It's
almost everyone's favorite, it's elegant, it's special, it's
Prime Rib. Now you can prepare it on your barbeque grill that
will be sure to make that special dinner even more memorable.
I like to have the rib bones included in my prime rib. They can be trimmed free, but I recommend having your butcher, or grocery store tie the bones in with string. This will make your roast easier to handle, the bones supply a more constant temperature, and do add a slight bit of flavor - at least I think so. A 4 rib standing rib roast will be about 8 pounds and will feed about 8 people.
Preparation is very important when making prime rib. Commonly, your preparation will determine the success of your prime rib. I would say preparation shares its importance equally with the quality of the cut of meat and the actual cooking. One very important step in preparation is to let your prime rib roast to stand at room temperature for at least an hour. If your rib roast was frozen, let it thaw completely in the refrigerator, then let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Pat the rib roast dry with a towel or napkin. It is always a good idea to prepare a 'crust' for your prime rib to lock in the juices and flavor. I highly recommend a Green Peppercorn crust, it always draws compliments. You can find recipe for this crust in our list of recipes - Prime Rib with Green Peppercorn Crust . However, a good salt crust works good too.
To make a salt crust... First, thoroughly rub the rib roast with olive oil. Mash about 3-4 garlic cloves and rub the garlic mash into rib roast. Next, mix about 1 3/4 cups salt with about 2 tablespoons of freshly ground or crushed black pepper. Good coarse Kosher salt is a must, don't even try making a salt crust with table salt - it is too fine. If you didn't rub the rib roast with garlic, add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Lay down wax paper and spread your salt mix evenly. Then roll your rib roast on the wax paper salt spread. Using your fingers, grab salt mix and coat the ends of the rib roast and places where there is no crust.
Get your barbeque grill hot to the temperature of 500F, or higher. Make sure you are using the 'indirect method' or you will char your rib roast and ruin it. Place your rib roast in your barbeque making sure to keep it away from direct heat. Let it cook for 30 minutes, no longer. The initial high barbeque temperature is necessary "seal" your rib roast - locking in flavor and juices. If you're using a pit type barbeque, grill your prime rib roast on a traditional barbeque grill before doing the slow, indirect cooking method.
After the initial high starting temperature, let your barbeque grill cool to the proper temperature between 185F and 250F. Try to resist the urge to continuously check, or show off the rib roast while cooking - remember each time you open your barbeque grill you let out heat and cool your barbeque. For rare prime rib, the internal termperature must be at least 135F. (Using a thermometer insert it into the center of the rib roast, making sure that the tip is NOT in contact with any bone.) To find out more, see our tips on is it done yet? Approximately 20 minutes per pound is a good estimate, so about 2, 2 1/2 hours for an 8 pound prime rib roast. After removing from the barbeque grill, let your prime rib roast stand for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Try these success tips:
Page
last modified: December, 1998
