Ribeye Roast is a classic main entree for special meals. A ribeye roast is Prime Rib without the bone, making it easier to cook and scale to the right size at home.
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Introduction
Ribeye roast on one of the best and most delicious cuts of beef. A ribeye roast is a great company meal due to its excellent marbling that makes an extraordinarily moist and tender cut of meat.
But do you want to cook a whole 5-10 pounds of prime rib or ribeye if you have a smaller household? That will feed 10-20 people. That is just not friendly for most households. A small prime rib roast or ribeye roast will be perfect for you.
A prime rib roast is a ribeye roast with the bones still attached. Bones will absorb additional heat so cooking times will be a bit longer but the technique is otherwise the same.
So let's learn how to cook a small ribeye roast or a small prime rib roast without eating leftovers for a week. With these easy step-by-step instructions, let’s make a small ribeye or prime rib roast perfect for smaller households.
Start with a good coat of garlic butter with some salt and pepper. It goes into a hot high oven to get a nice seared crust. Based on an Allrecipes.com recipe for inspiration—I scaled down some and some adjustments to decrease the smoking oven.
For other special meal main dishes, check out Roasted Turkey Breast, Crock Pot Glazed Ham, Seared and Roasted Filet Mignon, Seared and Roasted New York Strip Steak, or Chicken Parmesan. Or fire up the grill for Grilled Grilled Ribeye, Grilled Filet Mignon, or a Grilled Pork Tenderloin.
This recipe is featured in Thanksgiving Recipes, Christmas Recipes, and Easter Recipes roundups.
👨🍳How to bake a small ribeye roast.
- Let the smaller ribeye roast set a room temperature for about an hour.
- Give the roast with a good rub of garlic butter with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Roast initially in a 500° oven to sear, then decrease the oven temperature to 325° and roast to your target internal temperature.
- Rest tented for 15-20 minutes before carving.
⏰🌡️Cooking time and temperature
After an initial 20-minute searing at 500° oven for 20 minutes, decrease the oven's temperature to 325° and continue to roast until desired internal temperature.
A 2 ½ pound roast, the initial 20 minutes searing at 500° plus approximately an additional 45 minutes for 130°, 55 minutes for 140°, and 60 minutes for 145°. But always check internal temperature several times early.
Approximate cooking time for 2 to 2 ½ pounds of ribeye roast
For 3 to 3 ½ pounds of ribeye roast, add approximately 20-30 minutes to the approximate oven and total times.
- Rare—cold red center (125°-130°)—Searing time of 20 minutes plus oven time of about 40-45 minutes for a total time of about 60-65 minutes.
- Medium—Rare warm red center (130°-140°)—Searing time of 20 minutes plus oven time of about 45-55 minutes for a total time of about 65-70 minutes.
- Medium—pink and firm (140°-150°)—Searing time of 20 minutes plus oven time of about 55-65 minutes for a total time of about 70-80 minutes.
- Medium Well and Well Done—Not Recommended
Times are only provided to help in planning but never cook by time. You must cook to a final internal temperature. Always check the internal temperature several times early. Remember to account for a rise in temperature of 5°+ after removal from the oven.
The bigger and thicker a roast is, the longer it is to reach your desired internal temperature. Small roasts that are larger around but thin may be significantly faster.
🐄Ribeye vs. Prime Rib—What is the Difference?
There is some confusion about prime rib vs. ribeye. The simple answer, usually correct, is a ribeye roast and prime rib roast come from the same cut of beef, but the ribeye generally has had the ribs removed. So a prime rib contains a ribeye, but a prime rib also includes ribs.
What we think of as prime rib is generally a rib-in standing rib roast. It does not need to be a prime grade but will usually be choice grade.
So, a ribeye is not a prime rib, while a prime rib does contain the ribeye. A prime rib may not be prime graded, although I think it should be, so ask. Roast with rib may be called “prime rib” or standing rib roast. In the US, things labeled ribeye will almost always be boneless.
🔥What to Do About Smoking Ovens
You probably will have some because you have fat from the meat and butter in a 500° oven. Fat is going to hit hot metal somewhere and smoke.
I reduced the butter that would melt off and had no chance of adding flavor, which helped a lot.
You have some choices about if this smokes too much for you:
- You can realize it will probably happen and live with it. Lots of exhaust fans and open windows.
- You can eliminate the butter and use a higher temperature vegetable oil, which still may smoke some but less.
- You can add some water to the pan under the rack, so when the butter melts off, it hits the water (max temp of 212°) instead of the 500° pan. This is my favorite method.
- You can skip the "searing" entirely and use a 350° oven. It will take a bit longer, but it will be fine, just cook to a final internal temperature.
❓FAQs
A reasonable estimate of how much ribeye roast to buy is ⅓ to ½ pound per serving. Assume more for teenage boys and hungry people.
Cut the meat across the grain. Think of it as a log and cut off round slices for serving.
Fresh salad and roasted vegetables like Baked Green Beans with Bacon or Roasted Asparagus are good side dishes, along with Roasted Baby Potatoes as a starch. I always like to add Julia Child's French Bread.
What to serve with ribeye roast?
Fresh salad and roasted vegetables like cauliflower, green beans, or asparagus are good side dishes, along with potatoes as starch. I always like to add crusty artisan bread.
For a wine pairing, we prefer Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir.
❄️Storage and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or frozen airtight for 3-4 months.
To reheat leftovers, first, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Reheat in the oven covered with some moisture like au jus or beef broth.
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Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500° and lower a rack so the roast will be in the middle of the oven. Allow the ribeye roast to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
Mix 3 tablespoons of softened butter with 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Poke 15-20 half-inch knife holes into the roast.
Slather the butter/garlic mixture onto the roast, pushing some of the mixture into the holes. Add some kosher salt and black pepper to the roast.
Prep a roasting pan with a rack and give the rack a heavy coat of PAM. A cake pan is good here. The pan needs some sides to prevent splatter. I suggest using the rack and some water under the rack to decrease the smoke.
Place the fat side up on the rack and into a 500° oven for 20 minutes, then decrease the oven's temperature to 325° and continue to roast until desired internal temperature—45 to 90 minutes depending on size and desired temperature. Alway check the internal temperature a few times early, every 15-20 minutes. Allow for a 5°-10° rise in temperature after removal from the oven. Never cook by time alone. Always check with a meat thermometer.
Tent lightly with foil and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting. Remember, the roast may increase a few degrees when tented.
📖 Recipe
Small Ribeye Roast
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound boneless ribeye roast
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500° and lower a rack so the roast will be in the middle of the oven. Allow the ribeye roast to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- Mix 3 tablespoons of softened butter with 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Poke 15-20 half-inch knife holes into the roast.
- Slather the butter/garlic mixture onto the roast, pushing some of the mixture into the holes. Add some kosher salt and black pepper to the roast.
- Prep a roasting pan with a rack and give the rack a heavy coat of PAM. A cake pan is good here. The pan needs some sides to prevent splatter. I suggest using the rack and some water under the rack to decrease the smoke.
- Place the fat side up on the rack and into a 500° oven for 20 minutes, then decrease the oven's temperature to 325° and continue to roast until desired internal temperature—45 to 90 minutes depending on size and desired temperature. Always check temp several times early. Allow for a 5°-10° rise in temperature after removal from the oven. Never cook by time alone. Always check with a meat thermometer. See Notes below about smaller or thinner roasts.
- Tent lightly with foil and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting. Remember, the roast may increase a few degrees when tented.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A good estimate of the size of the roast is ⅓ to ½ pound per serving.
- Never cook by time alone. Always check with a meat thermometer. The timing chart is in the post.
- If cooking a smaller, more flat and thin roast, it may cook faster since it is thinner. Please check the temperature a few times, least every 15-20 minutes. A continuous remote thermometer is recommended.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and can be frozen for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in the oven covered with some moisture like au jus or beef broth.
You may have some smoke issues. You have some choices.
- You can just realize it will probably happen and live with it. Lots of exhaust fans and open windows.
- You can eliminate the butter and use a higher temperature vegetable oil which still may smoke some but less.
- You can add some water to the pan under the rack, so when the butter melts off, it hits the water (max temp of 212°) instead of the 500° pan. This is my favorite.
- You can skip the "searing" entirely and roast at 350°. It will take a bit longer but will be fine, it is a great juicy cut of meat.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally published September 17, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Evita Flegle
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Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
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Dan.