Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib

Protein:

Origin: North American, American

Method: Smoker

Jump to Recipe

I am not going to lie. This Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib may be one of the best things to ever come out of my smoker. The addition of beef tallow add a subtle "dry aged" beef flavor to this classic holiday dish. After a brief cook at 400 degrees, we drop the temperature to finish smoking the roast, resulting in a beautifully herb crusted culinary centerpiece for your holiday meal.

Making the Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib

For this herbed prime rib you will need garlic paste, fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, and lavender, smoked black pepper, coarse kosher or sea salt, and beef tallow.

Finely chop your herbs. You really want to use fresh herbs for this recipe. Avoid the dried herbs that have been sitting in your cabinet for 14 years. You spent the money on a prime rib roast so don't skimp on the herbs.

Add the herbs to a bowl along with the garlic paste, salt and pepper. Mix to form a uniform paste. You can certainly replace the garlic squeeze or garlic paste with fresh minced garlic. If using fresh, add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the herb paste.

Prep and season your prime rib roast

For our Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib we chose a 9 pound ribeye roast from Wild Fork. We were very pleased with the roast that we got.

What is a Prime Rib Roast

When shopping for a prime rib roast you may also see them labelled as a standing rib roast or beef ribeye roast. These are all just different names for the same thing. For reference, a standing rib roast contains a ribeye and the back ribs. Short ribs are found in the rib primal below the ribeye roast.

We choose to spend the extra money on a USDA prime graded roast due to its superior marbling and tenderness. To clarify any confusion, a prime rib roast does not necessarily mean that the meat is graded as prime. Prime rib can be prime, choice, or even select. In this case "prime" refers to the fact that the prime rib roast is taken from the from the primal rib, located in the area behind the shoulder.

Rub the prime rib with the beef tallow

To prepare your standing rib roast trim any excess fat from the roast. Next, rub the prime rib with the beef tallow, to completely cover the roast. You will typically need about ½ a cup to ¾ a cup of tallow to completely cover the roast. If you are using tallow that has been refrigerated you will want to let it come to room temperature first so it is spreadable.

What is beef tallow?

In short beef tallow is rendered beef fat that has been cooked down to have impurities removed. It is great used as a cooking fat with a smoke point of about 400 degrees. It is not a neutral oil and will impart a great beefy, dry aged flavor to dishes. We love the dry aged taste it imparts in to the prime rib roast.

We are a big fan of the beef tallow from Epic Provisions but you can use what to have access to or even make your own. If you have extra beef tallow be sure to try our Over the Top Smoked Mississippi Pot Roast.

Apply the herb paste

Next rub the top and sides of the prime rib roast with the herb paste. Allow the Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib to set at room temperature while you get your smoker fired up. You can make a little extra herb paste if you prefer even more herb flavor or if you want to cover the bone side of the roast with herbs as well.

Smoking the Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib

Preheat your smoker to 400 degrees. Place the prime rib roast in the smoker and cook for thirty minutes. We used our Gateway drum smoker for this cook but you can use whatever smoker you use. If you are using a ceramic smoker like a Big Green Egg, you will want to be certain to set up for indirect heat.

After 30 minutes at 400 degrees, decrease the temperature of the smoker to 275 degrees.

Continue to cook to an internal temperature of 123 degrees. Carry over temp will result in a nice rare+ prime rib roast. If you would like the prime rib cooked closer to medium, continue cooking to 128 degrees. On average it will take about 20-25 minutes per pound to cook the prime rib with this method. As always though cook to temperature, not time and use a meat thermometer. We have always had great luck with our Fireboard, or for a wireless option we like our Tappecue.

Finally your patience has paid off and your prime rib has reached temp. Remove the prime rib from the smoker, cover with foil, and let rest for about 10 minutes prior to slicing.

Serving the Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib

Serve your masterpiece with some herbed fried mashed potatoes and make your meal even more elegant with some crab cakes. Serve with some horseradish sauce or peppercorn sauce if desired.

For more great steak recipes be sure to check out our Reverse Seared Argentinian Ribeye With Chimichurri Sauce, Sous Vide Florentine Style Porterhouse or Rotisserie Picanha.

Leftovers? Use the leftover smoked prime rib in our Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers, or reheat in some au jus for some of the best French dip sandwiches you will ever eat.

📖 Recipe

Thanks again for visiting Carne Diem. If you tried and enjoyed our recipe, please share with others. Also don’t forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary or #CarneDiemBlog, we love to see your pics! To be notified of future recipes please follow us on Facebook,  Instagram, or Pinterest, or sign up for our e-mail notifications.