Preheat. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F.
Prep the prime rib. While the oven 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.
1 8-10 pound bone-in prime rib roast
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.
16 ounces butter, 8 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper
Bake. Place the roast on a flat cooling rack set on a baking sheet. The baking sheet will catch any melted butter. Close your oven, and bake 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 oven to 450 degrees F.
Roast. Once the oven is up to temperature, it is time to roast. Return the roast to the flat roasting rack above a clean baking sheet and place in the oven. Pull the roast out of the oven at 130 degrees F internal temperature 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.