There’s a first time for everything—and making prime rib at home was a delicious learning experience we won’t soon forget! A few weeks ago, we prepared a 7-pound oven-roasted prime rib for a family holiday gathering. Neither my husband nor I had ever made one before, but his company gifted employees prime rib for Christmas. It felt like a sign to challenge ourselves—and feed the family something special.
Originally, we planned to make it for New Year’s Eve, but I ended up sick and had to postpone. Thankfully, the meat was frozen, so we simply adjusted our plans. Fast-forward to Easter weekend, we finally tackled this beautiful roast together.
Where We Got Our Prime Rib
We cooked a 7 lb prime rib roast from Carfagna’s Italian Market in Columbus, Ohio. If you’re from the area, you may already be familiar with their name. Years ago, I worked as a job developer for individuals with disabilities, and Carfagna’s was one of the businesses that partnered with our rehabilitation program.
Back then, they were located on Cleveland Avenue, but now they’ve moved to a newer location that includes a full deli. The quality of their meat is exceptional—this roast came beautifully marbled and trimmed. If you're looking for where to buy prime rib, and you're near Columbus, check them out.
Preparing Prime Rib for the First Time
Because neither of us wanted to mess up such a beautiful (and pricey!) cut of meat, my husband spent time researching how to cook prime rib in the oven. He browsed multiple methods and recipes, and we finally settled on a technique that was both easy and stress-free. Spoiler alert: it worked beautifully.
Ingredients for Our Easy Prime Rib Recipe
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1 Prime rib roast (approximately 7 pounds)
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2 tubs (6.5 oz each) of Land O’Lakes Garlic Herb Butter
That’s it—just two ingredients. No long list of herbs or fancy prep steps. We let the quality of the meat and the richness of the butter do all the work. The result? Juicy, tender, and flavorful garlic butter prime rib that everyone raved about.
Instructions: How to Cook Prime Rib in the Oven
If your prime rib is frozen like ours was, you’ll need to thaw it in the refrigerator. We pulled ours from the freezer on Monday night and cooked it on Saturday.
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Preheat your oven to 500°F.
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Remove the packaging pat dry with a towel, and generously slather the entire roast with garlic herb butter. Don’t be shy—this butter adds tons of flavor and moisture.
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Place the prime rib on a rack inside a roasting pan. (And if you don’t have a roasting rack like us, get creative—we MacGyvered ours with a foil pan and a bone mold cookie sheet since it had raised areas under the prime rib. Make it work with what you have!)
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Roast the prime rib at 500°F for 5 minutes per pound. Our roast was 7 pounds, so we cooked it for 35 minutes.
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Turn off the oven but do NOT open the door. This is key! The oven will retain the heat and continue to gently cook the roast.
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Set a timer for 2 hours and walk away. I know—it’s hard not to peek, but trust the process.
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After 2 hours, remove the roast, slice, and serve. (We actually packed ours up and carved it at our destination, and it traveled well.)
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| I told you we MacGyvered our rack, lol |
Why This Method Works
I’ll admit, I was skeptical. How could a roast be perfectly cooked by blasting it at a high temp for 35 minutes and then letting it sit? But it turns out, this no-fail prime rib recipe works because your oven acts like a sealed heat box. As long as you don’t open the door, that residual heat slowly and evenly finishes the meat.
I’m not a fan of well-done meat. I like my prime rib medium—and this came out perfect. Juicy, pink, and full of flavor. I was absolutely thrilled, and every single person at dinner loved it. We had very few leftovers, which tells you everything.
Tips for First-Time Prime Rib Cooks
If this is your first time cooking prime rib like it was for us, here are a few things we learned along the way:
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Start with a good cut of meat. If you live in or near Columbus, Ohio, Carfagna’s is a great place to buy a quality prime rib roast.
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Let it come close to room temperature before cooking. This ensures even roasting.
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Use a meat thermometer if you're unsure. While we didn’t use one, it’s a good idea for beginners to confirm the internal temperature hits 130°F for medium-rare or 135°F for medium.
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Don’t open that oven door! Seriously, the temptation is real, but resist.
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| My Easter dinner plate, yum! |
Would We Make Prime Rib Again?
Absolutely! If my husband’s company offers prime rib again next year, he’s planning to grab another one. Now that we’ve done it once, we feel confident repeating the process. We might experiment with different herb butters next time.
And yes—I’ve added a roasting rack to our kitchen wish list. 😉
Prime Rib All the Way
Making prime rib at home can feel intimidating, especially if it’s your first time. But if we can do it, so can you. This simple oven-roasted prime rib recipe delivered restaurant-quality results with minimal effort. It’s a showstopper for any holiday meal, and one we’ll be making again.
If you’re on the fence, go for it. Just remember: good meat, good butter, and don’t touch that oven door!
Ciao,
Cara
