Jordan HangerDecember 15, 2022

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There aren’t many things in life that are better than a perfectly cooked prime rib.

A good prime rib should be seasoned well and have flavor in every bite with a nice exterior crust.

To help you achieve that, I’ll run you through the process I follow and give you a great prime rib rub recipe to use, so you’ll have awesome flavor in every bite!

Should you dry brine prime rib?

Prime rib is a large cut of meat. I’ve smoked some as heavy as 15 lbs. That’s a lot of meat to season!

Because of the size and thickness of prime rib, I recommend dry brining for 24 hours.

For more information on dry brining meat check out the link here.

I like to trim the prime rib by removing most of the fat cap on the top side and sprinkling on a nice even layer of Kosher salt over the entire thing.

prime rib with Kosher salt sprinkled on it sitting on a wire rack

I like using Kosher salt because the bigger granules are not immediately absorbed into the meat and you can gauge how much you are applying.

Then I place the prime rib into my refrigerator uncovered for 24 hours on a drying rack.

While the prime rib sits in the fridge the salt will start to penetrate the meat, flavoring it throughout.

To make the prime rib rub

To make the dry rub, just mix black pepper, smoked paprika, mustard powder, granulated garlic, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme. Follow that up with a teaspoon of Kosher salt and onion powder.

This rub does not have much salt since I’ve factored in the dry brine process. However, if you decide to skip the dry brine process then you will need to add another tablespoon of kosher salt to your rub.

This rub should make enough for any sized prime rib, but if you are smoking multiple prime ribs and need more rub, just double the recipe to ensure you have enough.

How to season prime rib

You can sprinkle your rub generously over the entire prime rib and let the meat come to room temperature before placing it onto your smoker.

If you are smoking prime rib that has the bones tied on, you can remove them, season underneath, and tie them back on with butcher’s twine.

prime rub smeared with rub infused butter — Using butter also acts as a binder for the seasoning to stick to the meat.

Another great option is combining 1 stick (½ cup) of unsalted butter with the rub mixture and then covering the entire prime rib with it.

As the prime rib cooks the butter will baste the meat and bring additional flavor.

Storage

You can make the rub ahead of time if you want and store it in a mason jar or air-tight container.

This rub will last up to 4 weeks.