A Reverse Sear Is The Best Way To Cook Prime Rib

It's one of those elusive goals akin to the search for the holy grail: cooking the perfect prime rib. Once you choose the best prime rib at the grocery store, you can't help but take a moment to look at the behemoth piece of meat — It can weigh up to 22 pounds — and wonder how you're going to ensure that it's moist and juicy on the inside, with a golden, crispy crust on the outside. Unfortunately, until you've sliced into it to admire your handiwork, you won't know whether you've succeeded in achieving a nice pink center — or failed, leaving you with a dull, gray, overcooked piece of meat. To avoid all of that stress, chefs and meat experts recommend a reverse sear.

Making a mistake when cooking prime rib can be costly. A full seven-rib roast can go for hundreds of dollars. Traditionally, prime rib is roasted in an oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with the roasting time depending on how rare you like your meat — as well as the size of the cut. To get the desired crust, some chefs broil or roast the meat at a high temperature before lowering the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. But the myth that searing meat seals in its juices has been debunked. Instead, meat gets even juicier with the reverse sear method, where the meat is cooked at a low temperature (approximately 200 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit) and then finished in a hot oven.

According to chef J. Kenji López-Alt, who is often credited for popularizing the reverse sear method, the longer cook gives the enzymes in the meat more time to break down the proteins and release its juices. In addition, the low temperatures allow the meat to cook more evenly. Instead of the outer edge becoming well-done while the middle is rare, you have juicy pink meat throughout. He also says this method gives you more control. With traditional roasting, the meat can go from done to overdone, quickly. With reverse searing, you have the time to raise or lower the temperature as needed. 

When determining how long to cook a prime rib, chefs focus on temperature rather than on time. You should keep track of the temperature of your meat using a tool like the ThermoMaven digital meat thermometer, until it reaches approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit below your target, making sure to use your meat thermometer properly. The meat will continue cooking outside of the oven so you'll want it to rest and achieve that temperature before giving it the final sear. If you prefer your meat medium rare, aim for a rested temperature of 125 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it has reached the desired temperature, which will take 10 minutes to half an hour, place it back in the oven at full heat (usually 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes. The result? A roast so tender and juicy you'll be convinced you found the holy grail.