How To Pull off the Perfect Prime Rib With Chef Erik Niel

Celebrate the holidays with a show-stopping main course: prime rib.

Erik and Amanda Niel have plenty to celebrate this holiday season. This past May, their Chattanooga restaurant Easy Bistro & Bar, where Erik showcases his love for French Creole cuisine, turned 20. Their other concepts, Little Coyote and Main Street Meats, have also continued to thrive. “It’s overwhelming to think that over 20 years, how many thousands of people have worked for us, have dined with us, have cared about us,” he says. “It’s pretty emotional.”

One of the ways they’ll celebrate is with a show-stopping main course: a smoked standing rib roast, or prime rib. Shortly after taking over Main Street Meats in 2014, the team began offering customers smoked turkeys at Thanksgiving, which evolved into offering rib roasts at Christmas. “We sell them both raw, which are butchered and tied and ready to cook, as well as smoked and ready to reheat,” Erik says. They traditionally source from Bear Creek Farm in Williamson County, Tennessee, or the sustainable farm Niman Ranch. “It’s not an inexpensive endeavor, especially as the price of meat continues to rise,” he adds. “But with a little bit of effort, it’s well worth it for the holidays.”

When sending customers home with a cut like this, the butchers offer loads of tips on how to prep, smoke, and serve it—that includes getting it to room temperature before you cook it and using little seasoning. “You just brought home this beautiful piece of meat; you really don’t want to do much to it,” Erik says. From there, it’s a matter of time—smoking can take as long as four to five hours depending on the size, and it’s essential to let it rest before serving. “An hour at the minimum,” he instructs. Once it’s done, you can slice it thin or thick, depending on your preference, and you’ll get pieces that range from rare to well done. “Some people want it mooing, very pink, but then you have Grandma who wants it well done. The beauty of the rib roast is that you’ve got something for everyone.”

Get the Recipe

recipe

yields

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients


• (4-bone) Bear Creek Farms standing rib roast (ask your butcher to separate the ribs from the loin, and then tie the loin back together for smoking)
  

• Kosher salt
  

• Sea salt
  

• 
  

Special equipment:


• Smoker
  

• Wood chips
  

• Instant-read thermometer (Niel recommends Meater)
  

• Butcher paper
  

• Well-sealed cooler (Niel recommends Yeti)

steps

1. Prep: Remove rib roast from the refrigerator and set it on a tray on the counter 6 to 8 hours before cooking.
2. One hour before cooking, season surface of roast liberally with kosher salt.
3. Prepare your preferred smoker/barbecue pit: Build a fire and bring temperature to 250 degrees. Add hardwood chips at your discretion. (Use more chips if you prefer a heavy smoke flavor.)
4. Insert instant-read thermometer into the middle of the loin, as deeply as you can.
5. Smoke and Rest: Place rib roast into smoker, bone-side down, as far away from heat source as you can get it.
6. Cover and smoke at 250 degrees for as long as it takes. This will probably be 4 to 5 hours. Don’t get antsy!
7. Once internal temp has reached 125 degrees, pull rib roast out of smoker and wrap in butcher paper.
8. Place wrapped roast in a cooler with the lid open for 30 minutes, then closed for another 90 minutes. Again, please don’t get antsy—it has to rest.
9. Serve: Cut twine to separate loin from bones. Slice in between each bone and lay on a serving platter.
10. Slice as much of the loin as you’d like into ¼-inch slices and lay on platter next to and on top of bones.
11. Season each slice with a pinch or two of sea salt before serving.

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