Sous vide prime rib takes all the guesswork out of cooking the perfect and delicious prime rib roast.
Herb crust surrounds the most succulent and juicy roast beef, cooked to your desired doneness.
Prime rib is 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 a perfectly cooked prime rib.
Sous Vide Prime Rib Roast Ingredients:
Recipe Card?
To find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions CLICK HERE to go to the recipe card.
- 1 Prime rib 4-6 pounds
Herbed butter
- butter softened
- rosemary
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 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.
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Sous Vide Equipment
- Breville Joule Sous Vide - This is the sous vide immersion circulator that I use. I love the wifi feature!
- Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker - Another popular brand of sous vide circulator. I don't have one but many people do and love this brand.
- Sous Vide Container (3.0 Gallon) - ny container that can tolerate heat will work but I use this sous vide container.
- Sous Vide Lid for LIPAVI C10 Container - Use with Anova Precision / Nano / Pro, Joule, Instant Pot, Wancle or virtually all other models. Do not accept a bad fit! The smart silicone sleeve on our lid will ensure a snug fit, with NO GAP. Up to a diameter of 2.755 inches
- Cast Iron Skillet - got to get that HIGH HEAT for an amazing sear and cast iron is the best pan to get that sear.
Let's go shopping!
ANOVA
This third generation sous vide circulator includes dual-band WiFi and a two-line touchscreen display.
Cooking the Prime Rib Sous Vide Time and Temperature
How long does it take to sous vide prime rib?
Choosing how long to sous vide prime rib will depend on the size of your roast. 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 prime 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 the meat to have more marbling and the fat ring to be defined, I would recommend cooking the prime rib 6 hours.
What temperature do you sous vide the best 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 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 roast to make prime rib for sous vide
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.
In a small bowl, combine :
- softened butter
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- rosemary
The 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 screaming hot pan, allowing it to sear for 2-3 minutes or until it takes on a deep golden brown caramel color.
- Flip the meat and sear on all sides, rotating the searing side 90 degrees with each flip.
How to cook prime rib sous vide
Herb Butter
Coat the entire roast with herbed butter.
Sear
Pre sear the prime rib in a cast-iron skillet.
Heat sous vide water
Set the sous vide machine to desired temperature.
Vac and Seal
Using a vacuum sealer, vacuum and seal the beef in a sous vide container or use the water displacement method to force the air out of the bag.
Secure
Secure the bag to the side of the container with a clip if the bag is not heat sealed.
Cook
- Sous vide the prime rib for 6 - 18 hours, depending on the desired tenderness.
- After the cook, remove the prime rib from the water bath.
- Open the bag and pour the juices from the bag into a clean container. Save to make a sauce.
Heat Cast Iron
Reheat the cast iron skillet to smoking.
Dry the beef
Pat the roast dry with paper towels.
Sear
Sear on all sides for 1-2 minutes to give the meat a crust.
Serve
Serve sliced.
Did you make this recipe?
Do you have feedback that would be helpful to others? If so can help this small business owner by leaving a rating and a review in the comments section? Thank you for being part of the Savoring The Good Community. ~ Sarah
How to reheat the best sous vide prime rib
The best way to reheat the smoked prime rib without overcooking it or drying it out is to heat it slowly. If you remember be sure to save some of the juices from the cooking bag for reheating the meat. If you can help it, don't slice all the prime rib if you are planning on reheating leftovers.
Sous Viding
- Using a gallon-sized ziploc bag, place the leftover roast along with any saved au jus in the bag and lower the bag into the sous vide water bath allowing the pressure of the water to press out the air in the bag.
- Secure the bag to the side of the container. Make sure the container of water holds enough water to submerge the meat by 1 inch.
- Set your temperature to your original sous vide temperature. Allow the cold water to come up to temperature slowly and the internal temperature of the meat will rise with it.
- Once the water has come to temperature heat for an additional 30 minutes.
Oven Method
Place the roast in the oven that's preheated to 300 degrees for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. To keep the moisture in the meat wrap a piece of foil over the meat and give it a splash of au ju or beef broth.
Making Sous Vide Prime Rib FAQ's 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 rib bones. A boneless rib roast has the rib portion removed.
When you hear me talk about reverse sear it is when you sear the meat after it has been cooked using the sous vide method. Traditionally a steak is seared over high heat and then allowed to cook until the desired internal temperature is reached. But with reverse searing, the meat is cooked to your desired exact temperature with sous vide cooking and then the meat is seared on super high heat for an amazing crust on the surface of the meat. You may choose to reverse sear your rib eye roast or double sear like I do. I think the double sear is the best bet to get not only depth of flavor but an amazing finish to the outside of the roast.
Cooking a prime rib in the oven is traditional, but for optimal results, the prime rib needs to sous vide before putting it in the oven. Sous vide is better as it ensures precise temperature control
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Prime Rib Recipe - Sous Vide
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Coat the meat with herbed butter.1 Prime rib, 3 Tablespoon Butter, 1 Teaspoon Rosemary, 1 Teaspoon salt, 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition Discolure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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.
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 15 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.