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For the most beautiful, tender, succulent prime rib, a sous vide prime rib is the way to go. Slow cooked in a temperature-controlled water bath and seasoned with a garlic-herb compound butter, this show-stopping entrée will be gorgeous on your holiday table. Served with a simple, gluten-free au jus made with just 4 ingredients.

Overhead view of a platter of sliced sous vide prime rib on a white table top.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • Prime rib is a classic holiday entrée, and once you taste it, it’s easy to see why. Tender, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth beef that’s labelled “prime” by the USDA due to its gorgeous marbling and age. Whether you’re using a standing rib roast or a rib-eye roast, prime rib is one of the juiciest, most flavorful cuts of meat you’ll find. It’s also toward the high end of the price range for meat, making it more likely to be cooked for holidays or other special occasions than for your average Tuesday night.
  • Given the price tag, it’s important to cook prime rib properly, so you aren’t let down by tough, chewy, overcooked meat. The sous vide method cooks the prime rib slowly, in a temperature-controlled water bath that’s guaranteed to cook evenly. After the sous vide, the prime rib is rubbed with a garlic compound butter and roasted for 15 minutes – just long enough to develop a gorgeously deep crust. Roasting it locks in those rich juices and incredible flavors, ensuring every bite is delicious.

Chef’s Tips

  • Prime rib shines on its own, so it’s best to keep the seasonings light and simple. That doesn’t mean you can’t customize your blend, though! Any herbs will work, so don’t feel stuck with rosemary. Thyme, sage, oregano, parsley – they’d all be delicious. You could even blend a few herbs together if you want.
  • For the very best results, let the prime rib rest for a minimum of 15 minutes after roasting. If you start carving right away, you’ll lose a lot of the natural juices from the meat. Letting it rest, though, gives the juices time redistribute throughout the prime rib, ensuring every bite you take is as moist and tender as possible.
  • Speaking of carving, when it’s time to slice the prime rib, make sure you cut against the grain of the meat. Not sure what that means? Look for the muscle fibers running parallel throughout the prime rib. Position your carving knife so it’s perpendicular to those fibers before carving. Cutting against the grain keeps the meat from being chewy and tough.
Close-up look at a carved sous vide prime rib on a wooden cutting board in front of a white background.

Delicious Sides Ideas For Prime Rib

Close-up look at a carved sous vide prime rib on a wooden cutting board in front of a white background.
Recipe By: Sam Guarnieri

Sous Vide Prime Rib with Au Jus

Prep 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook 8 hours 20 minutes
Rest 20 minutes
Total 10 hours
Sous vide prime rib will be the star of your holiday dinner. Cooked low and slow in a temperature-controlled water bath and seasoned to perfection.
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8 servings

Equipment

  • large baking dish or baking sheet, large enough to hold prime rib
  • Aluminum Foil or plastic wrap
  • Large pot or other large, heat-resistant container
  • Sous vide immersion circulator
  • large food-safe vacuum sealing bags or large sealable food-safe plastic bag
  • vacuum sealer optional, see Notes for alternative
  • Oven
  • 2 small bowls
  • Silicone spatula or large wooden spoon
  • Paper towels
  • small skillet

Ingredients

For the Prime Rib

  • 1 prime rib roast 3 ½ pounds
  • salt to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup butter softened
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

For the Au Jus

  • reserved cooking juices from prime rib
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 1 cup beef broth

Instructions

  • Place prime rib in baking dish or on baking sheet. Generously season all sides of prime rib with salt, then cover prime rib with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place baking dish in refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour, but no more than 12 hours.
    Overhead view of uncooked prime rib seasoned with salt on a round white plate.
  • When ready to cook prime rib, fill large pot or other large, heat-resistant container with water. Insert sous vide immersion circulator and set to 132° Fahrenheit (see Notes for alternate temperatures). Note: pot must be deep enough that water level falls between minimum and maximum indicators on circulator.
  • Place prime rib in food-safe bag. Remove as much air from bag as possible with vacuum sealer or water displacement method (see Notes) and seal bag shut.
  • Once water bath is preheated to 132° Fahrenheit, place sealed bag in pot, making sure prime rib is fully submerged. Weigh bag down with weights or silverware attached to bottom of bag if needed. Food must be fully submerged to cook properly.
    Overhead view of seasoned prime rib in a large container filled with water and a sous vide immersion circulator.
  • Cook prime rib in water bath 8 hours. After 8 hours, remove bag from water bath. Transfer prime rib from bag to baking sheet and set aside. Reserve cooking liquid from bag and set aside for au jus.
    Overhead view of sous vide prime rib on a roasting pan with small ramekin of reserved juices.
  • Preheat oven to 475° Fahrenheit. Add salt, pepper, softened butter, minced garlic, minced rosemary, salt, and pepper to small bowl. Mix together ingredients until fully combined.
  • Pat prime rib completely dry on all sides with paper towels. Once dried, cover prime rib with butter mixture on all sides, gently rubbing mixture into prime rib.
    Overhead view of a sous vide prime rib rubbed with seasoned compound butter on a black roasting pan.
  • When entire butter mixture has been applied, place baking sheet in preheated oven. Roast prime rib 10 to 15 minutes or until outside of prime rib is golden brown. When desired coloring is achieved, remove baking sheet from oven and let prime rib rest at least 15 minutes.
    Overhead view of sous vide prime rib that's been seasoned with spices and roasted until deep brown.
  • While prime rib rests, heat small skillet over medium heat. When pan is warm, add reserved prime rib juices, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine. Whisk to blend ingredients, then simmer mixture 4 to 5 minutes or until liquid has reduced by 25%.
    Overhead view of au jus mixture in a silver saucepan on a white countertop.
  • Pour in beef broth and gently whisk to incorporate. Continue simmering until liquid has reduced to desired consistency, then transfer au jus to serving container.
    Overhead view of au jus mixture in a silver saucepan on a white countertop.
  • Carve prime rib into thick slices, working against grain of meat for tender cuts. Serve warm with au jus and desired sides.
  • Water Displacement Method: Place the prime rib in an appropriately-sized sealable food-safe bag  (not a vacuum sealing bag) and seal the bag halfway across the top. Heat the water with the sous vide immersion circulator as instructed, then slowly lower the half-sealed bag into the heated water. The temperature difference will force the air out of the bag – you should see the plastic cling to the meat. Once the food is entirely submerged and all the air is out of the bag, seal the bag completely and continue with the recipe.
  • Make it Dairy Free: Use a plant-based butter.
 

Temperatures & Results

  • For rare prime rib, set sous vide to 120°-130°F.
  • For medium-rare prime rib, set sous vide to 130°-140°F.
  • For medium prime rib, set sous vide to 140°-150°F.
  • For medium-well prime rib, set sous vide to 150°-160°F.
  • For well-done prime rib, set sous vide to 160°-165°F.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1serving of prime rib with au jusCalories: 661calProtein: 27gFat: 59gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 274mgPotassium: 497mgTotal Carbs: 1gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.3gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 187IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Sam Guarnieri

Sam is a travel, food, and fitness enthusiast from the New York metro area who loves creating new and inventive recipes. Her love of food goes all the way back to her early childhood, cooking alongside her mom and Nonna – the two best cooks she knows! She's a big believer that good-for-you food can still explode with flavor and (most importantly) be easy to make. When she's not in the kitchen, Sam can usually be found planning her next vacation, spending time outdoors, or bingeing the latest Netflix docu-series.

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