Our All-Time Most Popular Christmas Recipe

The holidays are a time for family, friends, gifts, and most importantly food. I love holiday food, from special occasion main dishes to carb-loaded sides to festive cocktails and far too many desserts. I simply can’t get enough.

Year after year, the Simply Recipes team gathers around after the holidays to see what our readers were searching, making, baking, and sharing. Still full from our own meals, it’s a delight to see what recipes and articles struck a cord. And while there are always plenty of hits, one recipe reigns supreme every Christmas and New Year’s: prime rib. 

Who can deny the innate appeal of prime rib? It’s the crème de la crème of beef cuts, a true showstopper worthy of a once-a-year meal. With just the right amount of fat and lots of flavor, there’s no better piece of meat than prime rib… when it’s cooked properly. 

And that’s the rub, isn’t it? If you’re going to spend all of that money on this prized cut, likely ordering it ahead from a butcher, you do not want to ruin it. That’s where a good recipe comes in and Simply Recipes’ works—I’ve tested it.

My Experience Making Our Prime Rib Recipe

While I’ve been an editor at Simply Recipes for over a year and a half and a contributor for far longer, I have not had the honor of trying out our founder Elise Bauer’s prime rib recipe. That is, until now. I decided that this is the year that I go for it and see what all of the fuss is about.

While I’ve made countless dishes through work and otherwise, I’ve never actually made prime rib! The big cut of expensive beef has always intimidated me, the kind of thing I accept at a fancy steak house (when someone else is paying) and don’t even consider making at home.

And you know what? I’m so glad I finally took the plunge. Never has something so glorious emerged from my oven. My neighbors could not stop going on and on about the prime rib at our Hanukkah dinner, entranced by how delicious it was and amazed that I made it. 

I feel like a wizard, making the most succulent, juicy prime rib all by myself. And it was—dare I say it?—easy.

Why Elise’s Recipe Works

First, she has you take the meat from the fridge a full three hours before cooking, simply salting the outside and letting it sit. This helps the beef come closer to room temperature so that it cooks more evenly, and the quick dry brine adds flavor and helps with browning.

After dabbing the outside, the roast goes in the oven at a super high temperature to brown quickly before the temperature is reduced. The prime rib cooks low and slow to your desired doneness (she provides handy dandy timing guidelines for an easy calculation), then rests before slicing.

It’s simple, adjustable based on the size of your cut, and it works.

The Key to Prime Rib Success

There’s really just one key tip that will guarantee your success: a great thermometer. If you’re going to spend all of that money on the beef, go ahead and get a high-quality oven-safe probe thermometer, ideally one that has an alarm. I used my Thermoworks Square Dot.

I inserted the probe from the cut side in the very center of the meat as far as it would go. Then I set the alarm for 125°F, a temperature that will result in prime rib that is medium-rare in the middle and medium towards the ends. I double-checked the temperature in a couple more places (aiming for the dead center away from bones), then tented the meat in foil and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Using a thermometer like this means you won’t risk overcooking the meat, the cardinal sin of roasting prime rib. It takes away the guesswork and with it a lot of stress.

Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes, even an hour is great (it’ll still be warm, but will retain its juices). Then remove the bones and carve. I guarantee your guests will be oo-ing and ahh-ing their faces off during your holiday dinner.