Sous vide prime rib takes all the guesswork out of cooking the perfect prime rib roast. Herb crust surrounds the most succulent and juicy roast beef, cooked to your desired doneness.
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Also known as a standing rib roast, boneless rib roast or ribeye roast this amazing cut of meat is usually reserved for special occasions such as Christmas dinner or an anniversary meal but any occasion is a good occasion to have an amazing dinner.
Ingredients needed:
- 1 Prime rib 4-6 pounds
Herbed butter
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
The beauty of sous vide is you are able to find the right combination of temperature and time combined with the cut of meat prepared how YOU like to enjoy it. 18 hours is probably too long for some people but I had the time to spend waiting.
If I was short on time I would have gone with a shorter cook time such as 8 hours but there would have been more fat in the meat. My family doesn’t enjoy the fat in meat but loves what the meat tastes like when it is sous vide in the renderings. As the kids say…. you do you.
What temperature do you sous vide prime rib?
The temperature you set your sous vide will determine the doneness of your piece of beef from edge to edge, no matter the thickness. My family likes prime rib cooked to 135.
According to the sous vide supreme cooking guide this is on the high side of medium-rare doneness.
| Doneness for Prime Rib | F | C |
| Rare | 120 | 49 |
| Medium Rare | 134 | 56.5 |
| Medium | 140 | 60 |
| Medium Well | 150 | 65.5 |
| Well Done | 160 and up | 71 and up |
How to pre sear the prime rib roast
In a small bowl, combine :
- 3 tablespoons softened butter
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- rosemary
Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Allow the meat to come to room temperature for an hour.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Spread the seasoned butter mixture over all sides of the beef.
- Heat a heavy bottom or cast iron pan to the point of smoking.
- Place the roast cut side down in the pan, allowing it to sear for 2-3 minutes or until it takes on a deep caramel color.
- Flip the meat and sear on all sides, rotating the searing side 90 degrees with each flip.
How to sous vide a boneless rib roast
- Coat the meat with herbed butter.
- Pre sear the meat in a cast iron skillet.
- Heat the sous vide water bath to desired temperature.
- Vacuum and seal the beef in a sous vide bag or use the water displacement method to force the air out of the bag.
- Secure the bag to the side of the container with a clip if the bag is not heat sealed.
- Cook for 6 – 18 hours, depending on the desired tenderness.
- After the cook, remove from the water bath.
- Open the bag and pour the juices from the bag into a clean container. Save to make a sauce.
- Reheat the cast iron skillet to smoking.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- Sear on all sides for 1-2 minutes to give the meat a crust.
- Serve sliced.
Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
A prime rib is a cut of beef from the primal rib of a steer in the front forequarter. A full rib section will be ribs numbered six through 12, a standing rib roast may contain anywhere from two to seven of those ribs. A boneless rib roast has the rib portion removed.
Choosing how long to sous vide prime rib will depend on the thickness of the cut of beef. Measure the thickest part of the meat and account for an hour for each thickness, at a minimum. Keep in mind, length of a piece of meat is not the same as thickness. See photo above.
I say a minimum because the beauty of cooking with sous vide, is you don’t lose any moisture from the beef because of cooking in a food-safe bag and the longer you cook it, the more tender the meat becomes.
This is a 4-inch thick boneless rib roast. I cooked it for 18 hours so that the connective tissues would have a longer time to break down and the fat could render out more fully. If you love prime rib to have more marbling and the fat ring to be defined, I would have cooked this piece for 6 hours.
I am a big fan of pre searing beef before dropping it in the sous vide bath. The searing gives the meat a bit of a crust to hold it together instead of trussing the meat. The caramelization of the proteins will give added flavor to the meat as it cooks in its own juices in the sous vide bag. This step is completely optional but I suggest you try it at least once so you know the difference of pre sear and not pre searing.
More Sous Vide Beef Recipes
Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin | Sous Vide Prime Rib | Sous Vide Guinness Stew | Sous Vide Beef Stroganoff | Sous Vide Beef Burgundy | Sous Vide Roast Beef
Prime Rib Recipe – Sous Vide
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Prime rib 4-6 pounds
Herbed butter
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Coat the meat with herbed butter.
- Pre sear the meat in a cast iron skillet.
- Heat the sous vide water bath to desired temperature.
- Vacuum and seal the beef in a sous vide bag or use the water displacement method to force the air out of the bag.
- Secure the bag to the side of the container with a clip if the bag is not heat sealed.
- Cook for 6 – 18 hours, depending on the desired tenderness.
- After the cook, remove from the water bath.
- Open the bag and pour the juices from the bag into a clean container. Save to make a sauce.
- Reheat the cast iron skillet to smoking.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- Sear on all sides for 1-2 minutes to give the meat a crust.
- Serve sliced.
Notes
How to presear
- Allow the meat to come to room temperature for an hour.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Spread the seasoned butter mixture over all sides of the beef.
- Heat a heavy bottom or cast iron pan to the point of smoking.
- Place the roast cut side down in the pan, allowing it to sear for 2-3 minutes or until it takes on a deep caramel color.
- Flip the meat and sear on all sides, rotating the searing side 90 degrees with each flip.
Nutrition
Sarah Mock
CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 12 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
Walter says
Thank you. I am making this for my wife this weekend. wish me luck.