

VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR OFFSET SMOKER SMOKED PRIME RIB

Salt the rib roast the day before – Liberally rub the entire rib roast with salt the day (or two) before you plan on smoking. Place it on the 8” x 10” wire oven rack, then place it on a small cookie sheet to catch the drippings and put it in the refrigerator. The salt creates a nice firm outside crust by drawing out the liquid while at the same time ensuring a tender juicy inside.

Experiment with other rubs – I used a mixture of half store-bought mesquite rub and half Middle Eastern Kebsa spice blend. You can also use the mesquite rub alone for the rib roast rub. But any meat rub you like will do just fine. Or you can make your own rub by following the directions in this book by Paul Kirk.

How to carve and serve your smoked rib roast – Once your rib roast is finished resting for 30 minutes after it has been smoked, cut the rib roast in half right between the bones. Following the curve of the bones cut the bones off the steak and set aside. Cut each thick steak into three equal portions widthwise. You now have 6, roughly 12-ounce portions for your guests. Now, the fight over who gets the two bones begins!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR  OFFSET SMOKER PRIME RIB

What is a prime rib? This is so interesting! Who knew?

1. Prime rib is also called a standing rib roast. They are the same thing.

2. It’s called “standing” because the meat is usually cooked with the rib side down, so the meat is literally “standing” and not touching the pan.

3. The prime rib is from the primal section of a cow, weighing between 12 – 16 pounds and having between 6 – 12 ribs, 7 being the most popular cut. Therefore, the word “prime” in prime rib comes from the term “primal” section.

4. So, the name “prime” in prime rib has nothing to do with the grade of the meat, from select (least expensive) to choice (affordable) to prime (most expensive). If you want prime grade prime rib, be sure to ask for “prime, prime rib”!

Always purchase your prime rib with the bone in – The bone adds so much incredible flavor to the prime rib as it is smoking. Smoking a prime rib without the bone is like eating an ice cream cone without the cone. And, what will you munch on a few days later when all the leftover prime rib is gone, when you are absolutely craving that scrumptious prime rib flavor? The bone, of course!

Using an 8” x 10” wire oven rack and a drip pan – Placing your prime rib on the wire oven rack ensures that the prime rib will not sag into and between the grill grates, and it’s much easier to move the rib around and on and off the smoker. Placing an aluminum drip pan under the prime rib on the ash tray to catch the drippings will help when it comes to cleanup. Just toss it away!