Outback prime rib is a rib roast rubbed with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder and thyme, blasted at 500F for 5 to 6 minutes per pound, then left in the turned-off oven for two hours to finish in residual heat. Serves 4.
Leaving the roast in the turned-off oven for two full hours without opening the door is the entire technique. The residual heat drops slowly from 500F and gently carries the centre of the roast from seared to medium rare without any risk of overshooting. Open the door to check and you dump the trapped heat, which stalls the cook and leaves you with a raw middle.
Bringing the roast to room temperature before it goes in is not a suggestion. Two hours on the counter is what the recipe calls for, and skipping it is the most common reason for uneven results. A cold centre forces the outer layers to overcook before the middle reaches temperature, and no amount of resting fixes that afterwards.
Outback Prime Rib
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings2
hours20
minutes40
minutes450
kcalA bone-in rib roast rubbed with a six-spice olive oil paste, seared at 500F, then slow-finished in the residual heat of the turned-off oven for two hours. No basting, no flipping, no opening the door.
Ingredients
1 bone-in rib roast (size of your choice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 pinch thyme
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Directions
- Temper the roast:Remove the rib roast from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 2 hours.
- Make the rub:Preheat the oven to 500F. Mix the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder and thyme in a bowl. Coat the roast evenly with the paste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Blast at high heat:Place the roast fat side up on a rack inside a roasting pan. Cook uncovered at 500F for 5 to 6 minutes per pound.
- Finish in residual heat:Turn the oven off. Do not open the door. Leave the roast undisturbed for 2 hours. The residual heat finishes the cook gently.
- Check and serve:Insert a meat thermometer. Pull at 125F for medium rare, 130F for medium. Rest briefly, then slice and serve hot.
FAQs
How big a roast should you buy?
The recipe does not specify, so plan by headcount. A 2-bone roast feeds 4 generously, a 3-bone feeds 6, and a 4-bone feeds 8. Each bone section weighs roughly 2 pounds, which gives you about 8 ounces of cooked meat per person after the bone and shrinkage.
Why can you not open the oven during the two-hour rest?
The closed-oven method relies on trapped heat dropping gradually from 500F. Every time you open the door you lose a significant amount of that heat, and the roast stalls partway through cooking. Trust the thermometer at the end, not your eyes during the process.
What temperature should the roast reach inside?
Pull at 125F for medium rare, 130F for medium. The roast will rise another 5 degrees while it rests on the counter. Going past 140F internal puts you into medium well territory, and prime rib dries out fast beyond that point.
Why are the spice quantities so small?
The rub is deliberately light so the beef flavour carries. Prime rib has enough fat and marbling to taste rich on its own, and a heavy spice crust fights that rather than supporting it. If you want a thicker crust, double the paste and press it firmly into the surface after patting the meat dry.
How do you store and reheat leftover prime rib?
Wrap slices tightly in foil or plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in warm beef broth over low heat to restore moisture. Slicing thin before reheating helps. The microwave works but dries the edges, and a hot oven overcooks the centre before the outside warms through.
