How to cook a 3 lb boneless prime rib roast

Christmas just wouldn’t be complete without this Boneless Prime Rib with Au Jus… it’s always the star of our holiday table!  

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Roasting a prime rib can be a little a LOT intimidating.  It’s a pricey cut of meat (but soooo worth it) and the biggest mistake is overcooking it beyond medium rare.  The method I’m sharing results in a perfectly medium rare prime rib with a crispy, deep brown crust.

My mom has always roasted a prime rib for our annual gathering every Christmas Eve and my recipe is based off of hers that she adapted from Allrecipes.  I’ve made a few changes to it over the years to put my own twist on it (but I still love Mama’s!).

This method uses a flavorful marinade that is injected into the roast, which brings out the flavor in the meat without being overpowering.  The drippings and marinade mixture help to make an incredible au jus that is prepared during the resting time of the roast.

3 important rules when roasting a prime rib:

• Allow to reach room temperature before roasting
• Use a digital instant read thermometer – a leave-in thermometer is best for ensuring 100% temperature accuracy
• Allow to rest after cooking

I always use a boneless prime rib because it’s easier (for me) to calculate how many pounds I’m going to need for my guests.  A good rule of thumb is ¾ pound per person.  I’d rather have too much than not enough, so I personally calculate 1 pound per person.  I mostly always have leftovers, but am content in knowing there will be enough for everyone (and who doesn’t love leftover prime rib?!).

This method starts at a high temperature to brown the crust, then the heat is reduced to retain juiciness.  Since the roast will be removed at low temperature of 200 degrees F, you’ll need to remove it only 5 degrees before your desired temperature.  For medium rare you will need to remove the prime rib at a temperature of 125-130 degrees F.

Allow to rest for 20 minutes loosely covered with foil on a cutting board or serving platter while preparing the au jus.

Prime Rib Temperatures:

• Rare:  120-125 degrees F
• Medium Rare:  130-135 degrees F
• Medium:  135-140 degrees F
• Well Done:  145+ degrees F

I hope you and your family enjoy this prime rib as much as we have over the years.  

Print

 For the prime rib:

• 1 (6 pound) boneless prime rib roast
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1–½ tablespoons browning sauce
• 1–¾ cups water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the au jus:

• ⅓ cup marinade and drippings mixture from roasting pan
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth

For the prime rib:

1. Place prime rib (fat side up) on a rack in a roasting pan.
2. Whisk together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, browning sauce and water in a medium bowl.
3. Using a meat injector, inject approximately ¾ cup of the marinade evenly throughout roast.
4. Pour remaining marinade in bottom of roasting pan.
5. Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Rub the roast evenly with olive oil, then with salt and pepper mixture.
6. Allow roast to come to room temperature by letting it sit 2 hours.
7. After 1-½ hours have passed, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (oven should be preheated by the time the roast has reached room temperature).  The oven rack should be on 2nd tier from the bottom and top rack should be placed with enough room for roasting pan to fit in oven, or remove top rack before preheating.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove roast from oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees F.  I open my oven door about 6 inches for approximately 6-7 minutes which reduces my temperature to 200 degrees F (ovens may vary).
9. Return roast to oven and bake 24.5 minutes per pound (2 hours and 27 minutes for a 6 pound roast), or until internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees F for medium rare (in the thickest part of roast with an instant read thermometer).
10. Place roast on a cutting board or serving platter and loosely cover with foil.  Allow to rest for 20 minutes.  Prepare the au jus while roast is resting.

For the au jus:

1. Heat marinade and drippings mixture in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
2. Slowly add flour, while constantly whisking.  Mixture will become a paste-like consistency.
3. Pour beef broth into pan and whisk to combine.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
4. Boil until slightly thickened, whisking constantly (about 2-3 minutes).  Remove from heat.

Notes

• Inspired by Allrecipes
• Cook time includes time it takes oven temperature to decrease to 200 degrees F and resting time.
• Cooking times vary depending on how chilled roast is when going into oven and shape of roast.

• Prep Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 3 hours 24 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Roast
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: prime rib au jus, prime rib recipe, boneless rib roast

Recipe revised 7/25/19