A ribeye roast, also known as a boneless prime rib roast, is a classic entrée for holidays and other special meals. With a garlic butter crust and delicious, juicy meat, this recipe is perfect for smaller gatherings but can easily be scaled for larger crowds. A bone-in stand rib roast can also be used.
🐄Ingredients
Rib roast—2 to 4 pounds boneless rib roast, AKA ribeye roast. A bone-in rib roast may be used.
Fresh Garlic—crushed or minced
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐄Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Cook a Small Ribeye (Boneless Prime Rib) Roast—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- ⏰Cooking Time for a Small Ribeye (Boneless Prime Rib) Roast
- 👨🍳Make it right every time
- 🥣Making Au Jus from the dripping
- 🛒Shopping
- 📋Related Recipes
- 🔥What to Do About Smoking Ovens
- 🍽️What to serve with ribeye roast?
- ❄️Storage and Reheating Leftovers
- 🐄Ribeye vs. Rib Roast vs. Prime Rib—What is the Difference?
- ❓FAQs
- 📖 Recipe
- Small Ribeye (Boneless Prime Rib) Roast
Featured Comment by Suzi :
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"OMG! My first time making a rib roast, and it is beyond delicious. An almost 3 lb roast cooked perfectly according to your directions. I may eat the entire thing. Thank you!"
If you have a smaller household, do you want to cook 5-10 pounds of prime rib or ribeye roast? If not, a small prime rib or ribeye roast will be perfect for you. Follow my easy, step-by-step instructions to make a small ribeye (prime rib) roast that is perfect for smaller households.
Ribeye roast is one of the best and most delicious cuts of beef. It has excellent marbling, which makes it extraordinarily moist and tender. We love to serve slices of prime rib at special meals.
A bone-in rib roast is a ribeye roast with the bones still attached. Because the bones absorb additional heat, cooking times are a bit longer, but the technique is the same.
👨🍳How to Cook a Small Ribeye (Boneless Prime Rib) Roast—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Let the roast rest at room temperature for 30-90 minutes. Then, preheat the oven to 500°.
2. Mix softened butter with crushed garlic. Poke 15-20 half-inch knife holes into the roast.
3. Slather the butter/garlic mixture onto the roast and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
4. Prep a roasting pan with a rack and give the rack a heavy coat of PAM.
5. Roast at 500° for 20 minutes, then at 325° for 45-90 minutes until desired internal temperature.
6. Tent lightly with foil and rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting. Au Jus is discussed below.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰Cooking Time for a Small Ribeye (Boneless Prime Rib) Roast
After an initial 20-minute searing in a 500° oven, reduce the oven temperature to 325° and continue roasting until the desired internal temperature is reached.
Approximate cooking times for 2 to 2 ½ pound boneless prime rib roast
For a 2 ½ pound roast, the initial 20 minutes of searing at 500° are followed by approximately an additional 45 minutes for 130°, 55 minutes for 140°, and 60 minutes for 145°. However, the internal temperature should always be checked several times early on.
Rare—cold red center (125°-130°)—Searing time of 20 minutes plus oven time of about 40-45 minutes for a total time of about 60-65 minutes.
Medium Rare—warm red center (130°-140°)—Searing time of 20 minutes plus oven time of about 45-55 minutes for a total time of about 65-75 minutes.
Medium—pink and firm (140°-150°)—Searing time of 20 minutes plus oven time of about 55-65 minutes for a total time of about 75-85 minutes.
Medium Well and Well Done—Not recommended
For 3 to 3 ½ pounds of ribeye roast, add approximately 20-30 minutes to the approximate oven and total times. A 4-pound ribeye roast will take about 5-10 minutes longer than a 3-pound roast.
Times are only provided to help in planning; never cook by time. You must cook to a final internal temperature, which you should always check several times early. Remember to account for a rise in temperature of 4°-8° after removal from the oven.
The bigger and thicker a roast is, the longer it will reach your desired internal temperature. Small roasts that are larger around but thinner may be significantly faster.
👨🍳Make it right every time
It is important to let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 ½ hours before roasting. Combined with the searing, you will have some pink to the edge if you are looking for rarer results (recommended).
Au Jus can be made with pan drippings, or if you are adding fluid under the rack (see the discussion about smoking ovens), use beef broth for the liquid.
Cook with the fat side up. If you cook a bone-in rib roast, the ribs will be on the downside.
Cooking on a rack is highly recommended and will help drain fats and fluids.
ALWAYS rest the meat before slicing. During the rest period, the temperature will rise 4° to 8° after cooking.
The quality of the meat matters. Buy prime quality if you can. The recipe's name is "Prime Rib," not to be confused with the quality rating of the beef.
🥣Making Au Jus from the dripping
Making homemade Au Jus is easy. Use a saucepan on the stovetop.
- ¼ cup meat drippings—I like to drain off the fat. If not available, use extra broth.
- 2 cups beef broth—can be reused from under the meat if used to prevent smoking.
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire or soy sauce OR 2 to 4 tablespoons of bold red wine.
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
- If you want to thicken the au jus, near the end of simmering, slowly whisk in a slurry of cold water and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.
Simmer on the stovetop with low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly reduced.
🛒Shopping
Here are some suggestions I like, but you can find many more good products that will work at your local big-box store. All links below are affiliate links, meaning I make a small profit from your purchases. This commission does not affect your price. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Smoke™ by Thermoworks™
Oven Safe Racks
Thermapen™ One from Thermoworks™
ThermoPro TP19 Instant Read Thermometer
📋Related Recipes
For other special meal main dishes, check out Roasted Turkey Breast, Crock Pot Glazed Ham, Pan Seared Filet Mignon, New York Strip in the oven, or Chicken Parmesan. Or fire up the gas grill for Grilled Ribeyes, Grilled Filet Mignon, or Grilled Pork Tenderloin.
This recipe is featured in Thanksgiving Recipes, Christmas Recipes, and Easter Recipes roundups.
🔥What to Do About Smoking Ovens
You probably will have some smoke because you have fat from the meat and butter during the searing. The fat is going to hit hot metal and smoke.
I reduced the butter in the recipe, which helped a lot. Melted butter in the pan doesn't improve the taste, anyway.
You have some choices about if this smokes too much for you:
- You can add beef broth (if making Au Jus) or water to the pan under the rack so that when the butter melts, it hits the liquid (max temp of 212°) instead of the 500° pan. This is my favorite method.
- Sear at 450° instead of 500°. It works almost as well and will eliminate much of the smoke.
- You can eliminate the butter and use a higher-temperature vegetable oil, which still may smoke some but less. However, there are better solutions than this; I want butter.
- You can realize it will happen and live with it—lots of exhaust fans and open windows.
- You can skip the "searing" entirely and use a 350° oven. It will take a bit longer, but it will be fine. Just cook to a final internal temperature. This will lead to more moderately cooked meat around the less cooked center—not what most people want.
🍽️What to serve with ribeye roast?
Fresh salad and roasted vegetables like Baked Green Beans with Bacon or Roasted Asparagus are good side dishes, along with Roasted Baby Potatoes as a starch. I always like to add Julia Child's French Bread.
For a wine pairing, we prefer Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir.
❄️Storage and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or frozen airtight for 3-4 months.
To reheat leftovers, first, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Reheat it in the oven and cover it with moisture, like au jus or beef broth.
🐄Ribeye vs. Rib Roast vs. Prime Rib—What is the Difference?
There can be confusing, but it is relatively simple. The term Prime Rib should be thought of as the name of a recipe. The meat used to cook prime rib is a rib roast. Most people will think of a bone-in-standing rib roast—usually 8-10 pounds.
If the butcher trims off the ribs, you will have a boneless rib roast, also known as a ribeye roast. These are generally cut smaller and much easier for home use, but they are the same cut of meat. If sliced before cooking, you have a ribeye steak, sometimes called a boneless prime rib steak.
Cuts of meat used for prime rib do not need to be prime grade; they will usually be choice grade. Prime grade will cost more, but it is worth the cost for special occasions.
Rib roasts with rib may be called “prime rib” or standing rib roast. In the US, things labeled ribeye will almost always be boneless but may have ribs in other countries.
❓FAQs
A reasonable estimate of how much ribeye roast to buy is ⅓ to ½ pound per serving. Assume more for teenage boys and hungry people.
Cut the meat across the grain. Think of it as a log and cut off round slices for serving.
📖 Recipe
Small Ribeye (Boneless Prime Rib) Roast
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Ingredients
- 2-4 pound boneless rib roast
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- beef broth optional to prevent smoking and in au jus
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500° and lower a rack so the roast will be in the middle of the oven. Allow the ribeye roast to rest at room temperature for 30-90 minutes.
- Mix 3 tablespoons of softened butter with 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Poke 15-20 half-inch knife holes into the roast.
- Slather the butter/garlic mixture onto the roast, pushing some of the mixture into the holes. Add some kosher salt and black pepper to the roast.
- Prep a roasting pan with a rack and give the rack a heavy coat of PAM. A cake pan is good here. The pan needs some sides to prevent splatter. I suggest using the rack and some water under the rack to decrease the smoke.
- Place the fat side up on the rack and into a 500° oven for 20 minutes, then decrease the oven's temperature to 325° and continue to roast until desired internal temperature—45 to 90 minutes, depending on size and desired temperature. Always check temp several times early. Allow for a 5°-10° rise in temperature after removal from the oven. Never cook by time alone. Always check with a meat thermometer. See Notes below about smaller or thinner roasts.
- Tent the roast lightly with foil and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting. Remember that the temperature may increase by 4°-8° when tented.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A reasonable estimate of the size of the roast is ⅓ to ½ pound per serving.
- Never cook by time alone. Always check with a meat thermometer. The timing chart is in the post.
- If cooking a smaller, flatter, and thinner roast, it may cook faster. Please check the temperature a few times, at least every 15-20 minutes. A continuous remote thermometer is recommended.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days and can be frozen for 4 months.
- Reheat it in the oven and cover it with some moisture, like au jus or beef broth.
- Homemade Au Jus is discussed in the post.
- Smoking ovens and estimated cooking times are covered in detail in the post.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Based on an Allrecipes.com recipe for inspiration.
Editor's Note: Originally published September 17, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Victoria Charkut says
This was an EXCELLENT recipe. Love the way you explained everything. I'm a good steak chef but a small rib roast was new for me. Yes the butter hit the hot pan and started to burn so I added just water and had a delicious au jus that went great with the meat and the smashed potatoes (jamie oliver) that I served. Thank you! My meat wasn't prime but choice and it still was delectable. Yum.
Lisa says
What if I don’t have fresh garlic?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Lisa,
Welcome to the blog.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder to the butter instead—my wife would double that.
Dan
Laura says
Thank you so much for sharing this! Made this for both Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Absolutely delicious! Your directions were so appreciated!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Laura,
Welcome to the blog. This was a very popular recipe for the holidays.
Thanks for the comment and rating.
Dan
Bob says
What should the internal temperature be for a medium rare result? If I missed this in the article, my apologies.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
It's there. Medium-Rare is warm red center (130°-140°)—Searing time of 20 minutes plus oven time of about 45-55 minutes for a total time of about 65-75 minutes.
Dan
David says
Followed your recipe on Nov. 5th and results were perfect. Spectacular, actually. Am doing it again right now for a party of six! Thank you!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi David,
Welcome to the blog.
So happy it worked well for you.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
David Green says
Trying this recipe right this moment, and am assuming the temps are Fahrenheit, not Celsius?!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi David,
Yes, all temps are fahrenheit on this site. Conversion is discussed in on the FAQ page in the top menu on every page.
Dan
Rich says
we are in our mid 70s and lucky enough to have a wood burning pizza oven. I'm just learning all the many ways to use it. there's just two of us so firing it up takes some planning if I want to do multiple dishes at various temps. the prime rib roast is one of those things...I have several cast iron pans and one of them would work great for this...no problem about the smoke from the butter but the water idea works for me. should still be able to make popovers from the drippings. any advice or suggestions that would help? cooking for two is what we need to get to...leftovers are great butt they tend to add up in all the wrong places. thanks again.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Rich,
Welcome to the blog. I have very limited (read that as once) experience with a wood pizza ovens, but I do remember that thing was very hot and designed to be that way. 800°–1000° range.
The only tips you probably know already but you asked.
First, know your oven and how to control and maintain a temperature—so a good thermometer (probably remote) is needed.
Second, always think about the thickness of what you are cooking. Measure it by the distance to the center of the thickest part from the surface of the meat. This thickness, not weight, will determine the cooking time and temperature. The greater the distance, the lower the the oven cooking temperature should be, NOT higher. Higher will burn the outside before the center is done. This is why you don't see low and slow pizza or 30—minute pork butt.
Thanks for the note and rating. And this is the first time I got to answer like that—I start typing and can't stop.
Dan
Evita Flegle says
How can I publish pictures in articles on Wikipedia without infringing copyright?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Briefly, no. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/money-links-and-advertising/ for more information
Dan.
Susan says
Cooked much faster than expected - followed the 20 minute @500 and then 20 at 325 to temp check. My 2.89 # roast was 155 degrees. So very disappointed very much over done - I followed exact direction.
Susan says
I reported the over cooked issue. I think I realized what happened for meat to get over done. I roasted in a black iron skillet - could that be my problem? I think my stove temp is calibrated ok.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Susan,
Sorry, I missed your follow-up comment. Yes, that will definitely affect cooking time and is the probable cause of your issue. It is related to the heat conductivity of cast iron.
Dan
Cynthia says
Amazing! So happy I found this recipe!!! Came out perfect!
Roberta McGowan says
Great instructions, turned out perfect! Merry Chrit
Suzi S says
OMG! My first time making a rib roast and it is beyond delicious. An almost 3 lb roast cooked perfectly according to your directions. I may eat the entire thing. Thank you!
Leslie says
Every holiday especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas (all year long) I use your easy gourmet recipes. They are now part of our family tradition. This prime rib recipe always comes out perfect every time I make it
Thank you
Leslie
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Thanks Leslie,
Have a great holiday.
Dan
Carole says
How do I cook a 5 lb. boned rib roast?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Carole,
Welcome to the blog... but I'm going to beg-out of answering. I have not gone over 3 1/2 pounds in many years.
I will give a few comments. The thickness of the meat is a bit more important than the weight determining the cooking time and bones absorb more energy so bone-in takes a bit longer than boneless.
A rest of the meat at room temperature will help cook larger pieces get to the right final internal temperature. An old trick that works well. I see some recipes very long times but please be safe and I only would do 1 hour max.
I might just skip the sear for a bigger roast. That would allow longer oven time without overcooking to surface to get to the internal temperature you want.
Lastly, always cook to a final internal temperature and NEVER by time alone.
Hope that helps some.
Dan
Carolyn S. says
I would refer you to Paula Deen's recipe for "Foolproof Standing Rib Roast". It has never failed me. Google is your friend.