Is Your Prime Rib Cooking Too Fast? (See How to Fix This)

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You’re cooking prime rib for a big dinner. However, your meat is almost ready, and dinner isn’t for a few more hours. How can you slow down the cooking time and have it ready when you want to eat? Ill explain why this can happen and how to slow down the cooking process.

Why Is My Prime Rib Cooking So Fast?

Prime rib cooks quickly because the temperature is too high. Your heat source is hotter than you realize. You should use an external thermometer to check this. If you are using a thermometer, you may even want to reset it, or the thermometer may not work correctly.

Another reason your prime rib roast cooked too quickly is that you didn’t have the correct temperature and time calculation for your piece of meat. When I cooked a 5-pound prime rib cooked to medium-rare in the oven at 450°F, it took 14-15 minutes per pound; I have also included some calculations for other sizes below.

• 4 to 5 pounds – 60 to 70 minutes
• 7 to 8½ pounds – 90 to 110 minutes
• 9 to 10½ pounds – 110 to 140 minutes

How Do I Slow Down My Prime Rib’s Cook Time?

To combat this, you can lower the smoker’s temperature or oven. Second, you can remove the prime rib, put it in the fridge, and put it back in the oven or smoker closer to when you’re ready to eat.

What Do I Do if My Prime Rib Is Done Too Early?

Wrap your meat in aluminum foil, wrap a towel around it, and put it in a cooler. This setup will keep the meat warm for several hours.

If the meat is fully cooked, you should let it rest first. That way, it can finish cooking before you wrap it up. If the meat isn’t quite too temp, wrap it immediately. This will ensure that it cooks a little bit longer.

You can cook it at 200°F when it’s almost time to serve. This will help the meat warm up a bit. Some people recommend cooking at 500°F for about 10 minutes before serving. This will result in a nicely seared crust.

What Is the Cook Time for Prime Rib?

If you cook a 5-pound prime rib at 350°F, I have estimated it to take 14-15 minutes per pound for medium rare.

If you’re smoking the meat, low and slow is the way to go. Even in an oven, the lower temperatures will yield better results. It is also usually easier to speed up the cooking process than to slow it down.

Another thing to consider when estimating the cooking time is how well you want it done. Cook the prime rib for less time for a rare one and longer for a well-done one.

How to Prepare Prime Rib

Below is a brief overview of cooking a prime rib; I have a more detailed recipe with process images. Resource: Smoked Prime Rib Recipe.

First, choose the right prime rib. Do you want boneless or bone-in? What quality grade meat do you prefer?

Then consider your guest list; if you purchase a bone-in roast, estimate a pound per person. Most stores sell 12-16 pound roasts.

Now that you have everything let’s figure out how long it will take. What temperature do you want to cook it at and how do you like your meat cooked, rare, medium rare, well done?

When it’s time to start cooking, season the meat. You only need some kosher salt and black pepper for the best results. Let the meat sit at room temperature for a short while before transferring it to the heat source of your choice.

Keep an eye on the meat temperature with a thermometer. When the eat is ready, let it rest before carving.

When Is Prime Rib Done?

Check the doneness of prime rib with a meat thermometer, and do not let the thermometer touch any bone.

Prime rib is ready based on the degree of doneness you prefer.

• Prime rib is rare at 120°F-129°F.
• A well-done prime rib will have an internal temperature of 155°F-164°F.
• Medium prime rib has an internal temperature of 135°F-144°F.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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