This is the best easy bone-in ribeye roast recipe. You’ll love the foolproof, simple preparation. It’s slathered in a garlic and herb compound butter that bastes the roast as it cooks and creates an incredibly delicious crust. All of your friends and family will love this impressive meal that’s perfect for Christmas, holidays, or special occasions.

Bone-In Ribeye Roast

This is the king of roasts, and for good reason. Bone in ribeye roast has flavorful, juicy meat that’s pull-apart tender.

Cooking bone-in ribeye roast to perfection is surprisingly easy though even though it’s seriously impressive. All you need to do is slather it in an easy homemade compound butter and roast it at a high temperature followed by a low temperature.

The simple compound butter is made with things like garlic and rosemary. The butter bastes the meat as it roasts, locking in moisture. Plus, my compound butter has a secret ingredient which is brown sugar. I love to add brown sugar because it adds a subtle sweet and savory element, and, most importantly, it creates the most incredible caramelized crust.

This will be a show-stopping centerpiece for your Christmas dinner, holiday meal, or any special occasion you’re cooking for. It’s really the perfect meal, especially when it’s served with some apple crisp dessert.

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Ingredients

Bone-In Standing Rib Roast: You’re looking for a piece of meat that’s a bright red color, has lots of fine marbling, and has a good white fat cap on it. Ask your butcher to truss and french the roast for you if it hasn’t been done already. Frenching is cleaning the exposed rib bones for a prettier presentation, and trussing holds the roast together for more even cooking.

Salt and Pepper: When you’re seasoning a roast, it’s better to use coarse salt and pepper because they’ll create a more delicious crust than fine salt or finely ground pepper will. I recommend using kosher salt or coarse sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. The salt enhances the flavor of the beef, and the pepper balances out the rich flavor of the beef.

Unsalted Butter: This is the base of the compound butter that we’re coating the roast in. It’s rich and adds tons of flavor.

Olive Oil: Adding just a bit of olive oil to the softened butter helps make the compound butter more spreadable. Feel free to swap this for your favorite neutral-flavored cooking oil.

Brown Sugar: I love adding some brown sugar as a surprise ingredient for a savory roast because it really is a game changer. It adds a little sweetness, which tastes great with the savory flavors. More importantly, it caramelizes during roasting, which helps create the most incredible crust.

Garlic, Thyme, and Rosemary: These add aromatic, savory, herby flavors that pair so incredibly well with beef without overpowering it.

How To Cook Bone-In Ribeye Roast

Prep the Roast: Remove the rib roast from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature briefly to take the chill off for even cooking. Pat dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper on all sides, getting into every nook and cranny. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)

Make the Herb Butter: In a small bowl, combine the butter, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic, thyme, and rosemary until fully mixed into a spreadable herb butter.

Coat the Roast: Spread the herb butter evenly over the entire surface of the roast. Place it bone-side down on a rack in a roasting pan, then insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part, avoiding the bone.

Roast: Place in the preheated oven for an initial high-heat blast to develop a gorgeous crust, then lower the temperature and continue roasting until the thermometer reads your desired doneness, keeping in mind there will be carryover cooking after it’s removed.

Rest: Remove the roast from the oven and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest before carving so the juices can redistribute throughout the meat.

Carve and Serve: Slice between the rib bones, plate it, and enjoy! See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.

Pro Tips

• Dry Brine for More Flavor and a Better Crust: If you have time, I definitely recommend seasoning the roast with salt and pepper the night before. Leave it on a plate in the fridge uncovered, and then follow the cooking instructions the following day. The salt will pull moisture out of the meat which will then get reabsorbed, actually seasoning the inside of the meat. The cold, dry air in the fridge will also circulate around the roast, drying the surface out, which gives you an incredible crust when you cook it.
• Take the Chill Off: For pieces of meat like this rib roast, letting it rest at room temperature for a bit before cooking is an important step. Taking the chill off before roasting allows the roast to cook more evenly all the way through.
• Use a Meat Thermometer: There’s only way to know when the exact right moment to pull a roast out of the oven is, and that’s by using a meat thermometer.
• Plan for Carryover Cooking: Carryover cooking in large cuts of meat is a real factor. I find that carryover cooking ends up being about 10F, but it can vary between 5F and 20F, so it’s important to plan for that so you don’t end up with an overcooked roast.
• Rest the Roast: The roast needs a chance to rest so that it can reincorporate all of the juices. If you slice into it too soon, all the juices will pour out, making the roast taste much less tender.
• Use the Drippings: I love making homemade beef gravy with the drippings! They’re so flavorful and make incredible gravy.

Is A Bone-In Ribeye Roast The Same As Prime Rib?

Yes and no. They both come from the primal rib section of a cow (ribs 6 through 12), so they’re both tender, rich cuts. Prime rib normally refers to that specific cut of meat cooked in a particular way, while bone-in ribeye roast is the more accurate butcher’s term.

What Is The Best Way To Cook A Bone-In Ribeye?

The best way to cook beef ribeye roast is to start at a high heat to develop an incredible crust, followed by a lower temperature to gently cook the roast all the way through.

What Temperature Is Bone-In Ribeye Roast Done?

That totally depends on your preferred doneness. As a general guide: 120-125F is rare, 130-135F is medium-rare, 140-145F is medium, and 150F and above moves toward medium-well and well-done. Because of carryover cooking, which is when the internal temperature continues to rise after the roast is removed from the oven, it’s important to remove it from the oven earlier than your target temperature.

How To French A Bone-In Ribeye Roast?

Frenching is when you scrape the meat, fat, and connective tissue off of the ends of the exposed rib bones. To do this yourself, use a sharp knife to score around the meat between the bones, then scrape the bone clean downward. This isn’t something I ever do myself though. I always ask my butcher to do it for me.

How Much Bone In Ribeye Roast Per Person?

I normally plan on roughly one pound of bone-in ribeye roast per person, or one rib bone per two people if you’re serving a holiday meal with lots of side dishes.

Do You Cook A Ribeye Roast Covered Or Uncovered?

You always cook it uncovered because that’s the only way the surface of the meat can develop that gorgeous, deeply browned, caramelized crust. Covering the roast would trap steam and essentially braise it, which isn’t what we’re going for in this recipe.

Is Bone In Ribeye Roast Better Than Boneless?

I would argue that bone-in is the better choice for a couple of reasons. The bones add flavor during cooking, and create a more dramatic, impressive presentation. Boneless ribeye roast is easier to carve though, which can make it more practical. They’re both delicious, so it just depends on your preference.

Can A Ribeye Roast Be Cut Into Steaks?

Yes, since a ribeye roast is essentially a rack of ribeye steaks that haven’t been cut into steaks yet, you can definitely cut them into steaks if you like. The best way to do this is to cook it and let it rest, then slice it between the bones to make individual portions (which is the standard way of serving this anyways).You can also have your butcher slice it between the bones into steaks for you while it’s still raw.

Why Is Bone In Ribeye More Expensive?

It’s from a section of the cow that doesn’t do a lot of work, so the beef ends up with a lot of marbling and is very tender. It’s also a small section of the cow, so the combination of scarcity, and great flavor and texture makes it expensive.

Do You Put Water At The Bottom Of A Roasting Pan?

No. That would create steam, which would stop the roast from developing the delicious, crisp crust we’re after.

How Long Should A Ribeye Roast Sit Out Before Cooking?

It only needs to rest at room temperature for about 25-30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off and ensure even cooking. I wouldn’t recommend letting it sit for longer than that.

Should You Sear A Ribeye Roast?

You can, but it really is an extra step that won’t create noticeably better results. Starting the roast off in a high heat oven creates the same effect, just with far less effort and no extra dishes.

How Do You Cut A Bone In Ribeye Roast After Cooking?

After the roast has had a chance to rest, use a sharp carving knife to cut along the rib bones to separate them from the meat in one piece, or slice between each individual bone. Next, you’ll carve the meat against the grain into slices.

What To Serve With Bone-In Ribeye Roast

I love serving this with either Au Jus or with this creamy horseradish sauce for dipping. Serving it with potatoes, like these roasted baby potatoes or these mashed potatoes without milk, is great for soaking up the flavors.

Storing And Reheating Leftovers

You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to reheat the slices in a skillet over low heat with a bit of butter.

Keep In Touch

I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime

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Beef Recipes

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our other beef recipes. Some reader favorites are:

• Boneless Prime Rib
• Air Fryer Ribeye
• Ribeye Roast
• Chuck Eye Steak
• Prime Rib Rub
• Instant Pot Roast Beef
• Sous Vide Prime Rib

This bone-in ribeye roast is absolutely the perfect holiday meal that your friends and family will all love.