Smoked Garlic Butter Prime Rib

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Smoked garlic butter prime rib is the best version of smoked prime rib on the internet. Slathered in herb-infused compound butter and slow-smoked to perfection, this prime rib is sure to be the crowning glory of your holiday table.

Sliced prime rib on a wooden cutting board being drizzled with garlic butter with text overlay - Garlic Butter Prime Rib.

Garlic Butter Prime Rib

I am all about slow-smoked hunks of beef, and there is nothing more indulgent or delicious than a smoked prime cut of a beef rib roast. I’ve been smoking prime rib for years, but this method quickly shot up to the top of my favorite recipes. The entire roast is enrobed in seasoned garlic butter to infuse the roast with flavor and slowly baste the meat’s exterior during the smoking process.

Another bonus from this smoked garlic butter crust is the melted browned butter drippings. I smoke my garlic butter prime rib on a rack above a baking sheet. That way, as the meat smokes and the butter slowly melts, it collects underneath the roast and bubbles and browns. When the roast is finished, I strain that gorgeous butter, season it with a little salt, and use that as a finishing sauce to drizzle over the sliced prime rib. It’s absolutely indulgent.

Uncooked prime rib roast on a cutting board.

Ingredients for Garlic Butter Prime Rib

The base of this recipe is extremely simple. All you need to season the roast is high-quality salt and black pepper (Adjust the 1 Tablespoon amounts here as needed to cover the entire roast).

  • 8-10 pound bone-in prime rib roast
  • 1 Tablespoon coarse ground salt
  • 1 Tablespoon black pepper

For the garlic herb butter, you’ll need the following ingredients:

  • 16 ounces softened butter
  • 8 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 sprigs of finely minced rosemary
  • 2 sprigs of finely minced thyme
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

The flavors in the seasoned butter are inspired by a resting butter I use on grilled steaks. The idea is to enhance the beef’s natural flavor without overpowering those subtle earthy notes in the meat. The butter has fresh garlic, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper. It’s simple but absolutely incredible. The garlic and herbs smoke on the outside edges of the prime rib roast and make the most delicious crust ever!

Prime rib covered in garlic butter.

How to Make Garlic Butter Prime Rib

Let’s get going on making this amazing roast! The process is fairly straightforward and should result in an incredible, unforgettable meal. Here’s how to make garlic butter prime rib:

  1. Preheat. Fire up your favorite smoker and allow it to fully preheat to 225 degrees F with oak or hickory wood.
  2. Prep. Trim the top of the roast down to 1/4 inch thick. Season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper.
  3. Slather in garlic butter. Make the garlic butter in a small bowl, and then slather the roast on all sides with the butter.
  4. Smoke. Place the buttered roast on a flat baking rack above a rimmed baking sheet on the smoker. Smoke until the prime rib reaches 120 degrees F for Rare doneness, 125 degrees F for Medium-Rare, or 130 degrees F for Medium doneness.
  5. Rest. Remove the prime rib from the smoker and rest for 20 minutes. Increase the temperature of the smoker to 400 degrees F. Strain the butter and drippings from the baking sheet and set aside. 
  6. Sear. Once the grill reaches 400 degrees F, place the prime rib directly on the grill grates and sear the meat until it reaches your preferred final doneness (130 degrees F for Rare, 135 degrees F for Medium-Rare, or 140 degrees F for Medium).
  7. Enjoy. Remove the garlic butter prime rib from the smoker and rest for around 15 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved drippings before slicing and serving.

Garlic butter prime rib on the grill.

How Long to Smoke Garlic Butter Prime Rib

Plan approximately 35 minutes per pound at 225 degrees F for smoking a rare roast. If you like your prime rib closer to medium, plan on 40 minutes per pound. Don’t forget to allow at least 30 minutes of rest time and another 15 minutes or so for the high-heat sear before serving when factoring in the total amount of time it will take to smoke this garlic butter prime rib.

Of course, the most essential part of smoking a perfectly pink prime rib roast is cooking it to the correct internal temperature. For that, I recommend getting an internal thermometer that you can use to track your prime rib during the entire cooking process.

Slice prime rib on a cutting board.

More Prime Rib Recipes

If you liked this garlic prime rib recipe, chances are you’ll love these other two recipes from Hey Grill Hey as well. You can check them both out at the links provided below.

Garlic Butter Prime Rib Recipe

This recipe was created for you, backyard griller! Here at Hey Grill Hey, we’re in the business of helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. Over at the Hey Grill Hey Store, we have sauces, rubs, and more to save you time and energy when you’re busy at the grill. Check it out today!

This post was originally published in October 2018. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.

Smoked Garlic Butter Prime Rib

By: Susie Bulloch (heygrillhey.com)
4.97 from 100 votes
Smoked garlic butter prime rib is the best version of smoked prime rib on the internet. Slathered in herb-infused compound butter and slow-smoked to perfection, this prime rib is sure to be the crowning glory of your holiday table.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time6 hours 15 minutes
Resting Time15 minutes
Total Time6 hours 45 minutes
Servings10 people

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Ingredients
 

  • 1 8-10 pound bone-in prime rib roast
  • coarse salt and pepper

Garlic Herb Butter

  • 16 ounces softened butter
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 sprigs rosemary finely minced
  • 2 sprigs thyme finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F for indirect cooking. I recommend oak or hickory for this recipe.
  • Prep the prime rib. While the grill is warming up, prepare your roast. Trim any excess fat from the top of the roast down to 1/4 inch thick. Season on all sides with an even sprinkling of salt and pepper.
  • Slather in garlic butter. In a small bowl combine the softened butter, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Slather the entire roast with the garlic butter.
  • Smoke. Place the roast on a flat rack elevated above a baking sheet on the smoker. Close the lid, and smoke the roast until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F for Rare or 128 degrees F for Medium. For a rare, bone-in roast, plan on 35 minutes per pound of prime rib.
  • Rest. Remove the roast to a cutting board and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Strain the butter and drippings from the baking sheet into a separate bowl and set aside. While the roast is resting, increase the temperature of your grill to 400 degrees F.
  • Sear the roast. Once the grill is up to temperature, return the roast to the grill and sear until you reach your desired internal temperature. Pull the roast off at 130 degrees F for rare, 135 for medium rare, or 140 for medium. This process should go quickly, so keep a close eye on your temperature.
  • Rest, slice, and serve. Remove the prime rib to the cutting board and let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Drizzle the reserved butter and drippings over the roast for an extra decadent finish.

Nutrition

Calories: 1357kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 121g | Saturated Fat: 50g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 52g | Cholesterol: 274mg | Sodium: 668mg | Potassium: 1019mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About

FOUNDER/BBQ BOSS LADY

Susie is the BBQ Brain behind the Hey Grill Hey website. Her passion for smoked meats and developing fun, new recipes have landed her on the Food Network, cooking turkeys with Shaq, and on a couple of Guinness World Records. When she’s not grilling, she is hanging out with Todd and their three kids, preferably outdoors!

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Recipe Rating




Reader Reviews

296 Reviews

  1. Brian says:

    I used this recipe last Christmas on my first prime rib. Smoked it on a Camp Chef pellet smoker. It turned out amazing, especially for a first timer. Here is a tip: put the roast on one of those two piece roasting pans you used to get with an oven. You can buy them at Wal-Mart. They catch the drippings and hold the meat above the drippings. As a bonus, I used that pan to transport from the house to the smoker, back to the house for resting period, then straight into the oven for the 400 degree seer. Worked perfect.

    1. Brian says:

      ….forgot to mention I’m trying this for the 2nd year. I have a roast on the camp chef smoker right now.

  2. Kevin Wicks says:

    Do you recommend having the prime rib at room temp when you apply the butter or cold from the fridge?
    Is the 35mins/lb based on room temp or cold?

  3. Ken says:

    Do you recommend using a horseradish cream sauce with this recipe, or does it not need it?

  4. Robert M. says:

    What’s the earliest time I could put the butter-rub on before smoking? Going to make it tomorrow

  5. Jose says:

    Does the meat go in cold or does it need to come to room temperature before putting it in smoker?

    1. Hey Grill Hey says:

      Either way will work, but if you put it on cold it’ll spend a little bit longer in the smoke!

  6. Chad says:

    With the new Camp Chef smoking adjustment what smoking number do/would you use for a 10 lb rib roast?

    1. Hey Grill Hey says:

      All the way up!

  7. Smedly says:

    I have a whole NY strip, would this work with this recipe you think?

    1. Hey Grill Hey says:

      I believe so!

  8. Sarah Armitage says:

    How will the cooking time differ between a bone-in and Bone-less rib roast? I didn’t not realize the butcher trimmed the bones off!!

    1. Wes says:

      5 min less per pound.

  9. Tim says:

    I’m excited to try this recipe this year for Christmas Eve. Quick question, why type of knife do
    You recommend to cut the prime rib? My butcher is going to cut the bones off and tie back on prior to cooking. Thanks!

  10. Darren Seigel says:

    Great! I did an 8.5 lb rib roast at 225 in a Pit Boss Austin XL pellet smoker along with a whole chicken. The roast came up to 127 degrees in only 3.5 hours. I had to take it off and let it sit for a couple of hours as it cooked so quickly. I then finished off at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The outside was well done and it progressed to medium rare in the middle so there was something for almost everyone. I will make this again for sure. Very easy and excellent. Leftovers made a great omelette as well.