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If you want a surefire way not to ruin that expensive rib roast you just bought, this sous vide prime rib recipe is a must try. Ultra tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth goodness, this recipe is what life is all about.
So whether you making an extravagant holiday dinner or just a treat for you and your family, this recipe is the BEST way to cook prime rib in my humble opinion.
And if you've been following me, you know that I posted a sous vide rib roast recipe a while back that was incredible, and not all that different than this recipe.
I really love this for holidays or family gatherings because it is virtually hands-off and you never have to worry about it getting overcooked while your attention is on all the delicious sides.
When you're paying $75-200 on a piece of meat, you prefer not to ruin it. When we buy a tenderloin, we always make this sous vide beef tenderloin too.
If you guys have been around a while, you know I have a soft spot in my heart for sous vide cooking. It's just honestly the best way to cook meat. You'll definitely want to try some of these sous vide beef recipes:
Why This Recipe Works
Honestly, the main reason it works so well is that the sous vide eliminates the guesswork and takes stress out of the equation. That said, I've made the recipe extra special for you too:
- Seasoning in advance and letting it sit overnight allows to meat to get so flavorful as well as helping it stay ultra juicy and tender.
- Roasting it in a hot oven afterwards helps give it that golden brown caramelized texture and flavor.
- We use the bag juice and other ingredients to make the most incredible au jus perfect for serving with the sliced beef, or with sandwiches the next day!
- While I recommend cooking it rare, you can cook it to any doneness you prefer (temperatures are included below).
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Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is included the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
For the best results, using a USDA Prime rib roast is recommended if you don't mind spending a lot of money. However, if you want a more budget friendly version, you can use Choice which is also a good cut (and what I use most often). Avoid using Select which is the worst quality and can affect your results.
You can buy a single rib roast or the largest one you can find. This recipe works for any size. If you cook a very large one, I would go with the longer cooking options just to make sure it gets nice and tender.
I love using roasted garlic when cooking the roast, but if you don't have roast garlic you can leave it out. I don't recommend using fresh garlic as it can develop bacteria when cooked at lower temperatures like we're doing here.
For the jus, we use red wine and beef stock (I'm all about homemade beef bone broth, but use whatever you like) mixed with the cooking liquid from the bag. If you prefer not to use wine, you can just substitute extra beef broth.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 3: Heat a sous vide water bath to 131°F degrees for a prime rib cooked rare. If you prefer a different doneness, use this table:
Temperature | Time | Doneness |
131F Degrees | 8-12 hours | Rare (my favorite) |
135F Degrees | 8-12 hours | Medium Rare (my second favorite) |
140F Degrees | 8-12 hours | Medium |
145F Degrees | 8-12 hours | Medium Well (not recommended) |
150F Degrees | 8-12 hours | Well (not recommended) |
Step 6: While the beef roasts, combine all the ingredients for the jus in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Step 7: Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the alcohol in the wine has been cooked off. Adjust for salt if necessary (I don't typically add extra salt).
Step 8: Remove the rib roast from the oven. Let it cool slightly. Slice and serve drizzled with the jus and serve with horseradish sauce (optional).
**Can also be sliced thin and served on sandwiches.
Expert Tips
- Salting it overnight allows the salt to penetrate into the meat which adds flavor and also helps keep it tender. While you can skip this step, I recommend doing it if you can so you get the best results possible.
- The longer you cook it, the softer it will get. I do not recommend cooking more than 12 hours or it can start to become too soft and mushy.
- I recommend cooking it rare to medium rare, but doneness options are included above if you prefer something different.
- Always place it in an ice bath when it's done to cool the outside of the pme rib. This allows the butter to be spread on before roasting, as well as helps to avoid it overcooking in the hot oven.
- You can cook this ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days until ready to serve it. Reheat it in a 131F degree water bath for 30 minutes, then roast per the recipe instructions.
How to Serve Sous Vide Prime Rib
You can use a compound butter in place of the salted butter if you want some extra oomph to your prime rib. Try these combos:
- Mix the butter with 1-2 teaspoons of minced garlic (and/or minced onion);
- Mix butter with 1 teaspoon fresh herbs such as thyme, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, or sage;
- Add 1 teaspoon of truffle zest for an amazing truffle butter;
- Chop up a tablespoon of sundried tomatoes and mix them in with the butter;
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of blue cheese in with the butter (one of my favs).
In addition to the compound butters, sous vide prime rib can be sliced and served on sandwiches with my ultra favorite horseradish sauce (from the sous vide filet mignon recipe).
And of course, if you want to make this a decadent meal, serve it with one or more of these sides:
Frequently Asked Questions
A sous vide prime rib should be cooked from 8-12 hours for the best results. The longer the roast is cooked, the softer and more tender it will be. It is not recommended to cook longer than 12 hours as it will become too soft and start to take on a mushy consistency.
Definitely. Because prime rib is typically a more expensive cut of beef, cooking it sous vide ensures it is cooked properly and basically makes it impossible to ruin your prime rib. Because you can regulate the temperature with sous vide, your prime rib will come out perfectly cooked, juicy and tender every time with no guesswork.
Prime rib is best served rare to medium rare so a temperature of 131F degrees is recommended for rare and 135F degrees for medium rare. These are the best temperatures for sous vide prime rib.
If you sous vide prime rib for more than 12 hours, it will start to take on a mushy consistency. I recommend cooking prime rib sous vide for 8-12 hours for perfect doneness.
You can cook this ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days until ready to serve it. Reheat it in a 131F degree water bath for 30 minutes, then roast per the recipe instructions.
It can also be frozen after it is cooled in the ice bath. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve it, thaw it in the fridge overnight then reheat in a 131F degree water bath for 30-45 minutes.
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Sous Vide Prime Rib
Ingredients
- 4-6 pound rib roast bone in
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 10 cloves roasted garlic
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
Au Jus:
- Prime rib cooking liquid from bag
- 1 cup beef broth
- ¼ cup red wine
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Season the rib roast with the salt and pepper and let it sit uncovered on a baking rack (over a plate) in the fridge overnight.
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 131F degrees.
- Place the rib roast in a vacuum seal bag with the roasted garlic and fresh thyme and seal.
- Cook in the water bath for 8-12 hours.
- Remove from the water bath and place in an ice bath for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat an oven to 500F degrees.
- Remove the rib roast from the bag, reserving the bag juice for the jus (below).
- Place on a rack over a baking sheet and rub the butter over the top. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on the outside.
- While the beef roasts, combine all the ingredients for the au jus in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until reduced. Adjust for salt if necessary (I don't typically add extra salt). Remove from heat.
- Remove the rib roast from the oven. Let it cool slightly.
- Slice and serve drizzled with the au jus and serve with horseradish sauce (optional).
Expert Tips:
- Salting it overnight allows the salt to penetrate into the meat which adds flavor and also helps keep it tender. While you can skip this step, I recommend doing it if you can so you get the best results possible.
- The longer you cook it, the softer it will get. I do not recommend cooking more than 12 hours or it can start to become too soft and mushy.
- I recommend cooking it rare to medium rare, but doneness options are included above if you prefer something different.
- Always place it in an ice bath when it's done to cool the outside of the pme rib. This allows the butter to be spread on before roasting, as well as helps to avoid it overcooking in the hot oven.
- You can cook this ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days until ready to serve it. Reheat it in a 131F degree water bath for 30 minutes, then roast per the recipe instructions.
DocHolliday
Just outstanding! We did alter the salt and pepper to Rodelle Prime Rib Seasoning.
This will be our go-to for years to come!
Danielle
I am so glad you liked it! I hope you had a wonderful holiday 🙂
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I don’t even know how I finished up here, however Ithought this publish was once good. I don’t know who you’rebut definitely you’re going to a famous blogger in case you aren’t already.Cheers!
Danielle
Thanks so much!
mark
Oh wow - I had family visiting and wanted to try something special without ruining. This came out like perfection. Everyone was so happy impressed. I'll definitely be making this again for my next dinner occasion!
Danielle
I'm so happy it was a hit!