How to Cook a Standing Rib Roast

What Is a Standing Rib Roast?

Sometimes called a ribeye roast, a standing rib roast is a cut of beef consisting of the ribs from the top section of a steer between the chuck and the short loin. This particular beef roast is flavorful and tender, and it is the cut of meat a restaurant uses when it uses the term prime rib, whether or not the beef is graded "prime." 

What is Prime Rib?

In the United States, beef is graded by the USDA into three grades based on fat marbling. "Prime" cuts have abundant fat, "choice" has moderate marbling, and "select" has slight marbling and the least fat.

So when you order "prime rib," it is a standing rib roast graded "prime".

About This Recipe

Growing up, our holiday dinners were always something special. Most meals were simple and budget-friendly, but Christmas was the exception - my mom always made a beautiful standing rib roast. It was our annual splurge and the centerpiece of our family feast.

Every year, the menu was the same: prime rib roast, baked potatoes, and green beans almondine. When I once asked my mom why we never changed it, she said, "Because it's easy and delicious." And she was right! The roast develops a flavorful crust from the heat, caramelizing its exterior as it cooks low and slow, while the inside stays tender and juicy.

So, Mom always roasted it to a perfect medium-rare, which meant everyone could have their favorite slice - the well-done end pieces for my dad and the medium-rare, juicy center for Grandma. The only thing that changed each year was what time the roast went into the oven, depending on its size.

What makes this holiday roast beef recipe work so well is its simplicity. The oven does most of the work, and the results are restaurant-worthy every time. Serve it with baked potatoes, green beans almondine, and creamed horseradish for a classic and unforgettable Christmas dinner.

To round out the meal, we always had sour cream for the potatoes, creamed horseradish for the beef, and homemade pies - one famous pumpkin and one mince - plus festive cookies and divinity candy. To this day, this is the dinner I think of when I think of Christmas: simple, elegant, and full of tradition.

So, let's cook!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Here's what you need to make this standing rib roast recipe:

• Standing Rib Roast - Deciding how large a roast to buy can be tricky and I would rather have leftovers than not enough. So, I generally purchase at least 6 ounces to 8 ounces per person for a bone-in roast, if you are serving adults and children. For a boneless roast 4 to 6 ounces per serving is ample. Another consideration is having a bone for every adult who you know wants one. I prefer a bone-in roast and I generally purchase a small end roast with no fewer than 4 ribs to generously serve 6 to 8 adults which works out to be a 4 ½ to 5 pound roast.
• Garlic Salt - Full of flavor and shelf stable, this is my favorite go-to seasoning for meats. Instead of garlic salt, you can use fine kosher salt.
• Black Pepper - Freshly ground black pepper is spicy, with flowery overtones, and perfect for seasoning meats.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat and Prepare. Preheat oven to 325°F/163°. Remove the roast from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Line a rimmed baking sheet and place a roasting rack on it, or use a roasting pan with a rack.

2. Dry. Remove the roast from its packaging and dry it thoroughly with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Drying the meat is essential to getting a good oven sear.

3. Season. Cover a clean working surface with enough parchment paper to wrap around the roast and sprinkle it with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roll the roast in the salt and pepper so that all sides including the ends are covered.

4. Place on Rack. Place the roast ribs side down, fat side up, on the prepared roasting rack, and insert a meat thermometer into the center of the roast. For the most accurate reading do not let the thermometer touch the bone. You can also use an instant-read thermometer to check the roast as it cooks.

5. Roast. Place the roast in the oven and cook uncovered until the internal temperature of the meat reaches your desired doneness. You will need to pull the roast from the oven at 15° under the target internal temperature because the roast will continue to cook after it has been pulled from the oven and allowed to rest.

If the roast is cooking too quickly cover it with a tent of aluminum foil and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F/149°C.

PRO TIP - Once the internal temperature of the roast reaches 100°F it will cook faster.

While the roast rests, it will continue to cook. This is called carry-over cooking, where the meat's temperature continues to cook the roast.

A good rule of thumb is that a roast will rise in temperature approximately 1 degree per minute. Adjust the pull temperature accordingly if you'd like to rest your roast longer than 15 minutes.

6. Rest. Remove the roast from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes, which will allow the juices to be reabsorbed and moisten the meat.

7. Carve and Serve. Transfer the roast to a carving or cutting board to cut. Begin by removing the string that ties the roast to the rib rack. Then remove the roast from the rib rack and set the ribs aside. Slice the meat and cut the rib bones apart. Place the sliced meat and rib bones onto a serving platter. Serve and Enjoy!

Crispy Exterior Variation

If you enjoy a crispy, caramelized exterior to your roast, oven-sear it at a high temperature before beginning the long roast at a lower temperature. Preheat the oven to 450°F/232°C and roast the meat for 10 to 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F/164°C and continue to cook the roast to your desired doneness. Alternatively, you can also reverse sear.