Smoked Prime Rib Recipe, Without a Smoker

Making prime rib at home can be intimidating, but we’re going to show you a simple grill-to-oven method that is virtually foolproof. This may become your new go-to recipe when you want to impress!

This prime rib starts on a gas or charcoal grill with wood chips to infuse it with a smoky flavor. If you have a smoker, by all means use that for the smoking portion.

It is then finished in the oven to get a crispy browned exterior and a juicy, medium-rare interior. A variety of wood chip varieties can be used for beef, but for this recipe we like cherry, apple or pecan. For a bolder flavor, you can try hickory or oak.

We highly recommend salting the prime rib the night before and letting it rest in the fridge in a pan with a rack. This will give the meat more flavor and be more tender after cooking. We serve the prime rib along with our Primal Kitchen Steak Sauce.

Ingredients

5 lbs. boneless prime rib
Salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
3 Tbsp. chopped sage leaves
2 tsp. Black pepper
8 cloves grated garlic
Primal Kitchen® Steak Sauce

Directions

Pat the prime rib dry. Liberally salt your meat on all sides and place it on a rack in the fridge overnight.

The next day, take the meat out and allow it to rest at room temperature for an hour. Melt the butter and mix in the thyme, sage, pepper and garlic.

Rub the mixture all over the meat and place it in a cast iron pan. We used a cast iron grill pan since it was too big for our regular cast iron pan.

While the meat is resting, soak some wood chips for about 20 minutes. Beef can withstand many types of wood for smoking. Many people like using hickory or oak, but for this we like fruit tree chips like apple, cherry, or pecan.

For less than $20, you can purchase a smoker box, which is a metal box with holes that holds wood chips in your grill. Or you can do what I did and make your own smoker out of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Either way, drain your wood chips thoroughly. Place them in the smoker box or in the center of a large square of foil. Wrap the wood chips in the foil, then use a knife to poke some holes in the top of the foil packet. This will allow fragrant smoke to emanate from the package.

Turn one side of your gas grill on to high heat. Place the foil packet with wood chips on the side that’s heating up. Cover the grill and allow it to come up to temperature and for the wood chips to start smoking. This will take 30 minutes or so.

Once you see a good amount of smoke coming from the foil packet, place the pan with the meat on the opposite side of the grill (the side that isn’t heated up). Cover and allow the meat to smoke for 30 minutes, then flip the meat over and smoke for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Use a meat thermometer with a heat-safe probe and place it in the center of the thickest part of the meat. Place the pan and meat in the oven and allow it to cook until the internal temperature is reached. Aim for 115-120 degrees for a medium-rare roast. Once the temperature is reached, take the meat out of the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

Slice the meat as thick or as thin as you’d like. Top with Primal Kitchen Steak Sauce and serve with your favorite sides.

Smoked Prime Rib Recipe, Without a Smoker

Author: Mark’s Daily Apple
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1.5-2 hours
Total Time: 2-2.5 hours
Yield: 10 servings
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Juicy smoked prime rib made in a regular grill without a smoker.

Ingredients

5 lbs. boneless prime rib
salt
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp. chopped sage leaves
2 tsp. black pepper
8 cloves grated garlic
Primal Kitchen Steak Sauce

Instructions

Pat the prime rib dry. Liberally salt your meat on all sides and place it on a rack in the fridge overnight.

The next day, take the meat out and allow it to rest at room temperature for an hour. Melt the butter and mix in the thyme, sage, pepper and garlic. Rub the mixture all over the meat and place it in a cast iron pan (we used a cast iron grill pan since it was too big for our regular cast iron pan).

For less than $20, you can purchase a smoker box, which is a metal box with holes that holds wood chips in your grill. Or you can do what I did and make your own out of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Either way, drain your wood chips thoroughly. Place them in the smoker box or in the center of a large square of foil. Wrap the wood chips in the foil, then use a knife to poke some holes in the top of the foil packet. This will allow fragrant smoke to emanate from the package.

Slice the meat as thick or as thin as you’d like. Top with Primal Kitchen Steak Sauce and serve with your favorite sides.

Notes

We highly recommend salting the prime rib the night before and letting it rest in the fridge in a pan with a rack. This will give the meat more flavor and be more tender after cooking.

Category: Lunch, Dinner
Method: Grilling
Cuisine: American