Ribeye Roast vs Prime Rib: What's the Difference (2024)

Cooking Techniques

Now that we have reviewed the different ways you might find these cuts of meat, let’s discuss the best cooking method for preparing them. We have prepared a bone-in roast and boneless roast, both options have turned out amazing. So it is up to you which one you want to choose. These cooking techniques will work for either.

• Roasting in the oven:
  • seasoning – after purchasing your large cut of beef you will want to pat it dry with clean paper towels before seasoning. You can either keep the seasoning simple with kosher salt and ground black pepper or use a prime rib seasoning. After you coat it with your desired seasoning you can let it sit in the roasting pan for about 2 hours so that it comes up to room temperature.
  • cooking – Preheat your oven temperature to a high heat (500 degrees F), place your roast in at this temp, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Then drop to a low temperature (325 degrees F) for the rest of the cook time. We recommend cooking for about 15 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reaches your desired level (use a meat thermometer). (a medium-rare finish is ideal at 130-135 degrees F. which we will get to with the resting time)
  • medium-rare cook time chart –
    • 6 pounds (bone-in): 20 minutes at 500 degrees F; 70 minutes at 325 degrees F.
    • 7 pounds (bone-in): 20 minutes at 500 degrees F; 85 minutes at 325 degrees F.
    • 8 pounds (bone-in): 20 minutes at 500 degrees F; 100 minutes at 325 degrees F.
• Smoking:
  • seasoning – begin by patting it dry with clean paper towels. You can either keep the seasoning simple with kosher salt and ground black pepper or use a prime rib seasoning. After you coat it with your desired seasoning, then mix up an herbed butter and rub this over the entire rib roast.
  • smoking – place the prime rib with the fat cap (large chunk of fat typically found on one side of your prime rib) on the top on your smoker (we love our Traeger 780 Pellet Grill) at 225 degrees F. Insert the temperature probe into the thickest part of the roast and let it smoke (without lifting the lid!) until the internal temperature reaches 118-120 degrees F. (for a medium-rare finish– a medium-rare finish is actually 130-135 degrees F. which we will get to in the next step with the sear + resting time) – this can take anywhere from 2 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours (or 35-40 minutes per pound).
  • sear (or reverse sear) – once you have removed the roast from the smoker you can bring a large cast iron skillet to a high heat, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the rendered fat from the baking sheet the roast is on, and sear for about 2-3 minutes and baste with the rendered fat or butter.

Rest Time – no matter which way you decide to cook your roast, the most important part comes at the end…. the rest time! This is an essential step! Once your roast reaches your desired internal temperature, you will want to let it rest for about 15-20 minutes before making your first cut. This allows all of the juices to redistribute and result in the most tender slice of beef you can imagine!

Serving Suggestions For A Ribeye Roast Or Prime Rib

A slice of this perfectly cooked beef is honestly amazing all on its own, but your guests would probably like some options for ways to eat it and side dishes. We love to serve it with a flavorful au jus made from the pan juices or a horseradish sauce! And if you are looking for side dishes, we have a list of 15+ prime rib side dishes to choose from. There is something on there for everyone!

Have any leftovers? You have to make this Leftover Prime Rib Sandwich! We love buying a roast that is larger than needed just to make sure we have enough for leftovers!