This mesquite smoked prime rib or standing rib roast is a wonderful entree for Christmas dinner. Easy to prepare, super flavorful and goes great with smoke.
Ask the butcher to semi-detach the bones, to tie it up and to french the bones. They are usually happy to offer these services.
Note: Figure on 1 bone for every 2 people eating.
Season the Meat
Lay the prime rib on the cutting board
Brush on a little olive oil or cooking oil to help the rub to stick.
Mix up a batch of the Texas style rub recipe and use it generously all over the prime rib.
Setup the Smoker
You can use any smoker to smoke this prime rib but I recommend that you use one that allows you to easily control the temperature.
Set up your smoker to maintain about 225°F for about 5-6 hours.
Smoke the Prime Rib
Once the smoker is ready to go, place the prime rib roast directly on the grate, bones down.
I used dry mesquite wood for flavor but you can use pecan, or almost any fruit wood such as cherry for great results.
Keep the smoke going the entire time if you desire or you can go for about 3 hours and that should be plenty.
Use a digital probe meat thermometer to monitor the temperature and be sure to test it in boiling water beforehand to make sure it is reading within a degree or two of 212°F.
I recommend cooking the prime rib to medium rare or about 135-140°F.
Finish Up
Once the smoked prime rib hits that magic number of 138 °F or whatever you deem it to be, remove it quickly from the smoker and move it to the house. There is no need to wait to cut it but you can hold it for 30 minutes or so by tenting foil over the top of the roast.
When ready to slice it up, clip the strings, remove the bones and then slice it into pieces about ¾ inch thick.
Worcestershire butter recipe
One stick or ¼ lb. of (real) salted butter, room temperature, 1-½ TBS of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp of the Texas style rub recipe.
Mix/fold everything together until all ingredients are combined really well.
Questions
How to reheat slices of the prime rib? Very carefully! You do not want to overheat the meat which will cook it and take it beyond medium rare. I sometimes just set it on the counter to let it come up to room temperature and just eat it that way to preserve all of that original good flavor. You can also wrap it up in a piece of foil with just a teaspoon of water or beef broth in the bottom of the foil. Place it into a 225 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until it gets as warm as you like it. Be sure to not let it exceed 140°F or it will no longer be medium rare.